Genre 5 Historical Fiction

The Wednesday Wars

Written By Gary Schmidt

1. Bibliography

Schmidt, Gary. 2007. The Wednesday Wars. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780547237602

2. Plot Summary

The Wednesday Wars is a comical historical fiction book that takes place in 1967 in Long Island, New York.  The story follows Holling Hoodhood a seventh grader at Camillo Junior High, who just happens to be Presbyterian in a town where everyone is either Catholic or Jewish.  This wouldn’t ordinarily be a problem except that Holling is the only Presbyterian in his class and is convinced that his teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates him because on Wednesday afternoons all the other students leave to go to either Hebrew School or Catechism.  Mrs. Baker subjects him to series of chores on Wednesdays, a few of which end with horrible results, like letting Mrs. Bakers rats loose in the school when cleaning their cage.  She finally decides to have him read and discuss Shakespeare on Wednesday afternoons, which Holling believes is all a part of her plan to “bore him to death.”  Throughout the story Holling deals with many other issues besides Mrs. Baker, such as trying to be the perfect son to parents that neglect him, having to act in an embarrassing town play, and taking first girl friend on a date.  This exciting tale with the ever present Vietnam War in the back drop will make you laugh, cry, and lead you on a journey of self-discovery with Holling Hoodhood in 1967.

3. Critical Analysis

The Wednesday Wars is a coming of age story about a seventh grade boy named Holling Hoodhood, who lives in Long Island, New York.  The story takes place from 1967 to 1968 during the Vietnam Era and touches on topics such as war, racism, neglect, love, and growing up or finding yourself, as Hollings sister would say.  Gary Schmidt, the author, cleverly uses Shakespeare’s plays and compares them to real life events that Holling, the main character experiences.  In the background of this story is the Vietnam War.  Schmidt touches on the themes of racism, loss that pertain the events happening in the war.  When the husband of Mrs. Bigio, the school cafeteria lady, is killed in the war, someone vandalizes the Catholic Church where Mai Tai, a student in Hollings class and a refugee from Vietnam, lives.  Holling relates this event to The Tempest by William Shakespeare, stating that “Sometimes there isn’t a Prospero to make everything fine again.  And sometimes the quality of mercy is strained.” 

Even though this story often touches on serious topics Schmidt also inserts humorous events throughout the book. A couple of examples are when Holling has to play Ariel, a fairy from The Tempest who wears yellow tights with feathers on them, in a town play, and when he accidently lets the class pets, which are rats, loose in the school.  The comical events in this story really appeal to the reader and lighten the mood of the darker themes.

One of the more serious themes in the story is neglect.  Schmidt shows us what it’s like living in a home that gives the appearance of being “perfect.”  Holling has parents who are never there for him when he needs them, even when he ends up in the hospital.  Holling soon realizes who his real friends and family are and that his teacher, cares for him and does not hate him as he first thought.  Schmidt shows us how Holling grows up during the story and gains “guts” as his sister suggests he do on one occasion.  At the end of the book he defies his stubborn father by going to rescue his sister Heather.  She ran away from home in order to find her-self and became stranded in Milwaukee.  With Holling’s help Heather finally makes it home and the two of them realize that finding yourself is not what’s important; sometimes its being found that really matters.   

This story is for students in sixth grade and up.  The author often rights about serious topics and current events during the Vietnam Era that may be inappropriate for younger students.  I highly recommend this book and found it to be thought provoking, interesting, and funny.  Gary Schmidt really did the research and pants a realistic tale of what life was like growing up in New York during the Vietnam War.

4. Review Excerpts

Newbery Honor Book Award 2008

ALA Notable Book

YALSA Best Book for Young Adults

Publishers Weekly, Starred Review: "Schmidt, who’s LIZZIE BRIGHT AND THE BUCKMINSTER BOY won both Printz and Newbery Honors, delivers another winner...deeply satisfying."

Kirkus, Starred Review: "Schmidt ... [gets] to the emotional heart of every scene without overstatement ... another virtuoso turn by the author of LIZZIE BRIGHT."

ALA Booklist, Starred Review: "Schmidt...makes the implausible believable and the everyday momentous...a gentle, hopeful, moving story."

Horn Book, Starred Review: "Schmidt rises above the novel's conventions to create memorable and believable characters."

School Library Journal: "[An] entertaining and nuanced novel.... There are laugh-out-loud moments that leaven the many poignant ones."

Booklist Starred Review: “[A] quietly powerful coming-of-age novel. . . . [Schmidt] offers a gentle, hopeful, moving story of a boy who, with the right help, learns to stretch beyond the limitations of his family, his violent times, and his fear, and leap into his future with his eyes and his heart wide open.

5. Connections

In the book The Wednesday Wars Holling is asked to do many things that he really doesn’t want to do, such as wearing tights and acting in a play or cleaning erasers for Mrs. Baker.  Talk about a time when you had to do something that you didn’t want to, but you did it anyway.  What were your reasons for doing the activity?  How did it make you feel? 

Hollings parents are never around when he needs them.  When he ends up in the hospital after he saves his sister they don’t come.   When Holling is supposed to go to the baseball game after the play his dad doesn’t show up.  When he runs a big race they don’t come to watch.  How do you think these events made Holling feel?  Do you think this made him more independent?  What characters in the book are always there for Holling? (ex. Mrs. Baker, Meryl Lee, Danny Hupfer) Write a couple of paragraphs about how you think Holling felt when his parents were not around when he needed them and about the characters that were there to support him. 

In the book The Wednesday Wars Holling reads some of Shakespeare’s plays.  Research and learn more information about Shakespeare.  Then as a class read one of his plays and discuss common themes found in the play.  Below are some of Shakespeare’s plays.

Hamlet by William Shakespeare ISBN: 978-0743477123

King Lear by William Shakespeare ISBN: 978-0743482769

Macbeth by William Shakespeare ISBN: 978-0743477109

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare ISBN: 978-1619492233

Othello by William Shakespeare ISBN: 978-0743482820

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare ISBN: 978-0743477116

The Tempest by William Shakespeare ISBN: 978-0743482837

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare ISBN: 978-1461030218

This activity is more suited for high school students and up.  Research and learn more about the Vietnam War Era. Make a cause and effect chart based on your findings.  There are many good websites that give information on the war.  Here are some websites that give brief descriptions and are appropriate for high school students.

http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/vietnamwar/p/VietnamBrief.htm

http://www.surfnetkids.com/vietnam.htm

http://kids.yahoo.com/reference/encyclopedia/entry?id=VietnamW

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/

Chains

Written by Laurie Halse Anderson

1. Bibliography

Anderson, L. H. 2008. Chains. New York, NY: Atheneum Books. ISBN 9781416905851

2. Plot Summary

Chains is an exciting story about a young girl named Isabel who was born into slavery and cannot escape it.  Isabel and her sister Ruth lose their mother first and their old owner Mrs. Finch, who freed them of slavery in her Will.  However Mrs. Finch’s nephew, Mr. Robert, has other plans and sells Isabel and Ruth to a Mr. and Mrs. Lockton of New York.  Mr. and Mrs. Lockton are not the kindest people.  Mrs. Lockton parades little Ruth around like a doll to her friends until Ruth has a seizure.  Ruth has something wrong with her and is often referred to as adorable, but simple minded.  Isabel minds her manners and does her chores until one day when Mrs. Lockton sends Ruth away because she is superstitious and afraid of her and the seizures.  Isabel has no idea where her sister is and directs her anger at Mrs. Lockton, which results in horrible consequences. 

Meanwhile in the background of Isabel’s story is the beginning of the Revolutionary War in the year 1776.  Isabel befriends a boy named Curzon, who is a slave for a Rebel supporter.  Curzon convinces Isabel to help the Rebel cause by spying on Mr. Lockton and his friends who are Loyalists.  The situation becomes very dangerous for Isabel and Curzon when fighting and fires break out and the Loyalists take over New York City.  This exciting and enlightening historical fiction novel will make you want to read more about the American Revolution and Isabel’s plight.

3. Critical Analysis

Anderson masterfully weaves a tale of a poor slave girl struggling to gain her and her sisters freedom and the beginning of the American Revolution together.  Anderson’s main character Isabel is a spirited girl who would do anything to protect her little sister, Ruth, even take a beating for her.  When Isabel and Ruth are sold to Mr. and Mrs. Lockton, a Loyalist couple from New York, Isabel finds it increasingly harder to protect her sister.  Mrs. Lockton separates them by having adorable little Ruth dress up and parade around for her friends all day while Isabel is off doing chores.  When Mrs. Lockton witnesses Ruth having a fit or seizure she becomes afraid of her and sends her away.  Isabel is furious and directs her anger at Mrs. Lockton, which results in horrible consequences that will make the reader want to cry.  It is when Isabel is at her weakest that she finds a friend in Mrs. Seymour, Mr. Lockton’s older mother who tries to help her throughout the story.  Anderson clearly shows the unjust and debasing life of a slave in 1776 in New York City. 

She also shows us the secret network of Rebel and Loyalist communication during the Revolutionary War by having Isabel become a spy for her friend Curzon.  Isabel has made up her mind to avoid the situation between the two sides, until Curzon joins the Rebel cause in place of his master and ends up in jail.  In order to keep Curzon alive and fed Isabel must spy and carry messages for Curzon’s jail mates.  Anderson’s fast passed and detailed writing style keeps the reader wanting more.  The historical facts are cleverly entwined with Isabel’s story and are not overwhelming to the reader.  Chains shows you another side of history from the point of view of Isabel, who can’t see the good or the benefit of supporting either side of the American Revolution.

Anderson’s rich character development and interesting plot will quickly draw in readers.  This book has a 4.7 reading level or fourth grade, but probably will appeal more to older students because of the details of the American Revolution and harsh themes of slavery, war, and poverty.  The book also touches on the topic of survival and overcoming odds.  I highly recommend this book and cannot wait to read the sequel called Forge.

4. Review Excerpts

2009 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction

2008 National Book Award Finalist

IRA Teachers' Choices booklist for 2009

Selected by Indie Booksellers for the Winter 2009 Kids' List

2008 Booklist's Editors Choice-Books for Youth

2009 Top 10 Black History Books for Youth

2009 Notable Children's Book

The Washington Post Review- As she did so well with Fever 1793, Laurie Halse Anderson vividly captures a chaotic historical time. Shortlisted for this year's National Book Award, Chains is a nuanced portrayal of a nation and a girl bound for freedom. –Mary Quattlebaum

Hornbook Review-“Anderson's novel is remarkable for its strong sense of time and place and for its nuanced portrait of slavery and of New York City during the Revolutionary War.”

Publishers Weekly Review-Anderson (Speak; Fever 1793) packs so much detail into her evocation of wartime New York City that readers will see the turmoil and confusion of the times, and her solidly researched exploration of British and Patriot treatment of slaves during a war for freedom is nuanced and evenhanded, presented in service of a fast-moving, emotionally involving plot. Ages 10-up. (Oct.)

Kirkus Reviews-" 'Freedom and liberty' has many meanings," but enslaved Isabel knows that while Loyalists and Patriots battle for their own versions of freedom, she is "chained between two nations" that uphold slavery. She wonders, "If an entire nation could seek its freedom, why not a girl?" Anderson brilliantly recreates New York City in the summer of 1776, viewed through the eyes of a remarkable heroine. Taught to read by her previous owner, Isabel knows the Bible and has memorized poetry, and her eloquent first-person voice portrays her life as a slave even as she spies for the rebels, covertly delivers food to Bridewell Prison and plots her own escape. Readers will care deeply about Isabel and may feel frustrated by the abrupt ending to the novel, clearly poised for a sequel or two. While waiting, they can enjoy M.T. Anderson's The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: Volume II, The Kingdom on the Waves, another superb take on the subject. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 10 & up)

5. Connections

Isabel’s freedom is taken from her by Mr. Finch in the beginning of the story.  She also suffers many injustices at the hands of cruel Mrs. Lockton.  How did this made you feel as a reader?  How did characters such as Mrs. Seymour, Becky, and Curzon help Isabel?  Discuss your ideas as a class or in groups, and then write two or three paragraphs about your ideas.

Laurie Halse Anderson cleverly inserts facts about the Revolutionary War into the background of this book.  Research on the internet or read other non-fiction books about the American Revolution and compare them to the historical facts found in the book Chains.

Non-fiction books on the American Revolution:

American Revolution Battles and Leaders by DK Publishing ISBN: 978-0789498892

Liberty or Death: The American Revolution: 1763-1783 by Betsy Maestro ISBN: 978-0688088026

In 1776 by Jean Marzollo ISBN: 978-0545110730

George vs. George: The Revolutionary War as Seen by Both Sides by Rosalyn Schanzer ISBN: 978-0792273493

You Wouldn't Want to Be at the Boston Tea Party!: Wharf Water Tea, You'd Rather Not Drink by Peter Cook ISBN: 978-0531124475

Websites on the American Revolution:

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/revolutionarywar.htm

http://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/American_Revolution.html

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/northamerica/after1500/history/revolution.htm

http://www.kidskonnect.com/subject-index/16-history/251-american-revolution.html

Do an author study on Laurie Halse Anderson.  Read other books she has written and talk about her writing style.  Compare and contrast the main characters of her other books to Isabel. 

Historical Fiction:

Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson ISBN: 978-1416961451

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson ISBN: 978-0689848919

Some of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Young Adult Contemporary Fiction Books:

Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson ISBN: 978-0142400012

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson ISBN: 978-0312674397

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson ISBN: 978-0142411841

Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson ISBN: 978-0142405703

Lily’s Crossing

Written By Patricia Reilly Giff

1. Bibliography

Giff, P. R. 1997. Lily’s Crossing. New York, NY: Yearling. ISBN 0440414539

2. Plot Summary

Lily’s Crossing is a story about a ten year old girl named Lily Mollahan who is vacationing at her family’s summer house in 1944 in Rockaway, located in Long Island, New York.  Lily lost her mother when she was a baby and lives with her father, Poppy, and grandmother, Gram.  Lily is excited and happy to spend her summer in Rockaway until she learns that her father is going off to war and her best friend, Margaret, who lives in Rockaway, will be moving to a wartime factory town.  Lily deals with feelings of guilt at not saying goodbye to her father and suffers from loneliness until she meets a boy named Albert.  Albert is a Hungarian refugee that is staying with the Orban’s, a family that lives in Rockaway, for the summer.  Albert is shy and suffers from guilt and loneliness, just like Lily, because he had to leave his little sister behind in France and never got to say goodbye.  Lily and Albert quickly become friends, but Lily has a problem with telling lies.  She tells a lie to Albert that may put him in danger.  Lily’s Crossing shows an accurate depiction of what it’s like living on the Atlantic Coast in America during World War II, and the sacrifices that people have to make during the war. 

3. Critical Analysis

Patricia Reilly Giff paints a realistic portrait of life in Rockaway in 1944 during World War II.  Lily’s Crossing is based on historical events that Giff remembers growing up during the war and experiences she had when she visited Rockaway as a child.  Lily’s Crossing tells the story of Lily Mollahan, an outgoing little girl, who loves to write, and has a problem with lying.  Lilly often tells lies to make her-self seem more interesting or out of hurt feelings.  She tells her new friend Albert, a Hungarian refugee that had to leave his sister behind in France, a lie that Albert believes and may cost him his life.  Albert lost half his family in Hungary and would do anything to get back to his sister, Ruth.  Giff shows us in Lily’s Crossing, how friendship and family help the main characters make it through tough times.

Giff also realistically depicts what it’s like to live on the Atlantic coast of Long Island where the United States destroyer ships sail back and forth to Europe and search lights scan the coast for wartime enemies.  She tells of the lack of eggs and other items, and how the town morns the loss of her best friend Margaret’s brother, who is missing in action.  Giff uses short chapters and fast passed dialogue that will appeal to young readers.  This book is appropriate for readers ages 10 and up and has a reading level of fifth grade. 

Lily’s Crossing shows another side of America during World War II through the eyes of a child.  Lily and Albert’s bond born through loss and loneliness and their need for friendship and Lily’s ability to overcome her mistakes, really appealed to me as a reader.  I recommend this book to student’s fifth grade and up because of its difficult themes. 

4. Review Excerpts

1998 Newbery Honor Book

ALA Notable Book

Boston Globe--Horn Book Honor Book.

Publisher’s Weekly Review-"Exceptional characterizations and a robust story line...this has all the ingredients that best reward readers."

School Library Journal Review- "Giff's well-drawn, believable characters and vivid prose style make this an excellent choice."

Booklist Review-"With wry comedy and intense feeling...Giff gets across a strong sense of what it was like on the home front during World War II...The friendship story is beautifully drawn."

The Horn Book Magazine Starred Review-"Details...are woven with great effect into a realistic story."

The New York Times Book Review-"Brilliantly told."

The Bulletin-"[A] fine piece of historical fiction. . .fully satisfying.”

5. Connections

Research and learn more about America during World War II.  What kinds of sacrifices did Americans have to make for the war effort?  Put the students into groups to research and learn more about America during World War II.  Then have them make a list of items Americans had to go without or things Americans did to support the war effort.  Have the students write the list on poster board or construction paper and share their findings with the class.

Books about the American Home Front:

American Homefront in World War II: Almanac by Allison McNeil ISBN: 978-0787676513

Children of the World War II Home Front by Sylvia Whitman ISBN: 978-1575054841

Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II by Penny Colman ISBN: 978-0517885673

World War II for Kids: A History with 21 Activities by Richard Panchyk ISBN: 978-1556524554

Websites about the American Home Front during WWII:

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwii/ahf/life/index.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/15511/

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/homefront/

http://www.ameshistoricalsociety.org/exhibits/events/rationing.htm

http://americanhistory.about.com/od/worldwarii/a/wwiioverview_4.htm

Lily and Albert have many things in common in the book Lily’s Crossing but are also different in some ways.  One example of differences is how Lily can be dishonest at times and Albert is a very honest character.  Discuss how Lily and Albert’s characters are similar and how they are different.  Make a Venn diagram and put the similarities in the middle and the differences on the outside circles.

Read other books about children during the WWII.  Discuss how the problems the characters face are similar or different to the characters in Lily’s Crossing. 

Other Historical Fiction books about children during WWII:

The Cookcamp by Gary Paulsen ISBN: 978-0439523578

Don’t you know there’s A War On? By AVI ISBN: 978-0380815449

Escaping Into the Night by D. Dina Freidman ISBN: 978-1416986485

Homefront by Doris Gwaltney ISBN: 0689868421

Journey to America by Sonia Levitin ISBN: 978-0689711305

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry ISBN: 978-0547577098

Secrets by Dorothy Hoobler ISBN: 978-0761316046

Silver Days by Sonia Levitin ISBN: 978-0689715709

Stepping on the Cracks by Mary Downing Hahn ISBN: 978-0547076607

Willow Run by Patricia Reilly Giff ISBN: 978-0440238010