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[CCBC-Net] Wednesday Wars
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From: Steven Engelfried <sengelfried>
Date: Fri, 28 Dec 2007 21:54:26 -0800 (PST)
I checked with a couple of my older sisters, who were 15 and 12 in '67. The 12 year old liked the Monkees' music and the 15 year old liked the show more than the music (she claims). But the 15 year old recalled that "one day in early 1967, there was an announcement on the high school P.A. system that Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees would be making an appearance at lunchtime. We had a near riot, with kids streaming out of class even before they were dismissed, and running to the Quad to see him." And I bet those weren't all freshmen. As for asbestos, my only recollection from being a kid/teen is that Spider-Man used it to help make his webs fireproof, so it was definitely a good thing.
I do think KT brings up some strong points about a popular book that's getting so much Newbery-buzz. Though I found almost every incident in "The Wednesday Wars" very satisfying to read, there was a noticeable author's hand in there setting up some of the plot elements. As a reader who really enjoyed the protagonist, I was glad to see all those good things happen for him, but as a critical reader, I'm not so sure it was as convincing as it could have been. "Wednesday Wars" is still one of my favorites of the year, and one I will recommend to kids and younger teens, but I don't know that it's distinguished in all areas...
A different approach to the 60's is used in another of my 2007 favorites: "Ethan Suspended" by Ehrenberg. Though it takes place today, the riots that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. play an important role. The boy learns about those events through a school assignment, but it all takes on richer meaning when he learns that his mother and grandparents (who he's now staying with and getting to know) lived through it in their own neighborhood. What he learns also affects his jarring experience being transplanted from his suburban home to Washington D.C., where he's sent to live temporarily. There's more going on than just the 60's thread, but it's all integrated very well into a strong novel.
- Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library
sengelfried at yahoo.com
503-844-5711
"Kathleen T. Horning" <horning at education.wisc.edu> wrote:
Several people have mentioned "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary Schmidt as one of their favorite books of the year. I found it to be kind of a slow starter (how many times did the main character need to tell us he felt like his teacher hated him, for example), but once I got into it, I enjoyed it much more than I thought I was going to.
I found a couple of problems that, for me, kept it from being distinguished. For one, the whole premise stretched credulity -- that of Holling being the only Protestant kid in his 7th grade class who was therefore forced to stay behind and read Shakespeare while his Jewish and Catholic classmates were excused for the afternoon to attend religion classes. It seemed to me to be an obvious, and rather clunky, device for working in Shakespeare. Also, it didn't seem very believable that the teacher would be able to arrange a visit with the Yankees for a couple of her students. I loved the Mickey Mantle scene that preceded it
(and was glad the author found an artful way to counter the internalized homophobia of the whole yellow tights thing), and think it would have been stronger if the author had left it at that.
Since I was about the same age as Holling in 1967, I enjoyed the historical time period and think he got most of the details right, but there were a couple of details I found jarring. For example, the author frequently made reference to the asbestos ceilings and $24,000 Major League salaries, and each time he did that, I was jettisoned right back to 2007 so I could wink back at the author over the child reader's shoulder. I can't recall ever even hearing or using the term "asbestos" as a child until they were their carcinogenic nature became front page news in the late 1970s. Also, it didn't seem right to me that Hollings' 16-year-old sister was a Monkees fan. I didn't know any self-respecting 16-year-olds in 1967 who were Monkees fans, especially not aspiring flower children. I would have expected her to be a Beatles fan. (There is a reference to the sister missing a Beatles TV special, but I'm not sure there was such a thing aired in the U.S. in early 1968.) In an odd way, I think the book would have more successfully given a sense of time period if those sorts of details had been left out. They felt tacked on or forced to me, and detracted from the story.
I thought "Feathers" by Jacqueline Woodson, set in 1971, did a much better job at capturing the era. Other than the mention of a few song titles, I can't think of any specific time period details that she used. She managed to recreate the feeling of the era through the concerns and social interactions of the characters.
KT
Date: Fri, 28 Dec 2007 21:54:26 -0800 (PST)
I checked with a couple of my older sisters, who were 15 and 12 in '67. The 12 year old liked the Monkees' music and the 15 year old liked the show more than the music (she claims). But the 15 year old recalled that "one day in early 1967, there was an announcement on the high school P.A. system that Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees would be making an appearance at lunchtime. We had a near riot, with kids streaming out of class even before they were dismissed, and running to the Quad to see him." And I bet those weren't all freshmen. As for asbestos, my only recollection from being a kid/teen is that Spider-Man used it to help make his webs fireproof, so it was definitely a good thing.
I do think KT brings up some strong points about a popular book that's getting so much Newbery-buzz. Though I found almost every incident in "The Wednesday Wars" very satisfying to read, there was a noticeable author's hand in there setting up some of the plot elements. As a reader who really enjoyed the protagonist, I was glad to see all those good things happen for him, but as a critical reader, I'm not so sure it was as convincing as it could have been. "Wednesday Wars" is still one of my favorites of the year, and one I will recommend to kids and younger teens, but I don't know that it's distinguished in all areas...
A different approach to the 60's is used in another of my 2007 favorites: "Ethan Suspended" by Ehrenberg. Though it takes place today, the riots that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. play an important role. The boy learns about those events through a school assignment, but it all takes on richer meaning when he learns that his mother and grandparents (who he's now staying with and getting to know) lived through it in their own neighborhood. What he learns also affects his jarring experience being transplanted from his suburban home to Washington D.C., where he's sent to live temporarily. There's more going on than just the 60's thread, but it's all integrated very well into a strong novel.
- Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library
sengelfried at yahoo.com
503-844-5711
"Kathleen T. Horning" <horning at education.wisc.edu> wrote:
Several people have mentioned "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary Schmidt as one of their favorite books of the year. I found it to be kind of a slow starter (how many times did the main character need to tell us he felt like his teacher hated him, for example), but once I got into it, I enjoyed it much more than I thought I was going to.
I found a couple of problems that, for me, kept it from being distinguished. For one, the whole premise stretched credulity -- that of Holling being the only Protestant kid in his 7th grade class who was therefore forced to stay behind and read Shakespeare while his Jewish and Catholic classmates were excused for the afternoon to attend religion classes. It seemed to me to be an obvious, and rather clunky, device for working in Shakespeare. Also, it didn't seem very believable that the teacher would be able to arrange a visit with the Yankees for a couple of her students. I loved the Mickey Mantle scene that preceded it
(and was glad the author found an artful way to counter the internalized homophobia of the whole yellow tights thing), and think it would have been stronger if the author had left it at that.
Since I was about the same age as Holling in 1967, I enjoyed the historical time period and think he got most of the details right, but there were a couple of details I found jarring. For example, the author frequently made reference to the asbestos ceilings and $24,000 Major League salaries, and each time he did that, I was jettisoned right back to 2007 so I could wink back at the author over the child reader's shoulder. I can't recall ever even hearing or using the term "asbestos" as a child until they were their carcinogenic nature became front page news in the late 1970s. Also, it didn't seem right to me that Hollings' 16-year-old sister was a Monkees fan. I didn't know any self-respecting 16-year-olds in 1967 who were Monkees fans, especially not aspiring flower children. I would have expected her to be a Beatles fan. (There is a reference to the sister missing a Beatles TV special, but I'm not sure there was such a thing aired in the U.S. in early 1968.) In an odd way, I think the book would have more successfully given a sense of time period if those sorts of details had been left out. They felt tacked on or forced to me, and detracted from the story.
I thought "Feathers" by Jacqueline Woodson, set in 1971, did a much better job at capturing the era. Other than the mention of a few song titles, I can't think of any specific time period details that she used. She managed to recreate the feeling of the era through the concerns and social interactions of the characters.
KT
-- Kathleen T. Horning Director Cooperative Children's Book Center 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 N. Park St Madison, WI 53706 Phone: 608-263-3721 FAX: 608-262-4933 horning at education.wisc.edu http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/ _______________________________________________ CCBC-Net mailing list CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe... http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net --------------------------------- Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.Received on Fri 28 Dec 2007 11:54:26 PM CST
