The Wednesday Wars

Set in suburban Long Island during the 1967–68 school year, *The Wednesday Wars* follows Holling Hoodhood, a seventh-grader who spends Wednesday afternoons with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, while classmates attend religious instruction.

Through Shakespearean studies and mishaps involving cream puffs, yellow tights, and cross-country races, Holling confronts bullying, family pressures, and historical events like the Vietnam War and the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. The novel explores themes of resilience, friendship, and coming-of-age amidst societal turmoil.