103 pages 3 hours read

Gary D. Schmidt

The Wednesday Wars

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2007

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

September

Reading Check

1. Why did Doug Swieteck get suspended?

2. Where do Holling’s classmates go on Wednesday afternoons?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What contributes to Holling’s perceptions of teachers and bullies? Why does he view them this way?

2. Besides hating Holling, why might Mrs. Baker be so tense and uptight?

Paired Resource

Treasure Island - Chapter 1 of 34

  • Actor Stephen Stanton reads Treasure Island aloud; Chapter 1 is 12 minutes long.
  • As you listen to this excerpt from Treasure Island, how would you describe Holling’s literary tastes?

October

Reading Check

1. How did Holling spend Wednesday afternoons in September and October?

2. What happened to Mrs. Bigio’s cream puffs?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why did Holling’s classmates demand cream puffs from him?

2. Did the adults ever figure out what happened to the cream puffs? How do you know?

3. Who is Lt. Tybalt Baker to Mrs. Betty Baker? How do you know?

Paired Resource

Summer of Love

  • This 8-minute video from PBS’s American Experience describes the 1967 Summer of Love, when thousands of young people converged on San Francisco.