'This suggests, finally, that recognizing the other people's humanity is a crucial part of coming of age and successfully finding one's place in the world.' By the end of the book, the transformations and realizations made by Holling enable him to feel like an integrated part of his community and understand his personal role within it. Not only is she a devoted wife who greatly fears her husband's safety as he fights in Vietnam, but she even takes on a parental role when Holling's parents aren't there for him. While he initially thought of his homeroom teacher as heartless and conniving, he eventually realizes that her identity is not merely limited by her profession.

Much like the transformation he goes through in his relationship with his sister, he comes to better understand and appreciate Mrs. After his sister runs away, Holling spends this time reassessing how he feels about her, who she really is as a person, and the role she's played in his life at home, which ultimately leads him to a more fully developed and appreciative understanding of his sister. The reader can plainly see just how limited Holling's perspective typically is, especially in the way he speaks about his older sister and Doug Swieteck's brother, who are rarely ever mentioned by name. Who should read this book: A great book for anyone who enjoys realistic fiction, humor, baseball, and/or Shakespeare-especially relatable for middle school (or soon-to-be middle school) students.A large majority of Holling's coming of age occurs once he starts to question his preconceptions about the world and humanity at large. Major themes: Accepting others in spite of differences literature as a key to understanding ourselves and others coming of age and choosing one’s own path, even against the expectation of others I also enjoyed the references to 1960s cultural icons and current events of the time. I loved the friendships among students in Holling’s class, his evolving relationship with his sister, and-most of all-his afternoons with Mrs.

What I loved about this book: This book had me laughing out loud. My One Sentence Summary: Holling Hoodhood navigates the treacherous waters of seventh grade, just trying to survive gym class, Shakespeare plays, girls armed with roses, and rats in the ceiling. A Favorite Quote: “You don’t have to say ridiculous things twice, Holling.

The wednesday wars by gary d schmidt