Congratulations to Gary D. Schmidt!
His novel The Wednesday Wars is a 2008 Newbery Honor Book. The Newbery Award, bestowed annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, recognizes excellence in literature for children. This is Schmidt’s second Newbery Honor award; his last book, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, was awarded both a Newbery Honor and a Printz Honor in 2005.
Set during the 1967-68 school year, The Wednesday Wars chronicles the frequently comic mishaps and adventures of a teenage boy. Every Wednesday afternoon while his classmates have religious instruction, Holling (the only Presbyterian) is left alone with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, whom he's convinced is out to get him, particularly when she announces they will use the time to study Shakespeare.
At turns comic and compelling, down-to-earth and over-the-top, The Wednesday Wars debuted in the spring of 2007 to tremendous acclaim, garnering starred reviews from Publishers Weekly ("another winner"), Kirkus Reviews ("Schmidt has a way of getting to the emotional heart of every scene"), Booklist ("quietly powerful"), and The Horn Book ("convincing and winning"). |
