Holling Hoodhood is the only 7th grader who doesn't leave school on Wednesday afternoons for religious education and that leaves him in the crosshairs of Mrs. Baker, his teacher. So begin the battles of the rats, the boys vs. the girls, Shakespeare vs. Hoodhood, Vietnam vs. Camillo Junior High School. Schmidt reaches into our hearts and pulls on the strings of our need to be accepted and our hope for a world of fairness and justice. He does this with humor, great fun, and a never-ending delight in what he has in store for us in the next chapter. A great blend. This book is the 2008 Newbery Honor award winner.
272 pages 978-0547237602 Ages 10-14
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
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In this Newbery Honor–winning novel, Gary D. Schmidt tells the witty and compelling story of a teenage boy who feels that fate has it in for him, during the school year 1968-69.
Seventh grader Holling Hoodhood isn't happy. He is sure his new teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates his guts. Holling's domineering father is obsessed with his business image and disregards his family. Throughout the school year, Holling strives to get a handle on the Shakespeare plays Mrs. Baker assigns him to read on his own time, and to figure out the enigmatic Mrs. Baker. As the Vietnam War turns lives upside down, Holling comes to admire and respect both Shakespeare and Mrs. Baker, who have more to offer him than he imagined. And when his family is on the verge of coming apart, he also discovers his loyalty to his sister, and his ability to stand up to his father when it matters most.---from the publisher
