The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt. Holling Hoodhood is a remarkable seventh grader. He holds his own with a tough teacher, bullying, parental demands, rats, a first love, athletic competition, family drama, Shakespeare, and the backdrop of the Vietnam War. If I went through what he did in the book, I'd be quaking in my boots and/or developing an ulcer. Holling seems to handle it all with aplomb. Or perhaps Mrs. Baker and their weekly Wednesday meeting is what holds him together? Charming, graceful, and full of smarts.
Like I said in my mid-year reading roundup, I was fondly recalling this book as soon as I finished it. One of my faves of the year so far.
Wish You Were Eyre (The Mother Daughter Book Club #6) by Heather Vogel Frederick. Bits of
Jane Eyre were all over the most recent release in this series, just like all the books before it. Each book has homages to the fictional group's current book selection. I wondered how Frederick would pay tribute to the mysterious third floor happenings of Thornfield Hall, and she did so in a clever way. Megan's long-awaited trip to Paris Fashion Week is the highlight of this book. Fun.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. I kept reading this book to see what happened; so, I give the author credit for suspense. I also appreciated the small nod to
Wuthering Heights. However, I didn't really care about the story or the characters. I didn't buy a crucial part of the plot, but teenagers (including my past teen self)
can make really inane mistakes. I can't recommend this one, though I'd take an island with houses for all my family members!
I feel like I am forgetting something this month! Goodreads list, don't fail me now!
What did you read this month? Linking up as usual with Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit Reviews. Check out her post this month for loads of other chats about what people have been reading.
P.S. Want more bookish fun? Check out
what I read in June and
my 2015 mid-year roundup of what I've been reading!
The characters in We Were Liars were the WORST! But the story was pretty compelling.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't you take an island like that?
DeleteI saw two of the mother-daughter book club picks on the shelf at the library today but not the first one! I'm going to put it on hold.
ReplyDeleteThey are fun! I don't know why I feel so sheepish admitting that I've read them. I'm looking forward to the last one! :)
DeleteI haven't even heard of The Wednesday Wars before! It sounds lovely. I always love hearing about people's favourite books of the year! :)
ReplyDeleteMe, too! :) We'll see if it gets bumped by year's end!
DeleteThe Wednesday Wars sounds good! I'd never heard of it before either.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great read. I was taken by surprise how much I loved it.
DeleteOh that scene with the rats dropping through the ceiling in Wednesday Wars! That was a delightful book. I couldn't make it through We Were Liars (YA lit is not my thing, but I organize a middle school English Festival, so I'm always reading the ones that Amazon and blogs recommend for possible selections for our reading list). The characters were just kind of awfully boring and I gave up, but I'm totally with you on wanting that island!
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha! The rats! *squirm* Thanks for dropping by!
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