The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
1. In the book The Wednesday Wars, how many ways does Doug Swieteck have to get a teacher to
hate you? 410 ways (pg. 1)
2. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what happened to Mrs. Sidman when Doug Swieteck tried
“number 6” on his list? Mrs. Sidman accepted a voluntary reassignment to the Main
Administrative Office (pg. 2)
3. In the book The Wednesday Wars, where does Holling Hoodhood’s family go to church? Saint
Andrew Presbyterian Church (pg. 3)
4. In the book The Wednesday Wars, on Wednesday afternoon how many students are left after
some leave to go to Hebrew School and some leave for Cathechism? One, just Holling (pg. 3)
5. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what does Holling’s mom do at home that she doesn’t want
him to know about? Holling’s mom smokes in the kitchen (pg. 6)
6. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what does Holling’s dad tell him when he says Mrs. Baker
hates him? That Mrs. Baker is related to the Baker family who own Baker Sporting Emporium,
who are about to choose a new architect, so Holling better keep things swell with her to not
jeopardize their architect choice (pg. 8)
7. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what happens to Doug Swieteck’s brother when Holling
played soccer with the boys during recess? Holling left his right foot sticking out and Doug
Swieteck’s brother tripped over it, got hurt, and threw up on Mrs. Sidman (pg. 15)
8. In the book The Wednesday Wars, who is being deployed to Vietnam? Mrs. Baker’s husband,
Tybalt Baker (pg. 22)
9. In the book The Wednesday Wars, which two architects do the Baker Sporting Emporium narrow
down as their choice for architect? Hoodhood and Associates and Kowalski and Associates (pg.
25)
10. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what does Mrs. Baker ask Holling to go fetch for the Wives of
Vietnam Soldiers’ gathering? A dozen trays of cream puffs, brown, light and perfect (pg. 29)
11. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what happened to the cream puffs sitting beside Mrs. Baker’s
open window? When Holling went outside to clean the erasers, all the chalk dust flew up and
landed all over the cream puffs (pg. 33)
12. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what does Holling do with the chalk-dust covered cream puff
Mrs. Baker gives him? He throws it in the coat room beside the old lunches (pg. 34)
13. In the book The Wednesday Wars, when Holling’s sister has a yellow flower painted on her
cheek, who does she say she is? A flower child who protests the Vietnam War (pg. 36)
14. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what does the whole class declare when they find out that
Holling got a cream puff? That Holling now owes everyone in the class a cream puff, they gave
him three weeks to get the cream puffs (pg. 38)
15. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what happens to the class rats when Holling has to clean
their cage? The rats escape out into the classroom (pg. 42)
16. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what does Holling practice saying to say to Doug Swieteck’s
brother? He practices sayings from Shakespeare (pg. 51)
17. In the book The Wednesday Wars, when Holling offers to work at Goldman’s Best Bakery to pay
for 22 cream puffs, what Does Mr. Goldman say he needs and what does Mr. Goldman decide?
Mr. Goldman needs a boy who knows Shakespeare and decided Holling will play a part in the
Long Island Shakespeare Company’s Holiday Extravaganza (pg. 65)
18. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what does the class discover after coming in from recess
early to eat the cream puffs? The class comes in and finds the rats eating the cream puffs (pg.
67)
19. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what part does Holling have to play in the Long Island
Shakespeare Company’s Holiday Extravaganza? He has to play Ariel, the fairy, from The Tempest
(pg. 68)
20. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what happens to Mrs. Bigio, the lunchlady’s husband? He
died on a small hill with no name in a small part of Vietnam (pg. 72)
21. In the book The Wednesday Wars, who comes to visit the Baker Sports Emporium right before
Christmas? Mickey Mantle (pg. 79)
22. In the book The Wednesday Wars, how does Holling get from the Shakespeare play to Baker
Sports Emporium to see Mickey Mantle? He gets a free ride on the city bus (pg. 88)
23. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what does Mickey Mantle say to Holling once he arrives at
Baker Sports Emporium? He doesn’t sign baseball for kids in yellow tights and gets up and leaves
(pg. 92)
24. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what does Danny Hupfer do when Mickey Mantle won’t sign
Holling’s baseball? Danny gives him his signed baseball back (pg. 92)
25. In the book The Wednesday Wars, who is waiting for Holling Hoodhood, Danny Hupfer, and
Doug Swieteck in the gym on Wednesday afternoon? Joe Pepitone and Horace Clarke from the
New York Yankees (pg. 98)
26. In the book The Wednesday Wars, who pasted pictures of Holling in his Ariel costume all over
the school? Doug Sweiteck’s brother (pg. 104)
27. In the book The Wednesday Wars, who does Mrs. Bigio skip giving hot chocolate to and what
does Mrs. Baker do about it? Mrs. Bigio skips Mai Thi and Mrs. Baker slips her own hot chocolate
to Mai Thi after Mrs. Bigio leaves the room (pg. 112)
28. In the book The Wednesday Wars, who does Holling save when the school bus slides through
the intersection on the snowy day? He runs into the intersection and saves his sister from being
hit by the bus (pg. 124)
29. In the book The Wednesday Wars, where does Holling’s mom tell him to take Meryl Lee on a
date? To Woolworth’s for a hamburger and a coke (pg. 137)
30. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what does Mrs. Bigio give Holling when he goes down to the
cafeteria to fetch the Valentine’s Day cupcakes Mrs. Bigio gives Holling her season tickets to see
Romeo & Juliet (pg. 142)
31. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what does Holling draw for Meryl Lee at the Woolworth’s?
He draws his dad’s proposal for the new junior high school on his placemat (pg. 144)
32. In the book The Wednesday Wars, when Mr. Kowalski stands up to make his presentation for
the new junior high school, who does he look at before beginning? Mr. Kowlaski looks directly at
Holling before beginning his presentation (pg. 146)
33. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what does Holling bring to Meryl Lee’s house after the
“presentation” incident? Holling brings a rose with a ribbon on it and two cokes to Meryl Lee’s
house (pg. 153)
34. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what does the telegram say that Mrs. Baker receives in class?
It says that her husband Lt. Baker is missing in action (pg. 155)
35. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what does Mrs. Baker show Holling after he says she doesn’t
know anything about track running? Mrs. Baker shows Holling her silver medal from the 1956
Melbourne Olympics for the four-by-one hundred relay (pg. 170)
36. In the book The Wednesday Wars, who picks up the rats after they fall down from the ceiling?
Mrs. Sidman grabs the rats by the neck and removed them from the classroom (pg. 176)
37. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what does Mrs. Bigio bring to the class to apologize to Mai
Thi? Mrs. Bigio makes Vietnamese fried bananas with caramel sauce and apologizes to Mai Thi
(pg. 183)
38. In the book The Wednesday Wars, who became the new principal of Holling’s school? Mrs.
Sidman became the new principal (pg. 185)
39. In the book The Wednesday Wars, who takes Holling to the Yankees opening day game after his
dad doesn’t come pick him up from school? Mrs. Baker takes him to the game (pg. 194)
40. In the book The Wednesday Wars, when Mrs. Baker asks about all the scaffolding at the Yankees
sadium, what do the baseball players tell her it is? They are making repairs to the stadium and
are waiting on a classical architect to do them (pg. 197)
41. In the book The Wednesday Wars, which architect firm received the job of renovating Yankee
stadium? Kowalski and Associates (pg. 211)
42. In the book The Wednesday Wars, who does Holling’s sister run off to California with? Chit (pg.
213)
43. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what does Holling do after his sister calls from Minneapolis
saying she has no money to return home? Holling goes to the bank, cashes in his winning savings
bond, and sends the money to his sister through the Western Union (pg. 229)
44. In the book The Wednesday Wars, how does Holling get to the Port Authority to pick up his
sister? He gets a ride from Mr. Kowalski who was going to Yankee stadium (pg. 232)
45. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what happens to Mrs. Baker’s husband, Lt. Baker? He was
found alive in Vietnam (pg. 235)
46. In the book The Wednesday Wars, how does Holling’s class celebrate the end of the school
year? They all go camping for two nights in the Catskill Mtns. (pg. 237)
47. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what happened to the pack Holling was carrying on the
camping trip? His pack was old and items fell out along the way, like the can opener (pg. 246)
48. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what follows Doug Swieteck back from the bathroom when
the class is camping? A hoard of mosquitoes follows him back into camp (pg. 254)
49. In the book The Wednesday Wars, what does Mrs. Bigio ask Mai Thi when the class is camping?
Mrs. Bigio wants to know if Mai Thi would consider living with her (pg. 256)
50. In the book The Wednesday Wars, how are the chapters in the book organized? The chapters of
this book are named by the month of the school year the chapter is about
51. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, who is the author? Gary Schmidt; front cover
52. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, what is the main character’s first and last name? Holling
Hoodhood; 3
53. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, why does Holling think Mrs. Baker hates him? He’s the only
one there on Wednesday afternoons; 4
54. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, everyone in his class is Jewish or Catholic, but Holling is
what? Presbyterian; 3
55. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, what does Holling’s dad do for a living? Architect; 8
56. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, why is it important to Holling’s dad that Holling not anger
Mrs. Baker? Her family is building a sports emporium and he wants the job; 8
57. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, the story is set during what war? The Vietnam War; 7
58. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, who is the class prankster? Doug (Swieteck); 1
59. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, Mrs. Baker decides Holling will spend Wednesdays reading
and discussing what? Shakespeare’s plays; 39
60. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, who are Sycorax and Caliban? Mrs. Baker’s pet rats; 40
61. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, who has been in love with Holling since the third grade?
Meryl Lee Kowalski; 58
62. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, what idol disappointed Holling and Danny? Mickey Mantle;
92
63. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, why does Holling have to go to the hospital? He was hit by a
school bus while saving his sister from being run over; 125
64. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, what does Meryl Lee’s father do that almost destroys
Holling’s and Meryl Lee’s friendship? He copies Mr. Hoodhood’s school building design; 148
65. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, what bad news does Mrs. Baker receive? Her husband is MIA
in Vietnam; 155
66. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, what gives Mrs. Baker the “right” to help Holling with crosscountry practice? She won an Olympic silver medal in track; 170
67. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, why does Meryl Lee not have to move? Her dad gets a job
renovating Yankees Stadium; 211
68. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, where did Holling’s sister run away to? California; 213
69. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, why does Holling send the bus fare to the Heather Avenue
Western Union? His sister’s name is Heather; 233
70. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, what is Holling’s sister’s name? Heather; 233
71. In the book, The Wednesday Wars, Mrs. Baker takes her class to do what every spring? Camping;
237