Professor’s Book Comes to Life

Calvin College students are busy preparing to present a play based on Calvin professor Gary Schmidt's Newbery Honor Award-winning book, The Wednesday Wars.

The book's main character is a youth named Holling Hoodhood.

In the book, young Holling is forced to read Shakespeare every Wednesday afternoon while the rest of his classmates attend Jewish Hebrew school or Catholic Catechism class; Holling is a Presbyterian.

As a result, Holling develops a fondness for Shakespeare at a young age.

"I think it’s very cool to see your book acted on stage," said Schmidt, who explained that The Wednesday Wars is semi-autobiographical: Schmidt was that seventh grader who read Shakespeare while the rest of his class attended religious classes.

"It (reading Shakespeare) helped me get through seventh grade—the most bizarre year of my life. It gave me stories to help me understand the world," says Schmidt, who has written several notable books, including Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. He is also a professor of English at Calvin College.

To read a full version of this story, written by Lynn Rosendale, visit: Wednesday Wars.

Tickets for performances at schools and productions for the general public went on sale Nov. 15. Contact the Calvin box office for more information Box Office.