Dead Wednesday
By Joly Herman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Book about dead teens promotes exploration of empathy.
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What's the Story?
In DEAD WEDNESDAY, by Newberry award winner Jerry Spinelli (Star Girl) a boy called Worm begins his day looking forward to school for once. It's the day of the year in this Pennsylvania town when eighth graders act like they're dead for a day. They get the name and photo of a teen who has died in a car crash the previous year, don black shirts for the day, and are ignored by their teachers and peers because they're supposed to be dead. Some kids joke about the "Wrappers" as these dead kids are called. Even Worm thinks the whole thing is nothing better than an excuse to get out of school early. But then something strange happens; Worm finds himself having a mystical close encounter that he doesn't expect. And it might mean that he has to face some of his deepest fears in order to move beyond the day.
Is It Any Good?
An exploration of death and empathy struggles with objectifying death and girls to make a point. In Dead Wednesday, the main character, Robbie, aka Worm, has some self-esteem issues. He's painfully shy, for one, and he has horrible acne, which makes him hate to be noticed. Yet his best friend is really popular, which makes Worm both crave the spotlight and loathe it. He seems to both want girls' attention and want to slap them, or punish them. And at one point he does use his pent-up aggression to shove a girl to the ground and "scream" at her on a whim, admitting he feels "like slapping her face." His mother ruins his day by asking him to follow through with a responsibility, and he admits he "hates" his female teacher for making him do something he doesn't want to do. He doesn't have hateful thoughts for his male friends or for his dad.
This machismo, the shyness that cloaks a desire for power, distracts from some interesting ideas about death and growth. If the female characters were developed more wholly, and if Worm and his friends weren't so afraid of being called a "girl" (an insult that's thrown their way more than once), the connection between Worm and his newfound "spectral maiden" friend would land more successfully. The last few chapters of the book do find their stride, however, and the ending is enjoyable.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about empathy in Dead Wednesday. Why is it important for the kids in this book to feel empathetic? What happens when people are not able to feel empathy?
A main character notices at one point that everyone is on their cell phone in class. What are the rules about using a phone at your school? Do you agree with them?
The main character loses his temper at a girl, pushing her down and yelling at her. How do you maintain your self control? Why is it important?
Book Details
- Author: Jerry Spinelli
- Genre: Coming of Age
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Friendship , Middle School
- Book type: Fiction
- Publication date: August 3, 2021
- Number of pages: 240
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Audiobook (abridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: August 15, 2021
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