Book: Dead Wednesday (2021)
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Genre: MG, Contemporary
Opening lines from the book …
No way … This is Worm’s first groggy thought even before he opens his eyes. He actually whispers it to his pillow: “No way.” Because the feeling he wakes up with—the same one he went to bed with—makes no sense: he wants to go to school.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BOOK…
1) Dead Wednesday is SUCH an interesting title. What in the world could it mean? Well, I’ll tell you. The eighth graders at Worm’s school get assigned the name of somebody who died in a preventable accident (like a texting and driving accident). And then they get to be that person for the day while the rest of the town/school completely ignore them. Like they’re already dead. (That’s the short explanation. You’ll have to read the book for the rest.)
2) I want to go to Worm’s house! His parents run a retreat for writers. I could definitely go there. 🙂 Worm doesn’t like hanging out too much with all the writers, but he used to sing them the tea pot song when he was little!
3) I like how Worm’s dead person comes into the story. He gets assigned a girl named Becca Finch. Now I won’t give any spoilers, but I do like how it all plays out.
4) And then there’s Worm’s arch enemy: Mean Monica. She really not that mean. But one day, she told Worm to “Get a life!” on the bus and he’s tried to avoid her ever since. It was fun to see them interact.
5) The book does extend beyond Dead Wednesday. It’s interesting how the day affects Worm and helps him discover his own life.
THINGS THAT BOTHERED ME…
1) I really like the bottom half of the book cover. The top half has fire works in the shape of what I think is supposed to be Worm’s dead person. It’s just a little creepy/goofy for my taste.
2) I didn’t really get why Worm’s mom was so adamant that he come home directly after school. There’s a fight that he wants to go to, but I don’t think she knows about it. It was a plot point that didn’t really seem to matter one way or other.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Jerry Spinelli is always up for an interesting tale. I did enjoy this one. (It’s not quite as amazing as Maniac Mcgee, but it does have some insightful moments.
YOUR TURN…
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Note: I’m posting this for Greg Pattridge’s Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday…
Of Maria Antonia 
This week’s MMGM has so many books that are in my TBR pile including Dead Wednesday. I generally like Jerry Spinelli’s work, but you seen kind of meh about this one. Thanks for being so honest about it.
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I agree the title is intriguing. Not sure if this is one I’d enjoy. Thanks for your honest review.
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I’ve always enjoyed Jerry Spinelli books. This one has such an interesting and different plot. I’ve added it to my list to read and will hopefully get to it this year. Thanks for featuring on MMGM.
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Okay, so Worm is a shy boy who likes to be invisible. The fact that dead person Becca ends up communicating in some way, is very different and interesting! I might just give this book a try because I like Spinelli. It certainly is a unique plot. Thanks for sharing!
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I’ve heard of this book, but I haven’t read it yet. I just put it on my list, thanks to your review. First, I love that the main character is named Worm. And the premise of this book sounds great. Thanks for telling me about it.
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