I am usually a huge Jerry Spinelli fan, but this one fell short for me. I usually walk away from a Spinelli book thinking here is an author that really gets the upper middle grade reader. I'm not sure if this one will resonate with readers or not.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-ARC of Dead Wednesday by Jerry Spinelli.
I was excited about this book; I love the author and the premise. However, the book didn't work for me. Spinelli took a serious subject and tried to make it humorous. The characters were shallow and the ghost did not have typical ghost-like qualities. I was sad that it fell short of my expectations.

Eighth grader, Worm, feels invisible too, in this brilliant new middle grade novel by Jerry Spinelli. But Worm is about to discover that life is more than fun and games. More than making it through. More than keeping your head down and your chin up. Spinelli has once again crafted characters that are relatable, intriguing, funny, and utterly unforgettable. I’m still thinking about Worm and Becca - the impossible day they spent together, the choices they made, the truths they forced each other to face. And I can’t help but wonder where they are now. I can’t help but hope they realize the world is better for them being in it. Because in the end we desperately need each other. And one day together can irrevocably change the rest of our lives.

I received a free e-galley of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love love loved this book!!! I had my doubts before I started it since the concept is a little strange but it was amazing. The story is so amazingly well written. I love that Worm's coming of age was not instantaneous and didn't actually happen until a majority of the book was over. It was an incredibly unique look on what it means to be a teen and how we build ourselves into who we want to be. Everyone should have a chance to read this title.

Admittedly, I have never before read a Jerry Spinelli book. (I know! Gasp!) But, after reading Dead Wednesday, I will definitely read more. This is such a poignant story of finding oneself through friendship and is the story so many young teenagers want to read.

Worm is quiet and happy to let his best friend, Eddie, have the spotlight. But things change for Worm on Dead Wednesday. Dead Wednesday is the day the 8th graders don black shirts, receive a card with a previous student’s name who died, and become that person for the day. It is a day that anything goes. The students are not seen by any school staff. There are no assignments or class discussions. But then Worm, sees Becca, his dead person. Worm is about to experience life in a whole new way. What I love about this story is that writing is poetic and melodious yet down to earth. I also like how Worm slowly changes throughout the story. This is the perfect coming of age story for anyone who has relegated themselves to the shadows.

Dead Wednesday: when the living join the dead.
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14-year-old Worm Tarnauer is a quiet kid who likes to blend into the background. His best friend, Eddie, is Mr. Personality, which Worm is just fine with. But today, both kids are excited for school because today is Dead Wednesday. The school (and entire town, really) assigns each 8th grader the name of a teenager who died in their town in the past year. The kids wear black shirts so everyone know they’re “dead” aka invisible and are treated as such by everyone from teachers to parents to community members. This assignment is supposed to have students facing their mortality in the hopes they will drive safer when they get to high school, but most kids use it as an excuse to goof around. When Worm is assigned Becca Finch, a 17-year-old car crash victim, as his dead teenager, she actually shows up. Together they spend the day discussing how she died and trying to get Worm to learn how to live.
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This MG novel by the amazing Jerry Spinelli was very macabre. I saw a lot of Stargirl in Becca, but overall it was a dark subject matter for a middle grade book. Honestly it would have worked better as YA because both characters were teenagers. The idea that kids will understand death and loss by treating them like they’re invisible just didn’t connect for me. I’m sure many will enjoy Spinelli’s writing, the themes and the subject matter. It just missed the mark for me. Dead Wednesday is out now.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the advance Kindle copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for Spinelli’s newest, which released today. It starts with a kind of morbid premise: on the second Wednesday in June, all eighth graders at Worm Tarnaur’s school participate in Dead Wednesday. Designed to scare them straight before high school, each kid is assigned the name and story of a teen who died by car accident, overdoses, etc. They don black shirts provided by the school and spend the day being “invisible” (dead) to those around them. So super weird. But when the ghost of Worm’s Wrapper (called that for their town’s twisty roads that lead to cars wrapped around trees - I TOLD YOU IT WAS MORBID) turns up and takes him through town during that day, he has no idea how much his life will change. This one is odd, and a little abruptly ended, but will appeal to realistic fiction fans, especially those who enjoy Jordan Sonnenblick and Spinelli’s other works. Recommended for grades 6-8.

I have been a fan of Jerry Spinelli for a long time. I fell in love with Maniac Magee in my early years of teaching and have enjoyed everything he has written since. I do have to say his realistic fiction titles are more my jam, and his titles that are more realistic fantasy have not been as satisfying to me as a reader. With that said, Dead Wednesday will be a popular title with middle schoolers, in my opinion.

Dead Wednesday is about a school that plans a day at the end of the year where eighth grade students are assigned a persona for the day of a deceased teen from their state in order to encourage them to make future decisions that will keep them safe from dangerous teen behaviors. They are given a black t-shirt, a card with information about the deceased teen and the events surrounding their death, and are ignored by school staff and community members for the rest of the day to give them time to reflect on the tragic loss and how they might choose differently. The main character, Worm, is assigned a young woman, Becca, who was killed in a preventable Christmas Eve car accident. It is a thought-provoking story that challenges the reader to consider how our choices and decisions impact no only ourselves, but everyone around us.

Jerry Spinelli never disappoints but Dead Wednesday was special! The set up - Dead Wednesday - pulled me right in, and since I was reading it as my school year was ending, I absolutely could relate to everyone counting down the final days of school. The characters are full and relatable, down to details like how Worm's cystic acne seemed to affect his self esteem. I enjoyed the setting as unique (writer's compound) but also traditional (living on the edge of town). I thought Becca reminded me a little too much of Star Girl and I did find it odd a high school girl would connect to an eighth grader so seamlessly but in the end, it is a middle grade book written perfectly for its audience. I rated it 3.5 stars - I very much enjoyed reading #DeadWednesday - thanks to #NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to preview this sweet story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the review copy of this book. I found Dead Wednesday intriguing because the cover is beautiful. When I investigated further, I saw that it was by the fabulous Jerry Spinelli, and knew I had to give it a shot!

8th graders at Worm’s school are given the name of a young person who has passed away over the past year in a preventable event. The rest of the day, the 8th graders are ignored and treated as if they are dead. It is supposed to be an exercise to get them thinking of their own mortality. Unfortunately, it is seen by many as an opportunity to do everything they should do and get away with it. Worm feels pretty indifferent about the day, until his person shows up next to him at the water fountain at school. He spends the day with the 17 year old girl who crashed her car on Christmas Eve.

The story was intriguing and engaging. The characters were interesting. I would definitely hesitate from putting this in the hands of a student below 7th grade. Ideally, this book would be read by a group with conversations to help absorb and comprehend the message.

Make no mistake I love Jerry Spinelli. However I just did not relate to Dead Wednesday. Others obviously did and I certainly wouldn’t discourage any who would.

Jerry Spinelli has done it again. Dead Wednesday is a book that upper middle grade students will be drawn to, will relate to, and will remember and think about long after they finish it. This is a story about an introvert who looks forward to the one day in his middle school career that he will be truly as invisible as he wishes he could be. But he becomes visible to the dead girl whom he is assigned to “honor”. This is not a dark story, but one full of light and hope. I recommend this one!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, and I think the epistolary style of the narrative helped to move the story along. Becca Finch definitely had echoes of Stargirl, so those comparisons are extremely valid. I liked Worm as a character, and I thought his changes from the beginning of the book to the end were believable, considering what he had experienced. I also appreciated how, after The Day, Worm admitted that he wasn't 100% sure what had happened, but that in the end, it didn't matter because, whatever it was, had felt real to him and that was all that mattered. For a quick novel, the characterization was good as well, and I really got a sense for who Becca and Worm were. Another winner from Jerry Spinelli.

Jerry Spinelli is the author of the beloved Stargirl, and thus, this book comes packed with high expectations. This coming-of-age story has a contemporary setting, but there is an element of the supernatural when Robbie aka Worm has an impossible encounter with Becca, age 17. This book is intriguing because Spinelli doesn't telegraph his destination. There is not a lot of action and there is a lot of introspection.

Did Mr. Spinelli deliver? While this was a good read, it doesn't achieve the impact that Stargirl and Maniac McGee have on a reader. Of course, that is a pretty high standard to be held to. Although Amazon lists the recommended grade level as fifth and sixth, this book is a good fit for both upper middle grade reader and young adult readers. The age of the characters and the themes are relatable especially to ages 14 and older. A recommended read for those looking for permission to be themselves.

Dead Wednesday is the story of Worm and Becca. The title comes from an annual town even where, for one day in June, all 8th graders are given the name of someone who died tragically along with a black shirt that marks them as “dead.” On that day, they are considered invisible by everyone in the community and are supposed to get a lesson about reckless living and their consequences. While this sounds like a deep and meaningful concept, it has been turned into a day of goofing off with no consequences, deep meaning completely ignored. The kids are only in school for half of the day and play pranks on all of the younger students and teachers. Worm has been waiting for this day for years, but it doesn’t turn out exactly as he expects.

Worm is a shy kid who lives up to his name and remains an unseen entity. He tags along with his best friend, Eddie, who is more of a popular kid, but worm seems happy in his anonymity. He is starting to pay more attention to girls, but that’s an extra challenge when very few people actually know him. The first time he actually mentions a girl to Eddie, his best friend decides it is time to go after this girl himself and Worm sees his chance as lost. Enter Becca Finch, Worm’s “dead girl” who died in a car crash on Christmas day. Dead Wednesday is supposed to be in theory only, but in pure Spinelli fashion, Becca somehow comes to actually visit Worm, boss him around a bit, and perhaps change his life.

At first it appears that Becca is just trying to have some fun back in the world, but she not only has to deal with what ended her life, but she helps Worm see ways to actually have a life of his own. Another reviewer mentioned that it is somewhat important to come into this blindly. I tend to agree with that and so I don’t want to give away too much. What I will say is that, like Stargirl, this is a powerful book that comes at you quietly. Spinelli knows how to write the quirky kid and also magically writes the kid who doesn’t care if they are different but choose to embrace their individuality and soar.

Like Stargirl, Dead Wednesday urges young readers to believe in themselves and to face life bravely, even if that sometimes means not quite fitting in. This is an awesome book for a mature 5th grader to 9th grader, or a 40 something who likes reading books for kids 🙂

I picked up Dead Wednesday by Jerry Spinelli because hello...it's Jerry Spinelli! The book is a story of an 8th grader named Worm (Robbie). Worm is a quiet kid who would rather observe than talk, but he hasn't always been that way. He is participating in an annual tradition at his school in which they honor young people in the state of Pennsylvania who have died. However, somehow, his experience seems to be more powerful than the other students'. Through this experience, he learns new things about life, and maybe even helps someone out in the process.

In true Jerry Spinelli fashion, the characters in this book are very lovable. Becca (someone Worm meets on Dead Wednesday) is very quirky and reminds me of Stargirl quite a bit! The character development throughout the novel is extremely well done and makes up for some of the disjointed portions of the plot. If you're a Jerry Spinelli fan, this book will definitely leave you satisfied!

I love reading Young Adult books sometimes. It is a nice break from the heaviness of some adult books.

Worm Tarnauer has spent most of the eighth grade living down to his nickname. He prefers to be out of sight, underground. He walked the world unseen. He's happy to let his best friend, Eddie, lead the way and rule the day.

And this day--Dead Wednesday--is going to be awesome. The school thinks assigning each eighth grader the name of a teenager who died in the past year and having them don black shirts and become invisible will make them contemplate their own mortality. Yeah, sure. The kids know that being invisible to teachers really means you can get away with anything. It's a day to go wild!

But Worm didn't count on Becca Finch (17, car crash). Letting this girl into his head is about to change everything.

Spinelli’s most recent work is poignant and potentially life-changing. Likely audience for this book is 6th-9th grade, but thoughtful readers in younger grades may also come away with a feeling that they matter and have a voice that is worth using. Content is free of profanity, violence (except for a gentle recounting of one girl’s death behind the wheel), and sexual content. Full disclosure—There are a few relatively mild kisses between male-female characters and one sentence that states that girls hold their books up against their breasts which would definitely send some of my more immature 5th graders into gales of embarrassed laughter.

Although the school administrators planned "Dead Wed" as a way to warn eighth graders about the dangers of reckless behavior that can get them killed, it's become known as the biggest goof-off day of the year--until one of the dead girls arrives in person to teach a particularly shy boy a lesson about how to truly live.

This novel is exquisite. It exists somewhere between middle grade and YA, between fantasy and realistic fiction, but the book is full of betweens. The dead girl, or "spectral maiden" as she prefers to be called, is caught between life and death, her eighth grade protege between middle school and high school, childhood and adulthood, responsibility to his parents and individuality, a desire to be noticed and a desire to fade into the background. The narrative is masterfully woven, sending readers on an undulating emotional journey that builds to its climax so subtly that it is both unexpected and grounded. There is humor, realistically cringe-worthy teen interactions, and true heartache (warning to parents: this may upset you more than it will your kids), and the protagonist's personal journey is authentic and meaningful. This book is a must-read for middle schoolers and an excellent pick for M.S. book clubs.

Robbie, AKA Worm, is in 8th grade. Every year the 8th graders participate in Dead Wednesday where the students are assigned a teenager who died in the previous year by things that could be avoided, such as drugs, alcohol, texting while driving, etc. The students always look forward to it because they become "invisible" and can pretty much get away with anything, burping in people's faces, climbing on desks, you name it and they get out 1/2 a day early. Robbie and his best friend Eddie along with the entire 8th grade is planning on going to watch a huge fight at 12:30, but Worm's mom keeps texting him that she needs him to come home and help with the writer's retreat they own. As Worm starts his day he gets his assigned dead kid, Rebecca Finch. Things are kinda weird as the teachers don't talk to them, make eye contact with them, or anything. Worm really thinks it's weird that he keeps seeing a girl in raspberry colored pjs. Once he gets close enough to see her face he realizes it is Rebecca, his dead kid! Is he going crazy or is something else at work here? He and Rebecca try to figure it out.

Wow. What a great book. Worm is insecure, shy, and defers to Eddie. He thinks the whole Dead Wednesday is stupid, but in participating learns a lot about himself and life in general. Such a great what if book for small choices we make everyday.

https://techyreader.blogspot.com/2021/07/dead-wednesday-by-jerry-spinelli.html