The Wednesdays

The Wednesdays by Julie Bourbeau
3.5/5 stars
Illustrated by Jason Beene
Alfred A. Knopf BFYR, 2012
245 pages
Middle-Grade Fantastical

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not entirely sure why I requested this book to read other than that I've enjoyed a lot of middle-grade stories lately so I'm always on the lookout for more to love.

The book is set in a small village that seems perfectly normal except for the fact that it completely shuts down on Wednesdays and everyone stays indoors to avoid the awful and peculiar things that happen otherwise. One exception is Max who loves the freedom that comes from no one else being around. At least he loves it, until he runs into literal Wednesdays and discovers that he is turning into one, a fate he desperately wishes to avoid.

Honestly this book was just fine but it didn't have that extra something special that gets a book onto my favorites shelf. I think that was partly because of its focus on the male gender, which may make this a great book for young boys who like that sort of thing. However I tend to prefer a female main character so it didn't work for me. Although girls used to be Wednesdays but no more, that element isn't really discussed or delved into. That might have given this book an extra punch that would have made me more interested.

I thought the writing was fun with a good sense of humor and pretty good pacing. It did get a little scary and tense toward the end but then I'm kind of a wimp so that very much depends on your own fortitude. The illustrations were cool and something I appreciated; I love getting that extra peek into an author's conception of characters and scenes. There are also some great passages about family as Max wants to stay human and be with his.

Overall: A fun adventure, one perhaps better suited for its target audience than adults.

Cover: Love that the dog Thursday is on the cover as the only character who can fend off the Wednesdays.