The Wednesday Wars

by

Gary Schmidt

Mr. Guareschi Character Analysis

Mr. Guareschi is the principal at Camillo Junior High School. According to the students, Mr. Guareschi's goal in life is to someday be the dictator of a small country. Holling notices that Mr. Guareschi uses several "dictator" techniques when he deals with students, such as using guilt-trips and insisting that he never makes mistakes. When he leaves the school for unknown reasons, Mrs. Sidman takes over.

Mr. Guareschi Quotes in The Wednesday Wars

The The Wednesday Wars quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Guareschi or refer to Mr. Guareschi. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Coming of Age Theme Icon
).
January Quotes

When Mrs. Baker came back, her face was set and hard. "Your father has spoken over the phone with the nurse at the front desk. He has given approval for any necessary procedure, and says that, since everything seems under control, he will be along as soon as may be convenient."

Related Characters: Mrs. Baker (speaker), Holling Hoodhood, Holling's Dad, Mr. Guareschi
Page Number: 126
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Wednesday Wars LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Wednesday Wars PDF

Mr. Guareschi Character Timeline in The Wednesday Wars

The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Guareschi appears in The Wednesday Wars. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
September
Coming of Age Theme Icon
Family Theme Icon
Reading and Learning Theme Icon
...she probably called the police on him for tripping Doug Swieteck's brother. Holling walks to Mr. Guareschi 's office. The general belief among students at the school is that Mr. Guareschi wants... (full context)
Coming of Age Theme Icon
Family Theme Icon
Mr. Guareschi thinks for a moment, but decides that a passing grade is a passing grade. He... (full context)
October
Coming of Age Theme Icon
Mr. Vendleri decides he should tell Mr. Guareschi , and from the safety of her desk, Mrs. Baker agrees that this is a... (full context)
November
Coming of Age Theme Icon
Reading and Learning Theme Icon
...third floor the next day at school, he finds Mr. Vendleri holding a ladder with Mr. Guareschi on it, placing traps in the ceiling. As Mr. Guareschi sets the trap, it springs... (full context)
Coming of Age Theme Icon
Family Theme Icon
...the Baker Sporting Emporium contract, she starts crying and runs away. To make matters worse, Mr. Guareschi comes into Mrs. Baker's room and asks what "pied ninny" means, since Doug Swieteck's brother... (full context)
December
Family Theme Icon
The Vietnam War and Political Unrest Theme Icon
The first week of December, Mr. Guareschi announces that every student in school will be taking the New York State Standardized Achievement... (full context)
January
Family Theme Icon
...citizens who made contributions to the town in the last year. Most are people like Mr. Guareschi and Holling's dad, but Holling himself wakes up to find an action shot of him... (full context)
Coming of Age Theme Icon
Reading and Learning Theme Icon
...ice. Holling explains that the buses were on the roads because according to Mr. Petrelli, Mr. Guareschi insisted that all students would take the Achievement Tests, even if atomic bombs started falling. (full context)
Coming of Age Theme Icon
Family Theme Icon
The Vietnam War and Political Unrest Theme Icon
...begins to snow as school gets out. Mrs. Baker reads the class a memo from Mr. Guareschi before she releases them. It says that all students should plan on attending school for... (full context)
Family Theme Icon
Reading and Learning Theme Icon
...the air as the bus hits him. He opens his eyes to see his sister, Mr. Guareschi , and Mrs. Baker looking down at him. Mrs. Baker tells Heather to hold Holling’s... (full context)
Family Theme Icon
The Vietnam War and Political Unrest Theme Icon
Holling, Mrs. Baker, and Mr. Guareschi wait for hours. When a nurse turns on the television, Holling notices Mrs. Baker anxiously... (full context)
February
Family Theme Icon
On Valentine's Day, Mr. Guareschi announces that Mrs. Bigio baked Valentine's Day cupcakes, and class representatives can pick them up... (full context)
Coming of Age Theme Icon
Family Theme Icon
The Vietnam War and Political Unrest Theme Icon
...partner up for school projects over the next week. They're at the board together when Mr. Guareschi arrives to give Mrs. Baker a telegram. Mrs. Baker reads the telegram, drops it, and... (full context)
March
Coming of Age Theme Icon
Reading and Learning Theme Icon
...for the book. As Holling is handing Mrs. Baker the book, the door opens, and Mr. Guareschi and three school board members walk in. One of them is Mrs. Sidman. (full context)
April
Coming of Age Theme Icon
Family Theme Icon
Holling also notes that Mrs. Sidman has replaced Mr. Guareschi as principal for unknown reasons. On her first day, she greets all the students and... (full context)