The Wednesday Wars

"'A southwest blow on ye and blister you all o'er!'"

Shakespeare may have its drawbacks, but its expletives are the most original to be had, a fact which Holling Hoodhood knows only too well.

From the first moment they met, Holling knew his seventh grade teacher Mrs. Baker hated him with a “heat whiter than the sun.” Why else would she force him to read Shakespeare plays on Wednesday afternoons? Why would she keep pet rats, Caliban and Sycorax, with their disgustingly long claws and yellow teeth? Add that to a classroom that demands Holling bring them cream puffs, a crazy teenage sister, and a play where you have to wear yellow tights - let's just say Holling's life is far from perfect. 

The Wednesday Wars is a book stuffed with the comedy, but in reality the world of 1967 is a time riddled with sadness. For starters, there are soldiers who don't return home and schools that have a paranoia of being bombed. But through the eyes of this seventh grader, life in the sixties is just that - life.  Incredibly enlightening and about a time that seems to be skimmed over in history books, while it takes a while to get into, the development of this novel is beautiful and entertaining. During a wild journey through the school year, Holling discovers the things that keep his changing world constant - love, friendship, and faith - finding that his imperfect life is not so imperfect after all.

Appropriate for ages 12+ (the writing is a little more difficult to get through at first, so be aware. Also, I think there may be more than three swear words, but again, it's not often.)