Toads, Beetles, and Bats.

That is a quote from this book, The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt. Actually, it's a quote from Shakespeare, but that works into this book. Let me explain.
Holling Hoodhood (WEIRDEST. NAME. EVER.) is in seventh grade and his teacher hates him. How is he going to survive Mrs. Baker? Plus his dad really wants him to live up to his high expectations and he just doesn't see how he can. And on top of all this Mrs. Baker is making him read Shakespeare outside of class and they discuss what he reads afterwards. So Holling works his way through The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, and other plays and overall, it sort of betters his understanding of humanity.
Bigger picture: This is Long Island, 1967. There's a lot of change going on outside of Holling's small world, like atomic bombs, the protests against racism, the war in Vietnam, and maybe even the mysteries of girls.
With Mrs. Baker's help, Holling discovers more about ideals and people and just plain living than he ever thought he would in seventh grade.
I especially love the way this book is written; first person from Holling's point of view. It makes it good because while he's describing his horrible teacher or how he acted in certain situations, you can tell when he's exaggerating or lying which gives Holling the childish quality we expect from him in the beginning. I also love Mrs. Baker, because she helps Holling without letting him know she's doing it and she's fine with being the hated teacher as long as Holling learns. She also has a few tricks up her sleeve that make her all the more intriguing of a character.
Good story, quick read. I'm glad I picked this up on a whim out of the school library. ♠♠♠♠