The Wayside School was supposed to be one story high, with 30 classrooms side by side; instead, it was built sideways, with 30 one-classroom stories. As befits such a strange school, these tales are a bit strange too. In one, Jason is stuck to his seat by a large wad of chewing gum. His teacher tries throwing ice water on him (to chill the gum to brittleness) and turning him upside down. She even contemplates cutting his pants off. Finally, though, he falls from his upside-down position when kissed (ugh!) by one of the girls in the class. Other tales include a bit of a moral, such as the story of Kathy, whose assumption that no one will ever like her is proved right, or the story of Bebe, who draws quickly but without artistic merit. The quirky humor in this book is appealing to children. -GoodreadsOne of my favorite elementary school teachers used to read Sideways Stories from Wayside School outloud to us every day after lunch. They were a favorite among the class, mostly because of each anecdote's ridulous hilarity. I didn't find out until much later the Louis Sachar (author of Holes) also wrote this book, which came as a complete surprise. I really enjoy reading an author's work when they dabble in humor, and this read seems like a perfect example.
Feel Free to do your own Flashback Friday post- I'm looking forward to seeing what books you liked as a child!
<3 Cate
3 comments ♥:
Sounds like a fun book! The cover is great, i like the teacher on it. :)
I LOVED this book as a kid. I think my fourth grade teacher--though it may have been fifth grade, I can't remember--read one story a week to us. Thank you for reminding me about it--I'd completely forgotten!
The Wayside School books are awesome!
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