Sideways Stories From Wayside School

Sideways Stories From Wayside School
By: Louis Sachar
Harper Trophy, 1978

The first installment of Wayside School series is hilarious. Wayside School was accidentally built sideways and it is thirty stories high. However, there is no nineteenth story, there is no Miss Zarves. The children are afraid when Mrs. Jewls comes to teach them because they have never had a nice teacher before. Mrs. Jewls is afraid because she has never taught cute children before. In fact, the children are so cute that Mrs. Jewls thinks they are monkeys! Do monkeys know they are monkeys? Read about all the kids in Mrs. Jewls class. There is Joe who can't count right, Ronnie who is missing her two front teeth, Leslie who almost sells her toes, Nancy who doesn't like his name, and Louis the yard teaches who kicks Terrence over the fence. You may think these stories are silly but when Louis told the kids stories about us they thought we were silly too.

Personal Review: This is one of my favorite books. I choose to read it because I hadn't read it since I was maybe in the fourth grade. These stories are so funny! I read them to my roommates and they were cracking up. Sachar does a great job with puns. He takes real situations with real kids and twist them around so that Wayside School seems to be in another planet! I think this book is great for all ages.
Warning: This book is really silly and you might even think it's weird. Don't be surprised if you just laugh your pants off.
Ages 9-12
124 pages

They made Wayside School into a TV show! Here is the theme song: