Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom

Starred review from November 1, 2019
Rejoice! 25 years later, Wayside School is still in session, and the children in Mrs. Jewls' 30th-floor classroom haven't changed a bit. The surreal yet oddly educational nature of their misadventures hasn't either. There are out-and-out rib ticklers, such as a spelling lesson featuring made-up words and a determined class effort to collect 1 million nail clippings. Additionally, mean queen Kathy steps through a mirror that turns her weirdly nice and she discovers that she likes it, a four-way friendship survives a dumpster dive after lost homework, and Mrs. Jewls makes sure that a long-threatened "Ultimate Test" allows every student to show off a special talent. Episodic though the 30 new chapters are, there are continuing elements that bind them--even to previous outings, such as the note to an elusive teacher Calvin has been carrying since Sideways Stories From Wayside School (1978) and finally delivers. Add to that plenty of deadpan dialogue ("Arithmetic makes my brain numb," complains Dameon. "That's why they're called 'numb-ers, ' " explains D.J.) and a wild storm from the titular cloud that shuffles the school's contents "like a deck of cards," and Sachar once again dishes up a confection as scrambled and delicious as lunch lady Miss Mush's improvised "Rainbow Stew." Diversity is primarily conveyed in the illustrations. Ordinary kids in an extraordinary setting: still a recipe for bright achievements and belly laughs. (Fiction. 9-11)

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Starred review from December 23, 2019
Sachar’s snappy comedic stride doesn’t miss a beat in his series’ fourth installment—the first since 1995’s Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger—as the curiosities of Mrs. Jewls’s 30th-floor classroom multiply more quickly than ever. In order to demonstrate the concept of one million, the teacher announces, “We need to collect a million somethings,” and decides (because Terrence happens to be cutting his big toenail at the time) that those somethings will be nail clippings. Dr. Pickle
cannily manipulates his hypnotic, pickle-shaped stone to cure Kathy’s persistent hiccups, reversing her sour disposition in the process. Wayside gets even wonkier after an ominous cloud settles over the building: the faces of Dana and Principal Kidswatter become stuck in humorously contorted expressions, and students use the cloud as a convenient scapegoat for failing a test and being tardy to school. Yet, “cloud or no cloud,” the teacher insists that the kids take the Ultimate Test, in which outlandish challenges allow each student’s unique talent to shine. Into the regaling levity, Sachar characteristically slips worthy nuggets about the rewards of kindness and friendship. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12.

February 1, 2020

Gr 3-5-A delightful case of well-written nonsense. Mrs. Jewls's class is back and as wacky as ever. Whether collecting a million toenails or dealing with 'oppositosis, ' it's safe to say that nothing is ever normal at Wayside School. Yet when a cloud of doom looms over its walls, things get even stranger. Even the elusive Miss Zarves makes an appearance! After 40 years, Wayside School is still a delight. It still tickles the funny bone with the most ridiculous scenarios. As expected, the characters do lack depth; their only growth is shown through silly antics. Yet parents and librarians will be overjoyed to have their favorite class back. The real question is: Has Wayside stood the test of time? In an age of Dan Gutman's "My Weird School" series, where the text is more excitable and fast-paced, children may not be so enamored by the classic series. VERDICT Parents and librarians will be filled with nostalgia. Recommended for young fiction collections seeking silly school stories.-Rebecca Fitzgerald, Harrison Public Library, NY

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2020
Grades 3-5 Almost twenty-five years after Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger comes this fourth entry in the beloved series, and happily, not a whole lot has changed. The same cast of characters occupies Mrs. Jewls' classroom on the thirtieth floor, and while there remain chapters that work as stand-alone stories, the book as a whole is remarkably cohesive, with callback jokes aplenty?sometimes hearkening back to previous titles?and several plot threads running throughout. As Mrs. Jewls prepares her students for the Ultimate Test, which tests everything you've ever learned in your whole life, a class project to understand the nature of a million has them attempting to collect that many finger- and toenail clippings. Meanwhile, a mysterious, dark cloud has settled over the school, and whatever it is, it can't be good. Sachar's return to Wayside continues the same side-splitting formula, but a little added polish, overall cohesion, and character development may make this one the best of the bunch. An unbeatable read-aloud option for early middle-grade audiences.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Anything from Newbery Medalist Sachar is sure to draw a crowd, but a return to Wayside School, forty years after its debut, feels extra special.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)