Sideways Stories from Wayside School (1978)
About This Book
Wayside School was supposed to be one story tall with thirty classrooms side by side, but the builder made a mistake and built it thirty stories tall with one classroom on each floor. The children on the thirtieth floor, taught by the wonderful Mrs. Jewls, encounter a student who can only be seen sideways, a dead rat disguised as a student, and a teacher who turns children into apples. Each chapter is its own short, absurdist episode that follows dream logic to its most ridiculous conclusion.
Why It's a Classic
Louis Sachar was working as a teacher's aide at an elementary school when he wrote this book, and his firsthand experience with the strange logic of children's social worlds informs every chapter. The humor operates on the principle of escalation: each story starts with a slightly off-kilter premise and then follows it with absolute seriousness to its most absurd possible conclusion. Sachar trusts children to follow logical absurdity without needing an explanation or a moral, which gives the book a liberating, anarchic energy. The thirty-chapter structure, one for each floor, creates a perfect format for classroom read-alouds, and teachers have been reading these stories aloud for nearly fifty years. The book also contains a quiet running joke about a nonexistent nineteenth floor that rewards attentive readers.
Fun Fact
Sachar wrote the book while attending law school at UC Berkeley, using humor as an escape from the drudgery of legal studies. The character of Louis the yard teacher is based on Sachar himself during his time as a teacher's aide. Sachar went on to win the Newbery Medal for Holes, but Sideways Stories, his first published book, has arguably reached more readers.
Parent Note
The humor is absurdist and strange, with children being turned into apples and a dead rat attending class. Nothing is graphic or frightening; the tone is more Monty Python than horror. These stories work beautifully for ages 6 and up, and the short chapter format makes them ideal for bedtime reading.
Quick Facts
- Year
- 1978
- Type
- 📚 Book
- Category
- Humor
- Age Group
- Kids (Ages 7–10)