Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Sideways Stories from Wayside School
    Sideways Stories from Wayside School
    Sideways Stories from Wayside School
    Ebook131 pages1 hour

    Sideways Stories from Wayside School

    By Louis Sachar and Adam McCauley

    4.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Bestselling and Newbery Medal-winning author Louis Sachar knows how to make readers laugh. And there are laughs galore in perennial favorite Sideways Stories from Wayside School, the first book in the series!

    Accidentally built sideways and standing thirty stories high (the builder said he was very sorry for the mistake), Wayside School has some of the wackiest classes in town, especially on the thirtieth floor. That’s where you’ll meet Bebe, the fastest draw in art class; John, who only reads upside down; Myron, the best class president ever; and Sammy, the new kid—he’s a real rat.

    More than fifteen million readers have laughed at the clever and hilarious stories of Wayside School. So what are you waiting for? Come visit Wayside School! Kids 7 to 13 will zoom through these chapter books—laughing their way through the fast, funny, silly but relatable stories.

    This funny chapter book series includes:

    • Sideways Stories from Wayside School
    • Wayside School Is Falling Down
    • Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger
    • And now also Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom, the brand-new, fourth installment in the series, and the first in twenty-five years! 
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateApr 4, 2017
    ISBN9780062383181
    Sideways Stories from Wayside School
    Author

    Louis Sachar

    When Louis Sachar was going to school, his teachers always pronounced his name wrong. Now that he has become a popular author of children’s books, teachers all over the country are pronouncing his name wrong. It should be pronounced “Sacker,” like someone who tackles quarterbacks or someone who stuffs potatoes into sacks. Mr. Sachar's first book, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, was accepted for publication during his first year of law school. After receiving his law degree, he spent six years asking himself whether he wanted to be an author or a lawyer before deciding to write for children full-time. His books include Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Wayside School Is Falling Down, Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger, and Holes, winner of a Newbery Medal and National Book Award.

    Read more from Louis Sachar

    Related to Sideways Stories from Wayside School

    Titles in the series (4)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    Children's Humor For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      An unexpected LESSON

      Mar 9, 2021

      An unexpected LESSON
      6 min read

    • Article

      Just the THING

      May 18, 2022

      Just the THING
      3 min read

    • Article

      Totally EMBARRASSING

      Mar 11, 2024

      Totally EMBARRASSING
      2 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Jan 1, 2022

      It was an unusual birthday. Colorful banners blanketed the backyard. Kids chased each other through the grass. Adults talked. It all went downhill from there. My little sister was turning five. On her birthday cake, painted in frosting, was a fat, pi

      7 min read

    • Article

      Dolly’s Star Turn

      Jul 12, 2023

      Dolly’s Star Turn
      7 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Jan 1, 2019

      Lydia Rosenburg, age 10 Bellingham, WA The boy curled against the rundown brick wall, too weak to even sit up. The pain behind his eyelids had dulled to a throb, but now his world was nothing but darkness. How long ago had it happened? Day and night,

      7 min read

    • Article

      Dolly’s Star Turn

      Aug 9, 2023

      Dolly’s Star Turn
      7 min read

    • Article

      Dolly’s Star Turn

      Jul 12, 2023

      Dolly’s Star Turn
      7 min read

    • Article

      Totally EMBARRASSING

      May 10, 2020

      One time at school, I was running and someone left their lunch box on the floor and I didn’t see it. It made me trip over and I fell straight into a bin! It was soooo embarrassing! Kaitlin Got an embarro story to share? Email totalgirl@nextmedia.

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Hound and the Hidden Homework

      Feb 1, 2019

      The Hound and the Hidden Homework
      4 min read

    • Article

      Dagstuhl

      Nov 13, 2019

      Dagstuhl
      11 min read

    • Article

      Trouble in Strange Places

      May 1, 2022

      Growing up in a small town has got to be different from growing up in the city, but I don’t know exactly how. I’ve never lived anywhere else but this small town, and I’m eleven years old. The rest of the family is fine with living in Luverne, Minneso

      6 min read

    • Article

      Brain Soup

      Sep 1, 2021

      Brain Soup
      6 min read

    • Article

      Totally EMBARRASSING

      Feb 12, 2024

      How bad is that blush? My mum woke up late so I was running late for school. My mum decided to take me inside so that she could apologise to my teacher for making me late. We were running through the hallways when my mum tripped and fell forwards ont

      2 min read

    • Article

      READER Reviews

      Aug 4, 2020

      by Enid Blyton (Hodder Children’s Books, £6.99) Review by Amber, age eleven Malory Towers is about life in a boarding school. Darrell Rivers is a courageous twelve-year-old girl who joins the school in the summer term of the first year and quickl

      5 min read

    • Article

      School Zoo

      Aug 3, 2023

      School Zoo
      7 min read

    • Article

      Social Promotion

      Mar 19, 2024

      I didn’t understand. If that boy couldn’t read, why was he up there? The girl they originally had hosting the ceremony didn’t show, but why they put that boy there? Just because he volunteer for everything? You can’t read off enthusiasm. It made the

      21 min read

    • Article

      LOTS to Learn

      Dec 27, 2022

      LOTS to Learn
      4 min read

    • Article

      Scapegoat Child

      Mar 15, 2018

      In the crucible of our family my sister burned like molten steel. Once I saw her arms outspread her legs hanging limp and useless wet saliva dripping from her tongue. I screamed they surrounded her lifted her onto the sheets where she convulsed for h

      7 min read

    • Article

      Dream Girl

      Jan 1, 2020

      Dream Girl
      11 min read

    • Article

      Totally EMBARRASSING

      Jan 16, 2022

      Totally EMBARRASSING
      2 min read

    • Article

      Sis in A million

      Oct 19, 2023

      Sis in A million
      4 min read

    • Article

      Seedlings

      May 6, 2021

      Seedlings
      9 min read

    • Article

      Totally EMBARRASSING

      Feb 9, 2020

      I was at the shops with my grandma. I went to walk out the door but I didn’t see the sign that said ‘Don’t open the door’. Well, I opened it… Suddenly, the burglar alarm went off!!! Everyone including the shopkeeper stared at me. OMG, it was sooooooo

      2 min read

    • Article

      In The Doghouse

      Aug 25, 2022

      In The Doghouse
      3 min read

    • Article

      Blended

      Apr 23, 2024

      Blended
      6 min read

    • Article

      Happy

      Jan 1, 2023

      Happy
      4 min read

    • Article

      Both Hands, Please

      Aug 3, 2021

      Both Hands, Please
      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Sideways Stories from Wayside School

    4.5/5

    102 ratings40 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Wayside school is a mixed-up, crazy place where an evil teacher turns children into apples, nicknames and names just don’t make sense, and the cutest teeth are those that aren’t there! This book isn’t quite as funny as Wayside School is Falling Down, but is definitely amusing.
    • 4/5
      This book is about each and every student in one class and how different they are. But no matter how wacky or silly they are, they can always get along with each other.
    • 4/5
      This story is about a school that was built incorrectly. Instead of being built one story tall with 30 classrooms right next to each other, Wayside School was built 30 stories tall with only 1 room on each floor. The story focuses on room 30 in Mirs Jewls class. Each chapter goes through the classroom and introduces each student in the class. The weird thing about these students, is that they are all a little strange. Every part of the school is a strange place with a strange staff. THere are adventures on every floor. Genre: Fantasy becuase none of these stroies could, or would, happen.
    • 5/5
      everyone can benefit from its truths. a great book to sit down and take in. the writing is pure, as are the children in it. “Class,” said Mrs. Jewls. “Let’s all thank Louis for his wonderful story.” Everybody booed.
    • 5/5
      These stories are great! Silly stories that are great for just encouraging students to read.
    • 5/5
      This book is such a fun read! It has a funny humor to it that keeps everyone engaged, including the teacher. I think this would be a wonderful source of positive reinforcement to the class, with an educational basis as a plus! The students would love to read this and I really do believe that it would help them stay on task and with good behavior if this was used for that manner.
    • 3/5
      So funny and quirky and justifyably beloved by kids.
    • 4/5
      So funny. Great. I loved the sense of humor. There were so many unexpected things.
    • 1/5
      Sarchar is the Newbery award winner of the book Holes.Built incorrectly, Wayside school is thirty classrooms tall and not thirty rooms in a row. The building is crocked and missing floor #19.The students who attend are as wacky as the school.The fight, they create, they laugh and they are filled with funny antics.I read this with my nine year old grand daughter. She liked it and laughed right out loud.I think this is a book that I could have skipped, except for the fact that I now have lovely memories of a giggly, blonde, giggly young lady who holds a special place in my heart.
    • 4/5
      Many laughs with giggling boys. Silly, but unexpected and worth it...if it is just to remember a little of our childhood.
    • 5/5
      I think if you are a fifth grader, boy or girl, you need to read this book. If you made it to sixth grade without reading it, stop now, and go read it!
    • 4/5
      Genre: Fantasy Review: This story was very comical and early elementary kids would love it. It was hard to choose a genre for this story because it was half one genre and half another almost. I made it fantasy because at the beginning of the book, the mean old teacher turns all her students into apples, which could never happen in real life. If it wasn't for this beginning to the story, I would have made it a realistic fiction because every student in a classroom is different and brings something unique to the class. Media: pencils
    • 5/5
      I loved these stories when I was in grade school! They are so inventive and awesomely weird.
    • 5/5
      This is really a just-for-fun book and was one of my favorites as a young reader. It is a compilation of very wacky stories about a school that was built sideways and has a lot of crazy teachers and students, including one new student named Sammy who actually turns out to be a dead rat in a trench coat. I think the best quality of this book is its ability to make students laugh and inspire their creative thinking skills.
    • 4/5
      A fun book.
    • 5/5
      This book is a very funny way to talk about a school and its students. Each chapter is about another interesting student or staff member at the school. The school was built on the intention to have 30 classrooms side by side, but instead the school was built with the 30 classrooms one on top of the other. This meant that the school was 30 stories tall. This book taks you through a typical day as a student in this very crazy school.
    • 5/5
      This story is funny. You will enjoy reading it. Thanks Louis!
    • 5/5
      it was amazing i couldn't stop reading it i read so many times you'll never get from this book its super funny its a amazing book you should read right away
    • 5/5
      This is a funny book with many stories to read I definitely recommend this.?
    • 5/5
      When you, as an adult, can read a book with your child and sincerely laugh along with them you know you've found a jewel. I read this book to my oldest and loved it and ended up buying it to read to my other three kids as they grow up.
    • 5/5
      i love how it is so funny and entertaining i read it whith joy
    • 1/5
      Since when did Scribd start offering childrens books? I am not interested
    • 3/5
      An advanced chapter book with 30 stories about the students on the 30th floor of Wayside School. This wacky school was built sideways, with 30 classrooms stacked one on top of another instead of beside each other in a row - the builder said he was very sorry. Mrs. Goft turns children into apples, D.J. always smiles, John is the smartest kid but can only read words upside down, Kathy hates everybody in the class, Todd isn't really bad but he always gets sent home early... Good fun for grades 3 and up.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      A good story to introduce at the beginning of the school year. This is about a class of silly students that live in a school that was built 30 stories up instead of 30 classrooms wide. The adventures never end between the teachers and the students. Your students are guaranteed to laugh at these funny stories.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      One of my favorite childrens books. These are little stories about different kids and teachers in wayside school. I really enjoyed reading this again from when I read as a child.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I love love loved this as a kid. Why? Probably because it made no sense, a concept I had been encouraged to enjoy by my parents. There is no 19th floor, there is no Mrs. Zarves, that kind of madness. Is it the most intellectually stimulating book I've ever read? No. But they can't all be. They shouldn't all be.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This book is hilarious. I could just see kids I know going to a school thirty stories tall, with a classroom on each side, struggling through torturous mosquito bites, a teacher who thinks you're a monkey, and all sorts of kooky and downright hilarious characters. I could read this over and over. It is so realistic, yet oh so spacy. I would defiantly recomend this book to students that love to laugh. I will defiantly read this book to my students because I know that I love books that have humor and i would read more of them so hopefully this would make students want to read more.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Easy read, good book. The children, even younger children, loved this book. They understood the humor and adults found it silly. Very appropriate for any elementary school age child.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 1/5
      I never read this one when I was little (I did read and like Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School), and maybe I would have liked this better if I did. It is very, very dated, and the chapter illustrations just killed it.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This book tells the strange and funny tales of the teachers and students from Wayside School. Each person has their own interesting and silly story to tell. Students love this book.

      1 person found this helpful

    Book preview

    Sideways Stories from Wayside School - Louis Sachar

    Introduction

    This book contains thirty stories about the children and teachers at Wayside School. But before we get to them, there is something you ought to know so that you don’t get confused.

    Wayside School was accidentally built sideways.

    It was supposed to be only one story high, with thirty classrooms all in a row. Instead it is thirty stories high, with one classroom on each story. The builder said he was very sorry.

    The children at Wayside like having a sideways school. They have an extra-large playground.

    The children and teachers described in this book all go to class on the top floor. So there are thirty stories from the thirtieth story of Wayside School.

    It has been said that these stories are strange and silly. That is probably true. However, when I told stories about you to the children at Wayside, they thought you were strange and silly. That is probably also true.

    1

    Mrs. Gorf

    Mrs. Gorf had a long tongue and pointed ears. She was the meanest teacher in Wayside School. She taught the class on the thirtieth story.

    If you children are bad, she warned, or if you answer a problem wrong, I’ll wiggle my ears, stick out my tongue, and turn you into apples! Mrs. Gorf didn’t like children, but she loved apples.

    Joe couldn’t add. He couldn’t even count. But he knew that if he answered a problem wrong, he would be turned into an apple. So he copied from John. He didn’t like to cheat, but Mrs. Gorf had never taught him how to add.

    One day Mrs. Gorf caught Joe copying John’s paper.

    She wiggled her ears—first her right one, then her left—stuck out her tongue, and turned Joe into an apple. Then she turned John into an apple for letting Joe cheat.

    Hey, that isn’t fair, said Todd. John was only trying to help a friend.

    Mrs. Gorf wiggled her ears—first her right one, then her left—stuck out her tongue, and turned Todd into an apple. Does anybody else have an opinion? she asked.

    Nobody said a word.

    Mrs. Gorf laughed and placed the three apples on her desk.

    Stephen started to cry. He couldn’t help it. He was scared.

    I do not allow crying in the classroom, said Mrs. Gorf. She wiggled her ears—first her right one, then her left—stuck out her tongue, and turned Stephen into an apple.

    For the rest of the day, the children were absolutely quiet. And when they went home, they were too scared even to talk to their parents.

    But Joe, John, Todd, and Stephen couldn’t go home. Mrs. Gorf just left them on her desk. They were able to talk to each other, but they didn’t have much to say.

    Their parents were very worried. They didn’t know where their children were. Nobody seemed to know.

    The next day Kathy was late for school. As soon as she walked in, Mrs. Gorf turned her into an apple.

    Paul sneezed during class. He was turned into an apple.

    Nancy said, God bless you! when Paul sneezed. Mrs. Gorf wiggled her ears—first her right one, then her left—stuck out her tongue, and turned Nancy into an apple.

    Terrence fell out of his chair. He was turned into an apple.

    Maurecia tried to run away. She was halfway to the door as Mrs. Gorf’s right ear began to wiggle. When she reached the door, Mrs. Gorf’s left ear wiggled. Maurecia opened the door and had one foot outside when Mrs. Gorf stuck out her tongue. Maurecia became an apple.

    Mrs. Gorf picked up the apple from the floor and put it on her desk with the others. Then a funny thing happened. Mrs. Gorf turned around and fell over a piece of chalk.

    The three Erics laughed. They were turned into apples.

    Mrs. Gorf had a dozen apples on her desk: Joe, John, Todd, Stephen, Kathy, Paul, Nancy, Terrence, Maurecia, and the three Erics—Eric Fry, Eric Bacon, and Eric Ovens.

    Louis, the yard teacher, walked into the classroom. He had missed the children at recess. He had heard that Mrs. Gorf was a mean teacher. So he came up to investigate. He saw the twelve apples on Mrs. Gorf’s desk. I must be wrong, he thought. She must be a good teacher if so many children bring her apples. He walked back down to the playground.

    The next day a dozen more children were turned into apples. Louis, the yard teacher, came back into the room. He saw twenty-four apples on Mrs. Gorf’s desk. There were only three children left in the class. She must be the best teacher in the world, he thought.

    By the end of the week all of the children were apples. Mrs. Gorf was very happy. Now I can go home, she said. I don’t have to teach anymore. I won’t have to walk up thirty flights of stairs ever again.

    You’re not going anywhere, shouted Todd. He jumped off the desk and bopped Mrs. Gorf on the nose. The rest of the apples followed. Mrs. Gorf fell on the floor. The apples jumped all over her.

    Stop, she shouted, or I’ll turn you into applesauce!

    But the apples didn’t stop, and Mrs. Gorf could do nothing about it.

    Turn us back into children, Todd demanded.

    Mrs. Gorf had no choice. She stuck out her tongue, wiggled her ears—this time her left one first, then her right—and turned the apples back into children.

    All right, said Maurecia, let’s go get Louis. He’ll know what to do.

    No! screamed Mrs. Gorf. I’ll turn you back into apples. She wiggled her ears—first her right one, then her left—and stuck out her tongue. But Jenny held up a mirror, and Mrs. Gorf turned herself into an apple.

    The children didn’t know what to do. They didn’t have a teacher. Even though Mrs. Gorf was mean, they didn’t think it was right to leave her as an apple. But none of them knew how to wiggle their ears.

    Louis, the yard teacher, walked in. Where’s Mrs. Gorf? he asked.

    Nobody said a word.

    Boy, am I hungry, said Louis. I don’t think Mrs. Gorf would mind if I ate this apple. After all, she always has so many.

    He picked up the apple, which was really Mrs. Gorf, shined

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1