Wayside School Series

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(21 reviews)

The Wayside School series by Louis Sachar is a wonderfully oddball collection of chapter books that has delighted children for decades with its surreal humour and unexpected twists. Set in a 30-storey school accidentally built sideways (one classroom on top of another instead of side by side), the stories take place in Mrs Jewls’ class on the 30th floor, where nothing is ever quite as it seems.

Each chapter reads like a short story, featuring a cast of quirky characters—from the earnest and confused Todd to the mysteriously vanished Miss Zarves (who teaches on the 19th floor, which doesn’t actually exist). With talking pigtails, disappearing students, and deadpan logic, these books are full of comic absurdity that children find irresistible.

Beneath the silliness, there’s a quiet cleverness to Sachar’s writing. He plays with language and logic, encouraging readers to think in new and surprising ways. The humour is dry, occasionally dark, and always respectful of children’s intelligence, making it ideal for independent readers aged 8 and up, or for sharing aloud in the classroom.

The series remains a brilliant gateway for children starting to explore longer fiction—and a reminder that school stories don’t have to follow the rules.

All the Wayside School books in order:

Book 1: Sideways Stories from Wayside School (1978)
Book 2: Wayside School is Falling Down (1989)
Book 3: Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger (1995)
Book 4: Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom (2020)
Book 5: Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School: More Than 50 Mindboggling Maths Puzzles! (2010)
Book 6: More Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside (1994) School: More Than 50 Brainteasing Maths Puzzles! (2004)

Book 5
Book 5

Wayside School is Falling Down

'Watch closely,' said Mrs Jewls. 'You can learn much faster using a computer instead of paper and pencil.' Then she push... MoreWayside School is Falling Down

(1 review) 5 1
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Book 6
Book 6

Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger

All the kids from Wayside School had to spend 243 days in horrible schools while Wayside was closed to get rid of the in... MoreWayside School Gets a Little Stranger

(0 reviews)
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Book 7
Book 7

Sideways Stories from Wayside School

There has been a terrible mistake. Wayside School was supposed to have been built with thirty classrooms all next to eac... MoreSideways Stories from Wayside School

(3 reviews) 5 3
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Book 9
Book 9

Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom

It's a new year at Wayside School, and Mrs Jewls's class on the thirtieth floor has a LOT to deal with. First of all, th... MoreWayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom

(15 reviews) 5 15
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