Wayside School

The Sideways Stories From Wayside School series is a popular series of children's books by Louis Sachar. There are five books in the series. Sideways Stories From Wayside School, Wayside School Is Falling Down and Wayside School Gets A Little Stranger are the three novel-length books. In 1989, Sachar also released two books of mathematics and puzzles interspersed with stories: Sideways Arithmetic From Wayside School and More Sideways Arithmetic From Wayside School. The books tell many stories of a school built as a tower 30 stories high, with one room per story, but with no 19th story. Each book contains 30 chapters, called stories, complementing the 30 stories in the school. The two books Sideways Arithmetic and More Sideways Arithmetic have 15 chapters each, together adding up to 30 as well.

Sachar said about writing the first book:

I returned to college, this time to the University of California at Berkeley where I majored in economics. On campus one day, I saw the unlikely sight of an elementary school girl handing out flyers. I took one from her. It said: "Help. We need teachers aides at our school. Earn three units of credit." I thought it over and decided it was a pretty good deal. College credits, no homework, no term papers, no tests, all I had to do was help out in a second/third grade class at Hillside Elementary School. Besides helping out in a classroom, I also became the Noontime Supervisor, or "Louis the Yard Teacher" as I was known to the kids. It became my favorite college class, and a life changing experience. When I graduated in 1976 I decided to try to write a children's book, which eventually became Sideways Stories From Wayside School. All the kids at Wayside School were based on the kids I knew at Hillside. It took me about nine months to write the book. I wrote in the evenings. In the daytime I had a job at a sweater warehouse in Connecticut. After about a year, I was fired (my enthusiasm for sweaters was insufficient), and I decided to go to law school. Sideways Stories from Wayside School was accepted by a publisher during my first week at Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.

Books

• Sideways Stories From Wayside School
• Wayside School is Falling Down
• Wayside School Gets A Little Stranger
• Sideways Arithmetic From Wayside School
• More Sideways Arithmetic From Wayside School

Characters

Wayside School

Stories

The school was supposed to be built one story and 30 classrooms long. However, it was accidentally built with 30 stories, with one room on each story.

• 30th story – This is the highest classroom of the school. Most of the stories involve students in this classroom and take place here. The teacher for most of the series is Mrs. Jewls.
• 29th story – Miss Worm teaches here.
• 26th story – Mrs. Smith teaches here. In "Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School", Kathy run down to Mrs. Smith's class.
• 23rd story – Nancy's friend Mac learns here, and they eventually switch names.
• 19th story – The 19th story does not exist. The reason is that the building was inadvertently built with story 20 directly on top of story 18. The teacher of this class is the fictional Miss Zarves. In Sideways Stories from Wayside School, the 19th chapter is omitted and in its place is a message stating that the 19th "story" does not exist. In Wayside School Is Falling Down, Allison accidentally ends up in it.
• 15th story – lunchroom
• 12th story – teacher's lounge
• 7th story – library
• 4th story – counselor's office
• 2nd story – ballroom
• 1st story – principal's office and bathroom

Yoca's first visit

Yoca is a mentioned book charcter. Never seen.

The Kids on the 30th Story

There have been a total of 30 students on the 30th story, who are always getting in all kinds of strange adventures. Many of them are strange in our standards, but there are some (slightly) normal kids. They include Allison, Calvin, Deedee, Benjamin Nushmutt, D.J, Rondi, Sue and Todd.

• Allison – She is one kid that isn't wacky. She once wondered why, "if there was no 19th floor, why isn't the school 29 stories high?" She ended up stuck on the 19th story for a week but managed to escape. Allison's best friend is Rondi. Allison says that she knocked Rondi's two front teeth out, and many boys like her. When boys are mean to her she says "You better stop, or I'll knock your teeth out, like I did Rondi's". She owns a pet cat, Socks.
• Bebe Gunn – She is the most talented artist in the classroom. She once pretended to have a little brother named Ray, who, due to the fact that he does not exist, is on the 19th story. She owns a pet bird, Picasso.
• Benjamin Nushmutt – He joins the class in Wayside School is Falling Down: chapter 2. Initially, everyone thinks his name is Mark Miller, but he is afraid to correct them because of shame over his real name. He reveals his true name to the class one day in Wayside School Is Falling Down. However, the kids think he's pulling a prank on the substitute teacher, so they still call him Mark. He eventually tells the class his real name at the end of Wayside School Is Falling Down in chapter 29 after he tried to in chapter 10, and the other children accept it with little fuss on their part. He also admits he is from Hempleton, not Magadonia. Since his name is not really Mark Miller, a boy named Mark Miller lives on the 19th story, which does not exist. He owns a pet mouse, Handsome.
• Calvin – He is Bebe's best friend. He draws very slowly, so he always works in conjunction with Bebe. He provides supplies for her so she is not distracted while drawing. He owns a pet cat named Mrs. Jewls. He was the first person to get into the Ms. Zarves incident. He also has a tattoo of a potato on his ankle.
• Dameon – He is in love with Mrs. Jewls, and is D.J.'s best friend. In every story starring him, he is caught running up and down wayside schools 30 flights of stairs and runs into an act with pencils at the end. He owns a pet ferret, Yorno.
• Dana – She worries that she may have a crush on John. At one time she fears being mistaken for a boy with her bad haircut and unisex name. Because of her glasses, she has the most beautiful eyes in the class. She once had a body full of mosquito bites but she changed them into numbers. She owns a pet dog, Pugsy.
• Deedee – She loves sports but can never seem to get any good balls at recess. She once had to resort to disguising herself as a dead rat so Mrs. Jewels would throw her out of class a few minutes before recess, thus buying her extra time to select a choice ball. She is the first one to remember that Mrs. Drazil was Louis's old mean teacher in Wayside School Gets A Little Stranger. She owns a pet dog, named Cat.
• D.J. – (a.k.a. Deej, Dojo, Dr. Jolly, Dumb Jerk) He is happy all the time. He says that the reason that he is always happy is "you need a reason to be sad, but you don't need a reason to be happy". It can be said that his reaction to things changes everyone's around him. In the first book he was happy and everyone else was. In Wayside School is Falling Down he was sad and so was everyone else. He owns a pet dog, O.K.
• The Three Erics
  • Eric Bacon – Bacon is the thinnest of the Erics, but he is called "Fatso" because the other two Erics are fat, and so it is assumed that all Erics are fat. He is also a good break dancer, but break dancing became restricted at Wayside School, because every time he danced, he broke something. He owns a pet dog, Billy.
  • Eric Fry – Fry hangs out with the other two all the time. He is very athletic despite his big size, and is called "Butterfingers" because the other two Erics are bad at sports, so it is assumed that all Erics are bad at sports. Also he dropped a baseball once. He is also the biggest kid in Mrs. Jewls' class. He owns a pet goat, Billy.
  • Eric Ovens – Ovens is the nicest of the Erics, but is called "Crabapple" because the other two Erics are constantly negative, Eric Bacon due to his negative nickname and Eric Fry because he always has to play right field. Therefore it is assumed that all Erics are mean. He owns a pet cat, Billy.
• Jason – He is known for his large mouth, and he is secretly in love with Allison. He chews on pencils a lot. He has an older brother, Justin, who's great at everything and makes him feel like a loser. It may be said that he is the most handsome person in the class but is a lovable loser. He once uncovered that his dentist was a former troublesome student of his substitute teacher, Mrs. Drazil. Just like Allison, he owns a pet cat, Socks. He is the help monitor.
• Jenny – She is always late for school and wears a motorcycle helmet, since she rides a motorcycle to school. She is the first person in the book series to run into the three men because she went to school on a Saturday. She owns a pet dog, What.
• Joe – He is John's best friend. Although he can find the correct answer to arithmetic problems, he does not know how to count. One day he wakes up to discover he is suddenly able to count. He owns a pet hamster, Mino. He has fifty-five thousand and six strands of hair on his head. They are all curly.
• John – He is Joe's best friend. He is the smartest person on the 30th story. He could only read upside down, but after trying to learn to stand on his head, he suddenly could read right side up (but sees everything else upside down). He and Joe are the only ones brave enough to eat the cafeteria's potato salad. They accidentally revive Mrs. Gorf in potato salad form, but they quickly eat her. John owns a pet frog, Yogurt.
• Joy – She is an unscrupulous thief and liar, even though the "bad girl" label belongs to Kathy. She does not receive punishment in Sideways Stories From Wayside School, but is partially punished in Wayside School is Falling Down. She is always stealing peoples lunches. Although she isn't punished in the first book, she did wake up to find that all the Turkey sandwiches, apples and chocolate cake she eats in the whole school year will always taste like Ms. Mush' porridge, which tastes like mud. Her favorite target is Todd. She owns a pet dog, which she named after Todd. Joy has the biggest mouth in the class. She also kissed Jason on the nose when she had to free Jason from a chair he was stuck to by Joy's gum.
• Kathy – She is the "bad girl" of the class who loves to see bad things happen. She often picks on D.J. In the last chapter of "Wayside School is Falling Down", Stephen thought the school was going to burn down, but Kathy kept insisting that it would fall down. She owns a pet skunk, Gross. She says that Gross does not know his name. She used to have a cat, Skunks, but it ran away. She once stated she does not believe in Santa, and discussed it as casually as a beat writer.
• Leslie – She has long pigtails and is Paul's best friend. Paul loves pulling her pigtails. Once, she saved Paul when he fell out a window, by letting him grab her pigtails. She owns a pet cat, Pajamas.
• Mac (born Nancy) – He loves show and tell and telling long stories with no point, mostly about socks. He was originally very shy because his name was Nancy, but he traded names with a friend, a girl named Mac. Since then, his confidence has gone up to the point that it's difficult to shut him up. He owns a pet dog, which he named after himself. His favorite thing is show-and-tell.
• Maurecia – She likes ice cream, and everyone likes her. She is Joy's best friend. One time, Maurecia got tired of ice cream, so Mrs. Jewls invented a new flavor of ice cream just for Maurecia. She called it "Maurecia-flavored ice cream". Unfortunately, when Maurecia tasted it, she didn't taste anything at all, but everybody else thought it was delicious, except Kathy, who hated it. It turned out that "Maurecia-flavored ice cream" simply tasted like the taste that remained in Maurecia's mouth all the time, when she wasn't tasting anything else. 'Todd' and 'Joe' were her favorite ice cream flavors out of all her classmates' flavors that Mrs. Jewls invented. She owns a pet cat, Strawberry. She is the door monitor. Everyone in the class likes her (except for Kathy obviously).She hates Todd also and makes fun of him when he's not around. Secretly loves Todd.
• Myron – He went to the basement seeking freedom. He was class president for only one day, but the best one ever. It is safe to call him the nicest, most normal, and bravest person on the 30th story. Myron has never been in trouble. He is the 2nd person to run into the three men while in search of freedom. He is the only person in the entire school who likes Ms. Mushes cooking. He owns a pet chipmunk, Cheese and leaves food out for an odd bird named Oddly (though the bird isn't his pet, as Oddly is considered "free").
• Paul – Although he loves to pull Leslie's pigtails, he is her best friend. He owns a pet pig, Tails, a play on Pigtails. His father is implied to be the security guard who protects the Mona Lisa in Miss Nogard's backstory.
• Ron – He is a lousy kickball player. He never does his homework. He is the only one desperate enough to try Miss Mush's Mushroom Surprise. He is the strongest person on the 30th story respectively. Although he can't kick well, he seems to be a good puncher. He owns a pet cat, Dog.
• Rondi – She is Allison's best friend. She had a gap in her teeth which everyone thought made her look cute, until she grew two new front teeth. Some people thought she looked cuter with her two new teeth, but several others thought she looked cuter before. She owns a pet bird, Crackers.
• Sammy – This student wore an unusually high number of raincoats on a particularly stormy day and smelled horrible. Mrs. Jewls eventually discovered that he was a dead rat in disguise who had sneaked into her classroom, and promptly disposed of him. He's also the only thing Kathy likes. She thinks he's funny. It is said dead rats are always trying to sneak into Mrs. Jewls class. Because of his terrible smell and nasty attitude, no one other than Kathy liked him.
• Sharie – She wears an enormous red and blue overcoat so that she can sleep in class (of which Mrs. Jewels approves). She has very long eyelashes. She and Deedee are very close friends with Louis but this may be because Louis saved her life in the first book. She once brought a hobo to school for show and tell. She owns a pet turtle, Yorpet. She weighs 49 pounds.
• Stephen – He has green hair colored by pool chlorine. He consistently chooses poor outfits for school. In the first book, he seemed to be the leader of the class. He does not own a pet, so for pet day, he brought an orange, Fido. He apparently did not know how to work a light switch until the chapter "Myron", where he becomes class president. He is the only person in the classroom that dresses up for the short Halloween Party, which causes the other students to make fun of him, but he is able to save them shortly after from the ghost of Mrs. Gorf, by hugging her.
• Sue – She joins the class in Sideways Arithmetic From Wayside School and is not featured in any of the novel books. Probably based on a fan of the series. She has a dog named Fangs, who has big teeth. Although she loves staying in Wayside School, she is unable to understand the class's methods of teaching and they are unable to understand her "normal" methods of math when she tries to teach it to them, to the point of Mrs. Jewels suggesting that she go to a different school if she has too much trouble.
• Terrence – He has earned a reputation as a bully who likes to kick balls over the fence. His insults usually rhyme. Once, Louis kicked him over the fence as payback for insulting his fellow classmates. Another time, Rondi considers tricking him into knocking out her two new teeth (she ducks at the last minute, deciding that the two new ones were cuter). He owns a pet dog, Crazy.
• Todd – He unfairly always gets in trouble and gets sent home at noon on the kindergarten bus every day. His mission is to see what the class does from noon to 2:00. He does not own a pet, so for pet day, he brought his baby brother, Ralphie. In Wayside School Gets A Little Stranger when they get a new teacher Todd may have stayed past 12:00. It also may be possible that he stayed past 12:00 when there was a substitute in Wayside School is Falling Down. It is also hinted that he'd make it past 12:00 on the day he brought a toy dog to school.

Miss Zarves' Students

• Virginia – She is a grown woman who says, "You're never too old to learn". She does not know what a bathroom is. Something slightly unusual about her is that she said she had been in the class for 32 years, when Miss Zarves had only been a teacher for 30 years.
• Nick – He is a teenager.
• Ray Gunn – Bebe's "brother" that she made up.
• Mark Miller – He is Benjamin Nushmutt's alias. Everyone in Miss Zarves's class thinks his name is Benjamin Nushmutt, mirroring the fact that everyone in Mrs. Jewls's class thinks Benjamin's name is Mark Miller.
• A Cow – A cow that somehow got into the 19th story. Miss Zarves doesn't like it in her classroom.

Staff/Other Adults

This is a list of adults who are featured in the stories.

• Mrs. Gorf – She is the original teacher on the 30th story. She was able to turn the kids into apples, but the students managed to make her accidentally turn herself into one; she was then eaten by Louis who thought that she was a real apple. She then appeared on the monkey bars and as a potato salad in the following books. When her name is reversed, it spells frog. (Sideways Stories From Wayside School)
• Mrs. Jewls – After Mrs. Gorf was eaten, Mrs. Jewls became the teacher. She is much nicer. She has a coffee can of Tootsie Roll Pops as a reward for her students. However, in a chapter in "Wayside School is Falling Down", Mrs. Jewls temporarily became mean. She threatened to pour brine on Leslie if she didn't correctly answer all three questions that she asked, and she almost poured it on her, until Paul pushed the vat of brine back and drenched Mrs. Jewls, curing her. She has a cat named MonkeyFace, is married, and has a baby daughter named Mavis (though suggestions from the class could have resulted in Jet Rocket or Bucket Head Jewls if it was a boy, and Rainbow Sunshine or Cootie Face if it was a girl). In a true-or-false question in Sideways Arithmetic From Wayside School it says she is allergic to strawberries. However, it is also said that she likes strawberry yogurt. In another question it says her first name is Shirley, but this is said to be false. She believes that if the class learns 3 things every day, they will know everything.
• Mrs. Benjamin Franklin – Mrs. Franklin is a substitute teacher, who appeared to believe everyone's name was Benjamin thanks to a prank. At the end she said that since they were such good friends, that they could call her by her first name, which was Benjamin. (Wayside School Is Falling Down)
• Mrs. Waloosh – Pronouncing her own name as Mrs. Valoosh, she is a world famous dancer who teaches the tango in the ballroom. She has a strong accent and the students, except Myron, enjoy her class. (Wayside School Is Falling Down)
• Mr. Gorf – Mr. Gorf is a substitute teacher. The students feared him because of his similarity to their mean teacher's name although he appeared nice. He was in fact her vengeful son, and sucked the kids' voices up a third nostril in his nose. His real voice sound like a donkey with tonsillitis and a French accent. Miss Mush got the kids their voices back by smashing a pepper pie into Mr. Gorf's face. When his name is reversed, it spells frog. (Wayside School Gets A Little Stranger)
• Mrs. Drazil – She was Louis' teacher in school, and she returns as a substitute. She seems nice, but holds grudges and carries an infamous blue notebook of things she never forgets. When her name is reversed, it spells lizard. (Wayside School Gets A Little Stranger, and mentioned in Wayside School is Falling Down)
• Miss Wendy Nogard – Miss Nogard is also a substitute. She has a third ear on the top of her head which can read minds, a power she uses to make everyone else as miserable as her until she falls in love with Louis. The reason she became miserable and evil is Xavier Dalton, a man she met and loved. He loved her also, until she showed him her third ear, then he thought she was a freak, which Wendy heard. When her name is reversed, it spells dragon. (Wayside School Gets A Little Stranger)
• Louis the Yard Teacher – Based on the author who once worked as a playground supervisor, Louis is kind to all the children and has a moustache of many colors. When Mrs. Drazil forced him to shave his moustache, he became professional and went by Mr. Louis (or "Mr." anything i.e. Mr. Poop), but once it grew back, he was the normal Louis again. He has a crush on Miss Nogard and didn't care when he found out about her third ear. He is generally good-natured and the one adult students will turn to for help.
• Mr. Kidswatter – He is the school principal and dislikes all the children. In Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger, he said that he didn't want anyone to use the word door, but to use the word goozack instead. He frequently calls people by their wrong name: his chauffeur David is called "James", and his secretary Mrs. Day is called "Miss Night". He frequently works on his rubber band ball, and after an experiment on the 30th story, could never find his coffee pot.
• Mrs. Day – She is the secretary. Mr. Kidswatter always refers to her as "Miss Night".
• Miss Mush – She is the school cook and prepares some very unusual meals. Students are averse to her cooking, and her most popular hot lunch is "nothing," which she runs out of often.
• Mr. Pepperadder – He is Miss Mush's assistant. She teases him for being short. (Sideways Arithmetic From Wayside School)
• Miss Zarves – She is the teacher on the nonexistent 19th story. She imprisons her students by giving them 11 hours of busy work and 2 minute breaks to forget about life outside her classroom. She keeps them happy by rewarding them with A's. After the cows invaded Wayside School, one cow found its way into the classroom and always startles her when it moos. She has the ability to draw perfect regular heptagon, but is grumpy that no one appreciates her talent. In a reference to the number 30, she has taught at the school for 30 years. Feeling unappreciated, she leaves the school, but comes back after reassurance from the men with the attaché case.
• Miss Worm – She is the grouchy teacher on the 29th story and apparently is a whiz at the sideways arithmetic as taught by Mrs. Jewls. (More Sideways Arithmetic From Wayside School)
• Dr. Pickell (a.k.a. "Dr. Pickle") – receives his nickname from the green pendant he uses to hypnotize students. He becomes the school psychiatrist who helps kids and makes them do strange things. (Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger)
• The Men with the Attaché Case – These three men appear in each book. They appear in strange places or at strange times to keep the school in order. They are seen when Jenny arrives at school on a Saturday, and then in the basement to offer Myron his freedom. In the third book, they reassure Miss Zarves that she is needed in the school, even though no one appears to notice her. One man is bald, and two have black moustaches.
• David – incorrectly called James by Mr. Kidswatter, is Mr. Kidswatter's chauffeur.

Other

• Dr. Jane Payne (born Jane Smith) - Jason's dentist, a former student of Mrs. Drazil. She loves to pull out teeth to get more money out of their clients. Also she dawned the catch phrase 'Rub a monkey's tummy' and when really angry, 'rub a monkey's tummy with your head'. She and her husband Sham married for money and Jane loves her cat and dog more than her husband. To get rid of Mrs. Drazil, Deedee and Jason mention Dr. Payne in a conversation that Mrs. Drazil will overhear and then act upon to ensure Jane will complete her homework from many years ago.
• Xavier Dalton - A shy young man who likes dogs and books by Charles Dickens. He and Miss Nogard fall in love and he proposes to her, but dumps her not long afterwards because he has discovered her secret third ear. He overcomes his shyness afterwards and notoriously breaks the heart of all the women he meets, unaware that the only woman he ever loved was Miss Nogard.
• Ralphie - Todd's baby brother, who Todd brings to school on "Pet Day" because he doesn't have a pet.
• Justin - Jason's unseen older brother.
• Mavis Jewls - Mrs. Jewls' baby daughter, who Mrs. Jewls brings to visit her class at the end of Wayside School Gets A Little Stranger. When Miss Nogard hears Mavis' thoughts, the malice in her heart disappears.
• Mr. Jewls - Mrs. Jewls' unseen husband, mentioned only in passing whenever Dameon's crush on Mrs. Jewls is mentioned.
• Cows - The cattle that invade Wayside School at the end of Wayside School is Falling Down as a result of Mrs. Jewls' cowbell. They can only go up stairs, not down, and Louis is forced to get rid of them in the time between the second and third books.
• Robbers - Robbers that attempt to rob Wayside School during a spelling exercise in Mrs. Jewls' class. Todd gets rid of them peacefully by teaching them the value of spelling and becomes a hero, even though he ends up going home on the kindergarten bus as usual.
• Nancy (born Mac) - Nancy is friends with Mac. Mac and Nancy swap names because Mac is a girl who wants a girl name and Nancy is boy who wants a boy name.

Arithmetic

Main article: Sideways arithmetic

Mrs. Jewls' Behavior System

Mrs. Jewls has a behavior system. If a student does something wrong once, Mrs. Jewls will write his/her name under the word DISCIPLINE. If a student does something wrong a second time, Mrs. Jewls will put a check next to his/her name. If a student does something wrong a third time, Mrs. Jewls will circle his/her name and send him/her home at noon on the kindergarten bus (which is very odd, as most students would enjoy this). Despite only needing three strikes, Mrs. Jewls resorted to also adding a triangle and a rectangle when Sammy was disruptive. Despite being a good student, Todd has been sent home every day on the kindergarten bus as a result of him always unfairly getting in trouble. Paul also went home on the kindergarten bus, but only once after pulling Leslie's pigtails during class. Another time, when it looked like Joy was going to be sent home early, Todd thought he was going to have company, but Joy ended up making up for her crime. Mrs. Jewls even sent herself home early for temporarily turning evil.

Trivia

• In "Sideways Arithmatic from Wayside School", it is revealed the characters add, subtract, multiply, and divide words, but in "Wayside School is Falling Down", Mrs. Jewels teaches the kids 4+7=11, in numbers, not words.
• There are a schools named Wayside Elementary School in Bakersfield, California; Potomac, Maryland; and Wayside, New Jersey.

Goozack

Goozack was another word for door in the book Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger. After the principal ran into his office door and spilled coffee over his clothes, he said that the word "door" was a bad word. Anyone who said "door" would get in trouble. So he introduced the word "goozack" to replace the word door. Todd was the first student to break the new rule, only because he was late for school at the time and didn't hear the announcement. Later, when Mrs. Drazil said "door" and the students pointed out that she was to call it "goozack," she immediately said "Mr. Kidswatter is a 'goozack'" in retaliation.

Way-High-Up Ball

Way-High-Up-Ball is a fictional game invented by the 3 Erics. To play you need a rubber ball and a tall building. It is played in the 27th chapter (entitled Way-High-Up Ball) of Wayside School Gets A Little Stranger. One player throws a ball, and whichever level story it hits is how many points are earned by the thrower. Whoever catches it receives the same amount of points. A glopper is a ball that goes straight up and back down, never touching the wall. For the game's last-ever appearance, Louis threw the ball, and it hit somewhere between the 18th and 20th stories and never came down since there is no 19th story.

In other media

In 2005 Nelvana, the Canadian-based animation company, produced an hour-long adaptation of the Wayside books. Its theme song was sung by Skye Sweetnam. A series entitled Wayside based on the book and the TV special has premiered on Nickelodeon and Teletoon. Twentieth Century Fox will be releasing Season 1 onto DVD in Early June 2008.