Wayside School Is Falling Down - Louis Sachar

...Redpost series and this, the Wayside School Series.

I should point out that this is actually the second book in the series but, crucially, I didn’t know that until after I’d finished it. So I’d hazard a guess at saying that while each book in the series appears to lead on from the last, the characters are so well drawn and the plot (or should I say plots?) so anarchic, that each volume can probably be read as a stand-alone book. And ...
...prefer to.

Wayside School is… well, frankly, it’s weird. Built, in error, one classroom wide but thirty storeys high (and yet missing the nineteenth floor) it is the home of the lovely Mrs. Jewls, successor to (gulp, don’t say her name too loud!) Mrs. Gorf, whose saga is recounted in the previous book, Sideways Tales from Wayside School. Mrs. Jewls presides over her class, whose various foibles are listed at the start of the book. ... more

If you’re reading this and you’ve heard of Louis Sachar, chances are it’s because of the wonderful Holes, a multi-layered and beautiful tale of love and luck and redemption through families. But ask kids in the States, and to them Sachar is much more than that. He’s the author of two extremely popular series’ of children’s books, the Marvin Redpost series and this, the Wayside School Series.

I should point out that this is actually the second book in the series but, crucially, I didn’t know that until after I’d finished it. So I’d hazard a guess at saying that while each book in the series appears to lead on from the last, the characters are so well drawn and the plot (or should I say plots?) so anarchic, that each volume can probably be read as a stand-alone book. And indeed I am right about this, because since starting this review I have read part of the first book and realised my supposition was correct; there is no need to read these in a particular order, although undoubtedly children would prefer to.

Wayside School is… well, frankly, it’s weird. Built, in error, one classroom wide but thirty storeys high (and yet missing the nineteenth floor) it is the home of the lovely Mrs. Jewls, successor to (gulp, don’t say her name too loud!) Mrs. Gorf, whose saga is recounted in the previous book, Sideways Tales from Wayside School. Mrs. Jewls presides over her class, whose various foibles are listed at the start of the book. There is, for example, Kathy, who likes to see bad things happen, Dameon, to whom a sign of love is undoubtedly a dead rat and Jason, who discovers the hard way what happens when you can’t shut up (or stop eating pencils)…

Altogether, the class are a chaotic but loveable bunch, full of all the realistic insanity that really does manifest itself in the classroom, but then smothered in a layer of childlike surrealism, which is ladled on the top just for good measure. To give you an example from the blurb:

“Watch closely,” said Mrs. Jewls. “You can learn much faster using a computer instead of a paper and pencil.” Then she pushed the computer out of the window. The children watched it fall thirty floors. “See?” said Mrs. Jewls. “That’s gravity…”

Poor Louis the Yard Teacher has been the one, of course, to cart it thirty floors upstairs…

And Louis the Yard Teacher is our clue. The brief, erstwhile employment of Sachar was in this very capacity, a sort of janitor-cum-teacher on playground duty, and as a result of that, and the experience of being a father, Sachar’s razor sharp observation married to a Pythonesque fondness for bizarre humour makes him a very readable, highly amusing author.

Each chapter of the book is a self-contained little tale in the life of the classroom. They overlap, but each one is generally devoted to a different character as their unique oddities take them on their journey around the swaying, toppling Wayside School, from the mysterious basements to the elusive nineteenth floor. The book is full of little hilarious touches, funny details such as the three chapter 19s, followed by chapter 20,21&22, or Chapter 17 with its surprising and unique structure. I’d love to say what that is, but I laughed so much figuring it out (and felt just like a child again!) that it would be a terrible thing to give that much away. This is a book full of little surprises, and they really should be independently discovered. I will say that anyone who has ever worked with primary age children should watch out for Mac, whose contribution to the class discussions sparks the kind of staggeringly irrelevant conversation only we can understand…

I’m constantly on the lookout for children’s books that parents and teachers would enjoy as much as children. This is certainly one of them. Suitable from ages of around 7 and up, depending on the reading ability of the child, this is straightforward language with simple and funny storytelling which would be perfectly accessible and enjoyable for a child reading alone but equally pleasant for a parent to read to or with a child, since the jokes will inevitably be understood at different levels. There’s a pleasingly subversive undertone to the humour – not quite as blatant as Scieszka or similar, but enthusiastically present nonetheless.

There is a touch of Americanism to proceedings as well (Louis is the YARD teacher, after all) but since one public schooling system is rather like another in this Western world, there shouldn't be anything that isn't familiar and hilarious.

To top it all off that are pleasingly bizarre, Nick Sharratt-style illustrations from Peter Allen dotted throughout the book to compliment the funky-font chapter headings (Nick Sharratt being the man who illustrates Jaqueline Wilson's ubiquitous offerings). You certainly can't miss this bright blue, enticingly lurid confection on the shelves.

My only quibble would be that it's over too soon... well, that and the fact that it's possible it might just get a little bit tiresome over a long acquaintance because of its essential bittiness, although so far it has not outstayed its welcome with me! It's a perfect length for children, and an excellent hook for reluctant readers looking for a book that's silly enough to tempt them into reading.

Publishing details:

Although the author copyright stems from 1978, the paperback editions available in this country are 2004 editions.

Bloomsbury Children’s Books
£4.99 rrp

(I got it on a 3 for 2 at Ottakars, do check for deals and Amazon etc)

ISBN 0-7475-6285-7

Check out www.louissachar.com for more information.

Thanks for reading.

Alex
xxx

aka Benjamin Nushmutt... and for an explanation of that, you'll have to read the book!
 

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