The Wayside School Books
In a moment of nostalgia this weekend some very fond memories of childhood literature came to memory. I noticed that they recently turned it into a television show in Nickelodeon.
(I died a little at hearing that).
I suppose these books stick out in my mind not necessarily because they were representative of my elementary school experience or the fact that the last book came out while I was in fourth grade, but rather because they were the type of escape I wanted as a kid. My childhood was nothing to escape. My parents were loving, I had a few close friends, and school was somewhat engaging at that point in my life.
At this point in my life, I spent a lot of my time watching television and reading to fill in that extra time. Here are some of my favorite moments from this series of books about a school accidentally built 30-stories high:
- A disgusting school lunch being possessed by an evil, dead teacher.
- A boy constantly haunted by the temptation to pull on his best friend’s pigtails.
- A dead rat being mistaken for a student
- A substitute teacher stealing kids’ voices by sucking them through a mysterious third nostril.
- A pair of one-time use elevators
- Getting sent home on the kindergarten bus.
- Cows climbing up several flights of stairs.
- One of the students hating the reader.
- A student showing up dressed up for Halloween and realizing he’s the only one who has.
- A student getting trapped on a non-existent floor.
3 comments:
I LOVED those books. I read them so many times when I was a kid. When I was in college tutoring at an after school program I bought a bunch of copies for the kids to start a little book club. Also, I have 2 signed copies of his Sideways Math from Wayside School books from when I was a kid and they had them at the local Barnes and Noble.
Those math problems were so cool. Stuff like KIDS + KIDS = CLASS. I am glad the series never got too old. Looking back, they're not too dated and that made me pretty happy.
Don't forget the sub teacher who could hear everyone's thoughts with her 3rd ear in her forehead
And here I thought I was the only one who liked those books.
It's been a LONG while since I read them but bits and pieces come to mind every time I thing about that school (Like right now lol)
Post a Comment