LFL

Sideways stories take place in a school that was a building structure issue that made each floor a classroom. The students and the staff that fill the school have unique character traits that face various challenges within the community and how these characters overcome the challenges in their unique way while still being true to themselves. This novel promotes the various challenges and student development growth and the impact of having a strong community. ( )

I'm rereading this for the first time since elementary school, and I gotta say, I'm really blown away by the sheer absurdity of it. It reminds me of James Marshall's George and Martha stories: absurd, but lovely in that they never apologize for being absurd or wink at you from beneath the absurdity. It's just absurd all the way down, sincerely and deeply absurd. I imagine after you graduate from George and Martha, you move on to Wayside, and from there you're ready for Beckett and Camus. ( )

This was one of my favorite books as a kid - I actually loved all the Wayside books! I read this one aloud to my nieces (ages 6, 8, 10) and they enjoyed it, too. This is full of truly silly stories that are just fun!

A note for parents/teachers: The children do use a few put-downs like "dumb" and "stupid." ( )

Fond memories reading this in elementary school. The short chapters, each being a self contained story, is a strength for younger readers. ( )