Sideways Stories for Wayside School

Title: Sideways Stories from Wayside School
Author: Louis Sachar
Published: Aug. 1993
ISBN: 9780747571773
Genre: fiction, humor
Other books in the series: Wayside School is Falling Down, Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger, Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School 
Reading Level: 2nd grade
Interest Level: 3rd-5th grade
Summary: Wayside school is a school like non-other. The school was built going up, with one classroom on top of another instead of all being on one floor. This means that Wayside school towers at  30 stories high. This book is a collection of stories about each of the students from the classroom on the 30th floor. From dead rats to teachers who turn children into apples this book has it all. Things are strange at Wayside School but this strangeness makes for hilarious stories.
Review: Sachar knows and understands the humor of tweens and this book will have them laughing and wanting more. The stories in the book are off the wall and outrageous but Sachar pulls them off. I mean who else could write about a dead rat trying to pass as a new student? The book is a short quick read that will have huge appeal to reluctant readers. They will want to see what the kids on the 30th floor are up to. I enjoy that inclusion of sketches that add to the storyline. Of course at the center of it all is the recess teacher who seems to be the only somewhat sane person in the whole building. I like that this is a series because I think kids will want to read more about the crazy Wayside school.
Reader's Annotation: Wayside school was built 30 stories high, but that isn't the weirdest part about this school.
Main themes: school, humor
Read Alikes: Matilda Roald Dahl
Why for Tweens? This is a hilarious look at a wacky school that has humor that appeals right to tweens. It never gets too serious and is great for tweens who want a light, funny and quick read.