Sideways Stories from Wayside School

One of the first books I remember reading was in second grade, Mrs. Monoatoulou’s class. It was this crazy book about a group of kids in a school that was built the wrong way. They had a space cadet teacher, and weird things seemed to happen to them.

The book was Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar. That book changed my life. I don’t know what it is about this book, why it impacted me so much, but I think one goodreads reviewer put it best with his review:

If you want to see exactly what rests at the center of someone’s soul, don’t bother reading a 200-page biography on them; ask them what was the first book ever to make an impression on them that lasted into their adulthood. For some it might be some garbage about a brat named Ramona and her ginger-kid friends, and these people embrace a passion for whimsy and camaraderie. Those who would grow up to be truly unexceptional enjoyed those 10-page “Mr. Man” books (mr happy, mr bump, mr greedy) which always delivered some pointless life lesson about sharing, caring, or other similar nonsense. And then there are those who were destined to be influenced by the outrageous, ridiculous, and sublime, and their rallying point is the fantastic cast of Wayside School.

I guess based on this… I am a little ridiculous, and outrageous… I think it fits though. 🙂

Even though my class only read one chapter every other day I took the book home, without permission, and read it all in one weekend. Then when we went to my grandmothers bookstore on the weekend I would scour the shelves until I had a full collection of Louis Sachars books. I plastered his name on the list my grandmother kept for the ladies to write down their favorite authors, mostly romance, and one’s they wanted to come for a book signing.

I was obsessed.

I read and re read until my copy lost its cover and corners of the pages were missing from being dog eared so much (I was 8, I didn’t know any better). Something about that book got me through my crazy, traumatizing childhood and made it so I was still somewhat normal.

When I was older, and ran my own theatre company, I held a copy of the new, approved by Louis Sachar, Sideways Stories from Wayside School script in my hands, in tears because I couldn’t afford the royalties.

And now, as I read it  with my girls, in the desperate hope that something about this amazing book rubs off of them, I relize this book has a permanent place in my heart.

Be it good or bad.