Reviews

Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom by Louis Sachar

adsyllata's review against another edition

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4.0

4 stars for nostalgia.

exlibrislynne's review against another edition

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5.0

A lovely addition to the Wayside School Series. I enjoyed seeing Dr. Pickle as the guidance counselor, and finally meeting a Wayside Librarian (who let's you hug a stuffed walrus, but only after you check out a book). Even Ms. Nogard made an appearance. A must read for old fans. It's nice to see that even after 40 years, Wayside School is still standing.

lddecker's review against another edition

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funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

spectra37's review against another edition

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4.0

I've loved Wayside School and the weird, wonderful stories from Mrs. Jewel's classroom since I was a young girl myself. Although I didn't quite follow the timeline as outlined in the author's introduction to this book to read the first three, wait forty years, and read this one... it was a lot closer than I'd like to admit! It was really lovely to find out more of what everyone's been up to.

glitter_bat_d's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

narbine's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

catwebling's review against another edition

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4.0

I've been a fan of the Wayside School books since I was in elementary school, laughing along with their strange, off-the-wall (literally) adventures. Now, looking into this series as an adult, I'm just as delighted as I was back then. Read by Sachar himself, the audiobook is a perfect way to pass an afternoon, bringing you out from your own Cloud of Doom with its lighthearted stories from a former yard teacher's sweet and sentimental perspective.

mad_hatter's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This one was buoyed by nostalgia, but I think it's less chaotic and wacky and childish, which is sad. It felt like Louis was using this one to explicitly teach some lessons, a feeling that is much less pervasive in the previous books of the series. However, it was nice to see things tie together, while knowing that the students at Wayside School must've gone on to have many more adventures. 

kslhersam's review against another edition

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4.0

The first Wayside School book came out over 40 years ago. I remember reading them when I was little. I thought they were so clever. I have read all 3 books (what I thought was the whole series) to my kids. When I saw this new book released this year at our School Book Fair, I knew I needed to read it! Sachar released a 4th book after all these years.

I read this with Jane, my 9 year old, and we chuckled to ourselves throughout the whole story. There are so many random happenings, but then they get mentioned 10 chapters later and you have to catch them throughout the book. Very fun read!

akarapunzl's review against another edition

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5.0

Delightful, charming, just as funny as the original trio. I love these books!