Reviews

Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom by Louis Sachar

previously's review against another edition

5.0

So happy for this book. It's a surprisingly timely story and as sweet and funny as the originals. Loved spending an afternoon with characters from my childhood. I read these books so many times.

ssejig's review against another edition

4.0

The Wayside school is back and strange things are happening. But normal things are too. The children in Mrs. Jewell's class on the thirtieth floor are learning about the number one million. To that end, they are collecting one million nails. They are also having recess and eating Mrs. Mush's food. But they are also operating under the Cloud of Doom. Kathy is... pleasant. Faces are freezing. Gusts of wind blow children all the way up to their floor.
I was obsessed with the Wayside books. I could understand the puns and the weirdness. Every time I read them there was something new to find. And all the old favorites are here. The Erics, Mr. Pickell, Louis... a great addition to the series, fans old and new will enjoy.

mbrevesz's review against another edition

5.0

The child in me loves this book as much as the teacher in me. I have loved these books since I was seven years old, and this is a worthy addition to the series.

bookittome's review against another edition

3.0

Not as fun as the other ones but had a good flow of story to story.

nataliesboooks's review against another edition

5.0

That was the funniest thing I’ve read in a long time. Possibly ever. There’s a reason Louis Sachar is one of my very favorite authors.

samleigh10's review against another edition

4.0

A new book about Wayside School was published this year (25 years after the last, and 42 years after the first), and I did not expect it to hit me so hard. Basically, Wayside School is sitting under a cloud of doom, and it makes everyone act grumpy and weird. It’s a metaphor for anxiety and depression for children.
⠀
Halfway through the book, Mrs. Jewls gives her students a pep talk:
“I understand you’re scared and upset. But what’s the point of quitting? We can all just sit around and grumple, or we can try to do our best, cloud or no cloud [...] someday, the cloud of doom will be gone.”
⠀
No matter how good things are going in my life (I moved into a great apartment! I have my dream job!), the last 4 years have had a cloud of doom hanging over them. And I know the work isn’t over if (please wizard god please) we win this election, but it sure would make making a better world easier if we didn’t all wake up with anxiety and depression every damn day.

midnightbookgirl's review against another edition

5.0

Welcome back to Wayside School! It felt like revisiting old friends on a new journey. Pretty sure the Cloud of Doom is a metaphor for the current political situation, but at the end is a delicious rainbow stew, ya'll.

daphne2000's review against another edition

4.0

Just as fun as the previous three! Even though the first Wayside book was published 40 years ago (!), if I didn't know any better I'd assume this was published along with the original ones. I'm only giving this 4 stars because it felt simpler and more rushed than the other three and the characters didn't get as much development. I still really, really enjoyed it though and its well worth reading if you enjoy the series.

alex_hev's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.25

gentryatkinson's review against another edition

4.0

Love this silly book series.