Reviews

Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom by Louis Sachar

s_hay's review against another edition

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5.0

The stories from Wayside school continue. Even though the book is written nearly 30 years after the originals the stories continue with the same cast of wacky characters. A cloud of doom is forming over Wayside school and things are getting weirder than usual. Students are acting funny and Miss Zarves makes and appearance.
Good for ages 7 and up.

missross's review against another edition

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5.0

My students want more Wayside, Louis Sachar!

nematome's review against another edition

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4.0

My 11-year-old child and I listened to Louis Sachar's fantastic narration of this a bit at a time each day, and it brought back so many memories of reading these books when my children were small. This new installment has the same absurdity, the same biting commentary (I loved the three-day-long "ultimate test" where kids had to remember everything they'd ever learned, including the history of cabbages), and even some poignant moments.

The new story also takes place as the children are living under an extremely large "cloud of doom" and constantly expecting the worst to happen. This so closely reflected our own present circumstances that this book ended up being a huge comfort on some days.

“Someday, the Cloud of Doom will be gone, and the world will be a much better place, even better than before the Cloud. Colors will be more colorful. Music will be more musical. Even Miss Mush's food will taste good. The bigger the storm, the brighter the rainbow.”

rystou'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? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

alicelalicon's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

charlee_12's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

weaver's review against another edition

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funny fast-paced

3.25

melissabalick's review against another edition

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5.0

I bought this the day it came out and savored it.

div_hufflepuff's review against another edition

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4.0

Wayside School is back and the students have returned to class. All your favorite characters make an appearance, including the devious Mr. Pickles. This wasn't my favorite book in the series but it did bring back nostalgia from the previous books. A great book to add to your kid's library.

katiecoops's review against another edition

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4.0

I love Wayside School characters and the newest iteration of their stories does not disappoint. All my favorites are back (except Calvin, he of the potato tattoo), and I love the plays on words and metaphor of the cloud of doom and the ultimate test (that ultimately does not show mastery of much knowledge). Of course, I think it's a bit too short because I always want more stories, and I do wish there was a bit more focus on each character, but I loved getting some more information about Miss Zarves and other characters that were in the first few books but not really expounded upon.