Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom audiobook

having just realized in 2018 that there was even a THIRD wayside school book and reading it for my “missed MG sequels project,” this fourth book in the series (excluding those two weird math books—are they even part of the series?), published FORTY YEARS after book one, is a welcome return to a world i don’t feel i’ve been away from for very long. if you’ve read the other ones, you know what to expect—it’s the same kind of sillydark blend of absurd humor and creepiness—wordplay and crazy mix-em-ups and VERY LOUD NOISES. and paper clips. hoard them clips, friends! here, children will collect toenail clippings for homework, be hypnotized out of their unpleasant personalities, friendships and recipes will be tested and the CLOUD OF DOOM will approach, with a lesson for us all.”The Cloud of Doom is getting bigger every day!” Myron exclaimed. “What does it matter if we can spell?”“So we can read and write,” Mrs. Jewls replied.“What’s the point of reading?” asked Leslie.“What’s the point of writing?” asked Jason“What[sic] the point of arithmetic?” asked Benjamin.“There is no point!” Myron grumpled. He slammed his pencil down hard on his desk. The point broke off of it.“I understand you’re scared and upset,” said Mrs. Jewls. “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,” said Mrs. Jewls. “And the world will be a much better place, even better that 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.”At that moment, a crack of thunder shook the classroom, and then the lights went out.The children screamed. They weren’t scared. They just liked screaming in the dark.living in this world of ours, under our own encroaching cloud of doom, heed these words! keep reading and writing (keep mathing if that’s your thing), and scream in the dark (thru your surgical masks) to get it all out. it’s gonna be okay. now go wash your hands and read A SHORT CHAPTER ABOUT A LONG BOOK. although i suppose you should read MRS. SURLAW first. *************************************A NEW WAYSIDE SCHOOL BOOK?? FOR MEEEEEE?come to my blog!

The author's note of this book made me laugh. It's that funny, start to finish.If you're worried that this book won't capture the spirit of the first three, or that it will feel outdated, rest assured on both counts. Wayside School has not been "updated" for 2020 - there's not a smartphone in sight, for instance - yet it still feels fresh. The kids are instantly recognizable and the jokes stick the landing.Each of the books in the series has some sort of plot that loosely ties all its stories together. This one's villain is not an evil teacher but a sort of existential dread, the titular, ominously-named storm heading steadily toward the school, blotting out the sunlight, inducing bouts of anxiety and grumpiness. Vague as it is - no one seems to know exactly what the Cloud of Doom will do, just that the possibilities are endless and they're all bad - it's hard not to read it as a reflection of today's (figurative) climate. The kids may not understand exactly what this storm is, but they know enough to feel apprehensive. But at the end of the day they're okay, not because the storm never comes but because, like all kids, Mrs. Jewls' students are surprisingly resilient, innovative, and often maddeningly stubborn.The master of of the Grade School Gothic subgenre has returned. Long live Wayside. Two dead rats way up.

This was a delightful trip through time back to my childhood. I loved these books as a kid and when I heard a fourth book was written I knew I would have to read it even if I have long since moved past Middle Grade novels. And let me be clear, I regret nothing. As I read I even found the characters family - I haven’t read these books in close to 3 decades and the characters still felt familiar. That is some strong and powerful magic. I love how creepiness and humor intertwine seamlessly. I think my favorite highlighted character this time around was Jason and his 999 page book he read.

I recently re-read the first Wayside School book and I was like, wow this holds up and still feels basically relevant?? So a new one just felt like stepping back into a pair of comfortable slippers. There was no effort made to "modernize" this because it didn't need it. Also wow a book about a Cloud of Doom coming out in March 2020........prescient.

I've never read this series...but I'm definitely going to go back and read the first 3. I loved the readability - and the quirkiness - and the message. I gave a book talk on the book and the joy expressed by the young girl who checked it out was priceless (plus, she also got There's a Boy in the Girls Bathroom) - I love inspiring readers to try new authors!

I reread the entire series in honor of this book coming out. I have to say, it does well at continuing the series. All the characters are unique and funny, and I love how little details from one story will surface later in others. Like goozack.Louis Sachar is one of the most hilarious authors I’ve ever read, if not the most.

I treasure that there is a new book in this series, including the author's note as well as a certain punchline 40 years in the making.

I audibly gasped when I pulled this ARC out of its box. Then I showed it to multiple coworkers of varying ages, who also audibly gasped. Wayside School's reputation is unmatched among anyone who grew up or had children in the past 30 years, and we are so excited to handsell this! It was so much fun seeing all our old friends again (Miss Zarves! Miss Mush! Dr. Pickle!), and Sachar hasn't lost his classic touch of these hilarious stories that all come together in the end.