Wayside School is Falling Down

Many of the characters are mentioned only in passing, while others make recurring appearances. Choose a recurring character who is not central to any given story and explain how Sachar manages to offer detailed characterization through a few passing mentions.

Some of the events in these stories are designed to be frightening. Choose at least two stories that contain a darker tone or more ominous events and explain how Sachar balances the premise of such stories with a more lighthearted tone.

The adults at Wayside School are just as eccentric as the students are, and not all of them are good role models for the students. Choose two adult characters who contrast with one another in this way. Explain what makes one a better role model than the other.

Many of the book’s humorous moments come from the contrast between the adults’ misperceptions and the children’s more nuanced understanding of reality. Analyze the attempts of at least three different students to make adults understand the truth of a given situation. How do these dynamics contribute to the humor of the story?

Choose a recurring joke from this collection and trace its appearances through various stories. Explain how the humor builds as the joke is repeated in different contexts.

Many of the character names in this book are based on the names of real people that Sachar knew when he worked at an elementary school. Explain how certain names serve as an effective shorthand for the characters’ quirks and personality traits.

Wayside School Is Falling Down can be categorized as a “story cycle” because most of its stories are only loosely related through the settings and certain recurring characters. In other ways, the collection functions in the same way as a novel because several plot elements develop over the course of the entire volume. Write an analysis that categorizes the book either as a story cycle or a novel-style narrative, paying particular attention to the unifying elements that tie the stories together.

Analyze Sachar’s use of fantastical elements to enhance the mundane nature of the typical school setting. Be sure to consider at least two supernatural events, as well as the structure of Wayside School itself.