Wayside School Is Falling Down
by Louis Sachar · Wayside School series · Grade 3-5 · Ages Ages 8-12
Wayside School is a very strange school built sideways, with one classroom on each floor. In this funny book, the kids on the thirtieth floor have more silly, surprising classroom adventures with teachers, classmates, and school rules that do not always make sense.
Key vocabulary
A substitute is someone who takes another person’s place for a short time. A substitute teacher teaches the class when the regular teacher is away.
A principal is the person in charge of a school. They help make rules and solve school problems.
A cafeteria is a room where students eat lunch at school. It often has trays, tables, and lots of chatter.
To hypnotize someone means to make them very focused and sleepy-feeling, almost like they are in a trance. In stories, it can lead to silly surprises.
Gravity is the invisible force that pulls things toward the ground. It is why a dropped pencil falls down instead of floating away.
An assignment is a task a teacher asks students to do. It might be homework, reading, or a classroom activity.
To interrupt means to speak or do something while someone else is talking or working. It can stop the other person’s turn.
A mystery is something puzzling that needs to be figured out. A missing lunchbox or a strange sound could be a mystery.