About This Book
For the child who thrives on silliness and finds the rules of the real world a bit too rigid, this book is a perfect escape. Wayside School Is Falling Down continues the bizarre adventures of the students in Mrs. Jewls's class on the thirtieth floor of a school that was accidentally built sideways. Each short chapter focuses on a different student's absurd predicament, from a teacher demonstrating gravity by tossing a new computer out the window to a new student who is too shy to correct everyone calling him by the wrong name. Through its zany humor, the book gently explores themes of identity, creative problem-solving, and the funny side of miscommunication. It's a fantastic choice for reluctant readers who will be drawn in by the nonstop laughs and short, digestible stories.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
The book touches on themes of social anxiety and identity through the character of Benjamin, who is too shy to correct his teacher and classmates about his name. This is handled with lighthearted humor and becomes a gentle, metaphorical exploration of fitting in. Dishonesty is also a theme, as seen when Bebe invents a brother to avoid responsibility, but the consequences are played for laughs rather than as a serious moral lesson.
