humor – Page 6 – Jestress's Forgotten Books and Stories

Posted on August 22, 2016November 21, 2018 by TracyC

Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger

WaysideStranger Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger by Louis Sachar, 1995.

Just when you didn’t think it was possible . . .

Having finally managed to remove all of the cows from Wayside School (see the last story in the previous book in the Wayside School Series), Louis declares that Wayside School is ready for the students to return. Everyone is glad because they were all sent to far more normal schools while Wayside was closed, and they hated it. Nothing normal ever happens at Wayside, the school that was built sideways (and has a missing floor, where all the really strange stuff happens).

But, things are about to get stranger yet. The school hires a new school counselor (they probably needed one) named Dr. Pickell (or Dr. Pickle, if you prefer). He takes the job when he can’t practice psychiatry anymore because of his tendency to play practical jokes on people while they’re under hypnosis. Can he finally cure Paul of his desire to pull Leslie’s pigtails?

WaysideStrangerPic1 Meanwhile, the principal declares that “door” is a very bad word and that everyone should say “goozack” instead. Mrs. Jewls tells the children to write poems about colors, but some colors rhyme better than others. Kathy tries to convince everyone that Santa doesn’t exist. Miss Zarves (who also doesn’t exist), laments about how difficult teaching really is.

Then, the children learn something really surprising: Mrs. Jewls is expecting a baby! She has to take a break from teaching, and the children have a series of substitutes who are stranger than Mrs. Jewls. Mr. Gorf turns out to be Mrs. Gorf’s son, and he wants revenge. Mrs. Drazil turns out to be Louis’s old teacher, the one he was always afraid of, and she wants revenge. Mrs. Nogard is an unhappy person who wants to make other people unhappy . . . until she realizes that isn’t what she really wants. Wayside School may be strange, but it does have happy endings!

By the way, anyone notice what the substitutes’ names spell backward?

This book is currently available online through Internet Archive.

Posted on August 19, 2016November 21, 2018 by TracyC · 1 Comment

Wayside School is Falling Down

WaysideFalling Wayside School is Falling Down by Louis Sachar, 1989.

The books in the Wayside School Series are collections of short, funny stories about a school that was accidentally built sideways. Instead of being a one-story school with thirty classrooms all in a row, Wayside School is a thirty-story school with only one classroom on each floor. Strange things are always happening there. The stories mostly focus on the kids in Mrs. Jewls’s class on the top floor of the school. Like the first book in the series, there are 30 short stories in this book.

It would take too long to describe all the stories in the book individually, but they’re just as funny as in the first one. Mrs. Jewls has a new student, Mark Miller, except that Mark Miller is really Benjamin Nushmutt. Benjamin would correct Mrs. Jewls except that he seems to be a much better and more popular student as Mark Miller. But, as he soon learns, answering to a name that isn’t yours is about the least strange thing at his new school.

WaysidePic1 Socks figure into many of the stories, with a special jingle invented by Mac, who used to be named Nancy until he traded names with a girl. It’s fortunate that Mac invented the jingle because Allison uses it to free herself from the non-existent 19th story. Myron chooses freedom over safety, emancipating himself from the school’s rules. Bebe invents a younger brother, and things turn around for Leslie when her pigtails pull Paul. Rondi fears that she’s no longer cute now that her front teeth have grown in. Joy learns the best thing about the toy dog that Todd brought to school, and Ron actually tries the school lunch.

There are plenty of lessons to learn. Watch as Mrs. Jewls teaches her class about gravity using her brand new computer! Dana thinks that she hates stories until she learns that she actually loves them. Mrs. Jewls teaches Jason not to chew pencils using masking tape. Dameon learns about love via a dead rat. Stephen explains how uncomfortable clothes and strangling ties make people look important, and Mrs. Jewls says that it’s what’s underneath that counts, so it’s best to wear expensive undies. Then, everyone learns to tango in dance class (except Myron).

But, one windy day, the children are faced with an alarming possibility: Can their overly-tall school actually fall down? (Lyrics courtesy of Kathy, who still hates everyone.)

This book is currently available online through Internet Archive.

Posted on August 19, 2016November 21, 2018 by TracyC

Sideways Stories From Wayside School

Wayside

Sideways Stories From Wayside School by Louis Sachar, 1978.

The books in the Wayside School Series are collections of short, funny stories about a school that was accidentally built sideways. Instead of being a one-story school with thirty classrooms all in a row, Wayside School is a thirty-story school with only one classroom on each floor (the compensation is the extra-large playground). Also, they accidentally left off the 19th story. Strange things happen at the school. Even stranger ones happen on the non-existent 19th story. But, the stories mostly focus on the kids on the top floor of the school.

WaysideStoriesPic1 Each of the books contains thirty stories, like the school (ha, ha!). It would take awhile to describe them all, but there are stories about each of the kids in Mrs. Jewls’s class. Mrs. Jewls took over the class on the 30th floor after Mrs. Gorf accidentally turned herself into an apple. She used to turn her students into apples when they made her mad, but most forms of revenge backfire eventually. Mrs. Gorf ends up turning herself into an apple when one of her students holds up a mirror, and then, Louis the yard teacher eats her.

Mrs. Jewls is a much better teacher. She helps Joe learn to count. Joe can usually only get the right answer when he counts numbers in the wrong order. She helps John learn to read right-side up instead of upside down. She teaches Bebe that when it comes to art, quantity doesn’t equal quality (although Bebe did have a pretty good system going there for awhile) and cures Dana’s mosquito bites with the power of arithmetic. Mrs. Jewls even invents new flavors of ice cream when Maurecia gets tired of every flavor in existence.

The students in Mrs. Jewl’s class are pretty amazing, too. Todd saves the day when confused bank robbers burst into the class. Sharie shows her intelligence by sleeping in class, D.J. smiles constantly, and Kathy hates everyone and everything. Rondi is cute for the things she doesn’t have (like her two missing teeth) and the stuff she doesn’t do (everyone laughs when she doesn’t tell a joke), but what can she do about it? Paul just wants to pull Leslie’s pigtails, and Leslie thinks maybe she should sell her toes because she can’t find a use for them.

WaysideStoriesPic2 Mrs. Gorf does make one more reappearance on the Friday before Halloween. Mrs. Jewls and the children argue that she can’t haunt the school if it’s not Halloween, but when Halloween falls on a weekend, schools have to have their Halloween party on the Friday before. Stephen’s just happy that the ghost of Mrs. Gorf justifies his costume.

As Louis the yard teacher says, “It has been said that these stories are strange and silly. That is probably true. However, when I told stories about you to the children at Wayside, they thought you were strange and silly. That is also probably true.” Fair is fair.

This book is available online through Internet Archive.

Posted on August 15, 2016August 24, 2025 by TracyC

The books in the Grandma’s Attic Series are collections of short stories (although I think later books in the series are novel-length stories) told by a grandmother to her granddaughter about life when she was young. They typically begin with the young granddaughter (unnamed in the stories) asking her grandmother, Mabel, about an object in her house, and Mabel then tells the story about it. These are usually short, slice-of-life family stories with a humorous twist, often with a moral (the stories generally have Christian/Biblical themes). The inspiration for the stories was the author’s own grandmother, who grew up on a farm in Michigan in the 1800s. I’m kind of sentimental about them because the books I have were presents from my own grandmother, who also grew up on a farm.

This series is good for discussing aspects of life in the 1800s. They include little details about daily life like the types of chores children did, how they got to school and what lessons were like, and other little household details like warming clothes on a wood-burning stove and throwing water from washing dishes outside because they didn’t have a modern sink. They’re also good for talking about morals or making ethical decisions (it’s not just Christian themes, Mabel also talks about more general issues of growing up, like honesty, responsibility, and the awkward mistakes children make when they try to act more grown-up than they really are) or just for a good laugh because some of the stories are really funny (learn the perils of attempting to sit down in a hoop skirt without really knowing how)!

In Grandma’s Attic is the first book in the series and it is available to read for free online through Internet Archive.

Stories in the Book:

Pride Goes Before a Fall

Mabel and her best friend, Sarah Jane, badly want to wear hoop skirts like the fashionable young ladies and have everyone admire them, even though their mothers say they are really too young. When they get the chance to wear them in front of everyone, they make a mistake and learn the lesson in the title of the story.

When God Knew Best

Mabel talks about a childhood disappointment that turned out well in the end because she was saved from disaster. Sometimes disappointments are blessings in disguise.

The Red Bonnet

A lost bonnet gives everyone the wrong impression, and a search begins for a not-so-missing child.

Grandpa’s Apron

The other guys teased him when he asked Mabel to make him a work apron with pockets because aprons were supposed to be women’s clothing, but his comes in handy in some unusual ways.

Ma’s Busy Day

Being a mother is hard work, and when a hectic day leaves Mabel’s Ma no time to change her aprons when one after the other gets dirty, the layers of aprons she has on at the end of the day become a record of the day’s events.

Grandma’s Mistake

Mabel misunderstands something her mother says, and it causes her problems at school.

The Button Basket

A strange Indian (Native American) comes to the farm and trades a beautiful basket for food. Unfortunately, they can’t speak the same language, so they never learn the reason why, and they marvel over the mystery of the basket’s origins.

The Little Gray Shoes

Mabel learns that vanity comes at a price when she insists that she wants a beautiful pair of gray shoes that don’t fit her properly.

Nellie and the Buttons

Why does their horse, Nellie, keep trying to bite the buttons on Mabel’s new coat? Nellie might be smarter than they think.

The Pearl Buttons

When Mabel has trouble fastening the buttons on her new dress, she finds a creative solution that causes her some embarrassment.

Nellie’s Trips to Town

When Mabel’s family makes a trip to town, their horse and buggy suddenly disappear. Then, as soon as they get a ride from a friend, they are suddenly returned. Why?

The New Pump

Young Mabel learns the hard way why it’s a bad idea to lick cold metal in the winter.

You Can’t Always Believe

When strange things start happening around the farm, Pa blames one of Mabel’s brothers but learns that it isn’t a good idea to be too quick to blame.

The Old Door

Mabel’s brother plays a trick that causes some embarrassment for their mother.

Pa and the Dishwater

Mabel’s fear of the dark makes it difficult for her to throw the dishwater outside after they wash the supper dishes. When she thinks she’s found a shortcut for getting rid of the dishwater, it gets her into trouble.

The Dishes

Mabel tries to put off her chores so that she can play with her friend, but the guilt she feels takes the fun out of it.

Ma’s Birthday Cake

Mabel is so pleased to be making a cake for her mother on her birthday, but has she gotten the recipe right?

Grandma’s Warm Clothes

Mabel and her brothers used to warm their clothes by the stove on cold winter mornings, but Mabel’s attempt to make it easier on herself and her forgetfulness have unintended consequences.

Grandma’s Prayer

Mabel thinks that a selfish prayer she made may have brought bad luck to her family.

Molly Blue

Molly Blue the cow always gives Mabel trouble. Her family thinks it’s funny until they see how much Mabel needs their help.

Grandma and the Gun

Gun safety is a big issue in modern times, and it was back then, too. Mabel is a curious child and makes a mistake that almost has very serious consequences, but she learns an important lesson.

What Grandma Lost

When Mabel’s brothers are sick and she gets to take the family’s horse and buggy to school by herself (a special privilege for a child of her time), she decides to show off a little. But, in her attempt to look more grown-up and responsible, she ends up proving that she’s not as grown-up and responsible as she thought.

What Did You Expect?

Not exactly a full story, but Mabel shows her granddaughter what a miracle looks like because she believes it can happen.

Posted on August 7, 2016February 5, 2022 by TracyC

Scared Silly

Scared Silly by Eth Clifford, 1988.

Grandma Post has decided that Mary Rose and Jo-Beth Onetree are finally old enough and responsible enough to have an antique doll house that has been in their family for years. But Jo-Beth is irritated because her family thinks of Mary Rose as the responsible one, and Mary Rose doesn’t take her seriously. Jo-Beth is the dramatic one, a day dreamer.

Although Jo-Beth is determined to prove that she can be as practical and sensible as her older sister, neither she nor her father can resist a look at the Walk-Your-Way-Around-the-World Museum when they spot the sign for it on the way to their grandmother’s house to pick up the dollhouse. Practical Mary Rose thinks they should just continue with their journey and not get distracted, especially because the weather has turned stormy. Then, the bridge they had to cross over collapses behind them, washed away by rising river waters, so they have no choice but to keep heading toward the museum and call for help.

The Walk-Your-Way-Around-the-World Museum is a museum dedicated to shoes from different periods of history and different parts of the world. It’s owned by the eccentric Harper family, who also owns the strange house nearby called Harper’s Abode. Gus Harper made his fortune in shoes, and he’s the one who came up who built the museum. He’s also an inventor who creates magic tricks for stage magicians, and he decorated Harper’s Abode with them, almost like a funhouse. His brother, Razendale Harper, lives there, too. Razendale was an actor, and he now teaches drama and entertains children at the local hospital while wearing giant rabbit costume. Their nephew, Erik, lives with them, and Daisy Dorcet manages the family’s affairs.

ScaredSillyPic While the Onetree family is visiting the museum, a pair of shoes that once belonged to a Chinese emperor disappears. Like the two Onetree sisters, Gus considers himself the sensible brother and doesn’t take Razendale, the dreamier sibling, very seriously. He thinks Razendale ran off with the shoes as a prank. But, Erik, who seems more sensible than either of his uncles, says that they can’t just accuse him without proof. Gus provides them with an invention that could settle the whole matter, but that depends on whether or not they can trust Gus.

This book is a little different from the others in the series in that there isn’t just one issue that the girls consider along with the mystery. Jo-Beth considers whether or not she’s going to remain a dreamer or try to be more sensible (at least, part of the time, like maybe once or twice a week). Mary Rose is surprised that Jo-Beth can come up with some sensible solutions when she puts her mind to it. Then, there’s the shoe thief, whose motives are more altruistic than anyone suspects and who raises the question of where certain museum artifacts actually belong.

This is part of the Mary Rose and Jo-Beth Mysteries series. It is available to borrow and read for free online through Internet Archive.

Posted on August 5, 2016February 5, 2022 by TracyC

Help! I’m a Prisoner in the Library!

Help! I’m a Prisoner in the Library! by Eth Clifford, 1979.

Harry Onetree is taking his two daughters, Mary Rose and Jo-Beth, to stay with their aunt on a snowy evening because their mother is about to have a baby and will soon be in the hospital. But, Harry has a habit of being careless and doing things at the last minute. In spite of practical Mary Rose’s warning that they’re running low on gas, Harry doesn’t stop to get any until they finally run out, and he has to hike through the snow back to the last gas station they passed.

Before their father gets back, Jo-Beth, the younger sister, declares that she has to go to the bathroom. Long-suffering Mary Rose finds one for her in a nearby library just before closing time. But, it’s not an ordinary library. It’s actually an old mansion which has been converted into a branch library for children. It has some fantastic displays, including an old wooden wagon called a “kid hack” which was once used to carry children to school, like a school bus. Unfortunately, the girls get distracted by this strange library. The girls forget about the library closing, and the librarian, not knowing that they’re there, locks them in for the night.

Meanwhile, the blizzard outside is getting worse, and their father has returned to the car and realized that they’re missing. The girls try to call the police, but they refuse to listen, thinking it’s a prank. Melodramatic Jo-Beth thinks that they’re doomed to starve to death in the library, trapped by the blizzard. Then, the girls hear a mysterious “thump” from upstairs. It turns out that they’re not alone in the library . . .

This is the first book in the Mary Rose and Jo-Beth Mysteries. It is available to borrow and read for free online through Internet Archive.

My Reaction

The Mary Rose and Jo-Beth books are fun with the way Jo-Beth delights in imagining doom and gloom while Mary Rose tries to work out a practical solution to their problems. The books in this series are also frequently about something other than the immediate mystery that the girls face. In this case, the girls learn about the history of the old house, how it became a branch library, and how old buildings, even though they are beautiful and have a history to them, may face destruction if people don’t care enough about them or find a way to put them to some useful purpose.

Posted on August 2, 2016April 12, 2019 by TracyC

Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!

Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days! by Stephen Manes, 1982.

“Some people want to be astronauts or ballet dancers or plumbers. Milo Crinkley wanted to be perfect.”

So begins the story of Milo’s journey toward perfection.”Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!” Milo can’t resist trying it when the book by that title falls off the shelf at the library, hitting him on the head when he’s looking for a scary monster book. The picture of the author, Dr. K. Pinkerton Silverfish, looks a little strange, but Milo figures that it’s worth a try. After all, the book practically jumped off the shelves at him, begging to be read. Also, when Milo starts reading the pages, Dr. Silverfish practically seems to be reading his mind, even guessing that he’d try peeking at the end of the book to see how it ends. (“Didn’t I tell you not to look at the last page of this book? Do you want to become perfect or don’t you?”) PerfectPersonBroccoli

But, Dr. Silverfish’s three-day program isn’t anything like Milo could have imagined. Could wearing a stalk of broccoli around his neck for an entire day really be a lesson in perfection? Or skipping all meals the next day? Or drinking weak tea? Dr. Silverfish is a bright man, and there are lessons to be learned, but as to whether or not Milo becomes perfect . . . don’t skip to the last page.

There is also a movie version of this book, but the last lesson is different in the movie version, giving the story a slightly different twist. You can see a shortened version of this movie on Internet Archive. In a way, I kind of like the movie’s twist a little better than the book’s ending because it involves the reader doing something that he never thought that he could do. The final lesson of the movie was that, while no one is ever perfect, people can do many things that they never thought they could do, which can give them more confidence. The book focuses more on the boring nature of perfection. Both of the movie and the book do have the same basic theme: that there may be other options in life that are even better than perfection.

Posted on July 30, 2016November 21, 2018 by TracyC

Double Trouble on Vacation

DoubleTroubleVacation

Double Trouble on Vacation by Michael J. Pellowski, 1989.

The Daniels twins are at it again! Sandi and Randi are looking forward to spending their vacation at the lake with their family. Sandi is trying to work on her wilderness merit badge, and Randi just wants to go fishing. But, when Bobbi Joy, a bully they know from school, turns up at the lake, visiting her cousin, the girls make the mistake of accepting a bet from her. Randi bets Bobbi Joy that she can beat her in the fishing derby, not knowing that Bobbi Joy’s cousin, who is her fishing partner, is a fishing champion. Although the stakes are fairly harmless, just taking a jump in the lake with all her clothes on, Randi still can’t stand the idea of losing to Bobbi Joy.

Things get complicated when Randi is sprayed by the skunk that their little brother Teddy tried to befriend. Randi doesn’t want her team to be disqualified from the fishing derby, but she can’t go smelling like skunk! Instead, she talks Sandi into taking her place once again. But, Sandi has to give a speech later that day in order to get her merit badge. Can she help her sister and still make it in time to make her speech?

This book is currently available through Internet Archive.

DoubleTroubleVacationPic This is the last of the four books I have in this series, but there are two other books in the series that I don’t have and haven’t read: A Double Trouble Dream Date and Double Trouble Mystery Mansion. In A Double Trouble Dream Date, the twins conspire to get roles in a new music video with a teen star, when only Sandi is actually able to sing. In Double Trouble Mystery Mansion, the girls are investigating a haunted house which holds a hidden treasure. There is a real ghost in the story, but only Sandi has been able to see it. At first, Randi doesn’t believe her that there even is a ghost, and the girls attempt another switch to see if they can convince the ghost to show himself to Randi, too.

Posted on July 30, 2016November 21, 2018 by TracyC

Triple Trouble in Hollywood

TripleTroubleHollywood Triple Trouble in Hollywood by Michael J. Pellowski, 1989.

This time, Randi and Sandi to go Hollywood to visit their cousin Mandy. Mandy is no longer the same snobbish girl that she was the last time they were together, but she still has ambitions. Right now, she’s trying out for a part in a commercial, but she’s up against some stiff competition.

The commercial requires the girl to sing a jingle and do a back flip. Although Mandy has an excellent speaking voice, the other girls know that she’s terrible at singing, and Mandy doesn’t think she can do the back flip, either. Her main competitor, Tara, can do both of those things. Tara is a wealthy girl whose parents hired coaches to teach her singing and gymnastics especially for this role.

The three girls don’t think it’s fair that Tara has such advantages, and she’s an even bigger snob than Mandy ever was. Then, Randi suggests that they use their similar appearances once again to turn the situation around. Randi is athletic enough to do a back flip, and Sandi is an excellent singer. With all three of them working together, the try-outs for the commercial would be a snap!

TripleTroubleHollywoodPic Sandi doesn’t want to do it because it would be dishonest, but Randi and Mandy talk her into it. It’s partly to help Mandy, partly to get back at Tara for her rotten attitude, and partly for the chance to meet the heartthrob Judd Morrison who will also be in the commercial. Of course, as is always the case when the girls switch places, nothing goes as planned. But, to the girls’ surprise, their younger brother Teddy helps to make things better in the end.

This is part of the Double Trouble Series.

The book is currently available through Internet Archive.

Jestress's Forgotten Books and Stories

Tag: humor

Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger

Wayside School is Falling Down

Sideways Stories From Wayside School

More Stories from Grandma’s Attic