Episodic though the 30 new chapters are, there are continuing elements that bind them-even to previous outings, such as the note to an elusive teacher Calvin has been carrying since Sideways Stories From Wayside School (1978) and finally delivers. Jewls makes sure that a long-threatened “Ultimate Test” allows every student to show off a special talent. Additionally, mean queen Kathy steps through a mirror that turns her weirdly nice and she discovers that she likes it, a four-way friendship survives a dumpster dive after lost homework, and Mrs. There are out-and-out rib ticklers, such as a spelling lesson featuring made-up words and a determined class effort to collect 1 million nail clippings. The surreal yet oddly educational nature of their misadventures hasn’t either. Jewls’ 30th-floor classroom haven’t changed a bit. Rejoice! 25 years later, Wayside School is still in session, and the children in Mrs. It will introduce readers to a not-so-distant period whose echoes are still felt today and inspire admiration for young people who had to be brave despite frightening and lonely odds. This autobiographical novel is a well-meaning, fast-paced and often exciting read, though at times the writing feels choppy.

A daring rescue mission at the end of the novel will have readers rooting for Julian even as it opens his family’s eyes to his courage and resourcefulness. Julian is quicker-witted than his brothers or anyone else ever imagined, though, and with his inherent smarts, developing maturity and the help of child and adult friends, he learns to navigate the dynamics of the camp and surroundings and grows from the former baby of the family to independence and self-confidence. Here he discovers that a ruthless bully has essentially been put in charge. After Castro’s takeover, nine-year-old Julian and his older brothers are sent away by their fearful parents via “Operation Pedro Pan” to a camp in Miami for Cuban-exile children.

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