The Cloud of Doom Made Me Do It

~Wayside School
Beneath the Cloud of Doom~
Wayside School
Book 4
By Louis Sachar
Illustrated by Tim Heitz
Amazon ~ Powell's

Welcome back to Wayside School!

Your favorite students and teachers are all here. That includes Sharie, who loves her striped-and-spotted umbrella more than anything; Kathy, who has a bad case of oppositosis; Jason, who has to read the longest book in the world; and the rest of Mrs. Jewls’s class on the thirtieth floor, who are busily collecting toenail clippings.

Everyone is scrambling to prepare for the all-important Ultimate Test, but meanwhile, there is a mysterious Cloud of Doom looming above them…


Well, it's been over 20 years since I first experienced Wayside School, and it's been 40 years since the series first started. I think the author's note at the beginning expresses it the best:

This is the fourth book about Wayside School. I wrote the first one, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, more than forty years ago. I’m a lot older now, but in my heart I’m still Louis, the yard teacher, passing out the balls and playing with the kids at recess. To fully enjoy this book, you should read the other three first, wait forty years, and then read this one. Or you can just read it now. (p. ix)

Though, really you'd just have to wait 25 years (since the 3rd book was published in 1995) to get the true experience...

But really, this book couldn't have picked a better time to come out. What could be a more apt metaphor for the current quarantine than living beneath our own Cloud of Doom? And though there are some supernatural oddities that come with the cloud, just having it hanging there begins to take a toll on the mental wellness of both students and teachers. There's a point when all her students are feeling rather mopey that Mrs. Jewls shares what is my favorite quote of the book:

“Someday, the Cloud of Doom will be gone,” said Mrs. Jewls. “And the world will be a much better place, even better than before the cloud. Colors will be more colorful. Music will be more musical. Even Miss Mush’s food will taste good. The bigger the storm, the brighter the rainbow.”(p. 65)

She continues on with her spelling lesson, which ends with the word H-O-P-E. Truly can't think of a better message for worried kids (and adults!) right now.

If messages of hope aren't enough, luck for you this book contains the regular hilarity we've come to expect from Wayside. Whether it's learning the majesty and wonder of paperclips, a kid making a face and getting it stuck that way, a library with books sorted by page count instead of subject, or a class counting to a million by collecting nail clippings, Wayside is as sideways, offbalance, strange, and amazing as ever.

I know it's absolutely impossible, but I feel like the comments I had about the kids taking a backseat were heard and adjusted for. This book makes its focus completely about the kids. Not all 28 kids (I can't remember hearing about Ben, for example), but a good chunk of them. Sharie, Kathy, and Jason all get great stories and call-backs, plus there's the group of Unbreakables whose friendship is put to the ultimate test beneath the Cloud of Doom. I don't know how much the TV show may have influenced the book, but ultimately it felt more appropriate to have the kids at the center of everything instead of the teachers.

Not that the teachers didn't have their moments. Principal Kidswatter had a couple funny scenes; Louis was mostly background support, though he did mention his previous books about Wayside; the councilor, Mr. Pickle, had a slight revision, seemingly taking away his mischievous streak; and Miss Mush showed her passion for unique food. (I had mostly assumed it to be laziness on her part previously.) I was slightly disappointed that Miss Zarves and the three MiB didn't have any more exposition included, but I guess I don't mind some mysteries being left for future installments.

Ultimately, this is a must-read right now. If you have young kids, if you remember reading the rest of the series, or if you just want a quick distraction with a message of hope, the latest Wayside School is a fantastic choice. I'm hoping to see more added to the series, but if this is the last we see, I guess that wouldn't be too bad either.