(2) 4-6 Wayside School series. Illustrated by Tim Heitz. Yes, per the introductory author's note to this fourth book about the wacky elementary school, it's been forty years since the first one, Sideways Stories from Wayside School. As such, Sachar suggests readers might want to "read the other three first, wait forty years, and then read this one." Alternately, they could "just read it now." The latter is a fine option for the series's fans, who will cheer the return of Mrs. Jewls's class (absent Mrs. Gorf, Sammy the dead rat, and other menacing weirdoes--but with a handful of new ones), Louis the yard teacher, Miss Mush, and others as they are pulled under the meteorological spell of the Cloud of Doom. Kathy turns nice, Stephen strikes a gong, and Calvin delivers a long-awaited note, among other unpredictable adventures. The class tries to amass a million nail clippings (ewww); the kids keep losing their paper clips; and it all kinda-sorta comes together in the end. With its gonzo humor, nonsensical non sequiturs, and mysterious mustachioed grownups, Wayside School fans should eat this up (spaghetti and feetballs, anyone?).

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(2) 4-6 Tamaya (fifth grade) and Marshall (seventh) take a shortcut to evade bully Chad, and Tamaya develops a mysterious rash from slinging a handful of mud at Chad. Interspersed with this expert school survival drama are excerpts of testimony from "secret Senate hearings" about a microscopic manmade organism that escaped a laboratory. This exciting tale blends horror with sober consideration of ethics and science.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2015

(2) YA Alton serves as his reputedly rich great-uncle Lester Trapp's "cardturner," telling Trapp what cards he has so the old man can make the right plays. Like bridge itself, the story is filled with secrets and bluffs, tricks and dummies in addition to intriguingly complicated kinship lines. Alton, an engagingly self-deprecating storyteller, does a good job of conveying the game's appeal.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2010

(1) 4-6 This tenth-anniversary edition of Sachar's exceptionally funny and heart-rending Newbery Medal winner includes new jacket art by Vladimir Radunsky; "the real dirt" about the author written by his brother, his daughter, and his wife; his Newbery acceptance speech; and black-and-white photographs of the author.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 1998

(2) 1-3 Stepping Stone series. Illustrated by Amy Wummer. Somehow, word has gotten around that Marvin is going to ride his bike down "Suicide Hill." This expectation only crystallizes Marvin's fears: of the hill, of his big new mountain bike, of wimping out. And as fears tend to do, they take over every waking minute of Marvin's life. Sachar excels at the narrative counterpoint that keeps this kind of everyday-life story on its toes. Marvin triumphs, but in a way that neither he nor readers expect.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2000

(1) 1-3 Stepping Stone series. Marvin has forgotten about the UFO he thought he saw when a new kid named Joe Normal shows up at school. Readers will enjoy knowing that Joe is an alien while the characters don't--and they don't ever find out. Clipped sentences and short paragraphs are just right for new readers and for the story--a smart, funny twist on the new-kid theme, reminding us that everyone feels alienated at one time or another.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2000

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Amy Wummer. The president of the United States pays a surprise visit to Marvin's class on "hole day," when everyone, including Marvin's teacher, is wearing ripped clothes and shoes with toes sticking out. Nevertheless, Marvin and his classmates manage to make a favorable impression on the Commander in Chief. As in all the Marvin Redpost books, Sachar humorously demonstrates his understanding of how kids think and speak.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(1) 4-6 With great finesse Sachar tells an exceptionally funny, and heart-rending, shaggy dog story. Stanley Yelnats is sent to a boys' detention facility, where, it turns out, he has a date with destiny that involves his pig-stealing great-great-grandfather, a family curse, the ruthless outlaw Kissing Kate Barlow, some peaches, some onions, a lullaby, and a pair of sneakers. We haven't seen a book with this much plot, so suspensefully and expertly deployed, in too long a time.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 1998

(4) 4-6 These early efforts by Sachar, originally published in paperback between fifteen and twenty years ago, don't have the wit and control of his more recent work, but they do showcase this author's trademark repartee. The Wayside School stories are perennially popular; 'Johnny' and 'Angeline' offer amidst the daffiness unexpected portraits of lonely children learning to make their way.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) 4-6 These early efforts by Sachar, originally published in paperback between fifteen and twenty years ago, don't have the wit and control of his more recent work, but they do showcase this author's trademark repartee. The Wayside School stories are perennially popular; 'Johnny' and 'Angeline' offer amidst the daffiness unexpected portraits of lonely children learning to make their way.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) 4-6 These early efforts by Sachar, originally published in paperback between fifteen and twenty years ago, don't have the wit and control of his more recent work, but they do showcase this author's trademark repartee. The Wayside School stories are perennially popular; 'Johnny' and 'Angeline' offer amidst the daffiness unexpected portraits of lonely children learning to make their way.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.