This story is inspired by John’s problem in the seventeenth chapter of
Louis Sachar’s Sideways Stories from Wayside School. Before we dive into the
fan‑fiction, let’s take a look at Chapter 17, “John.”
CHAPTER 17. JOHN — SUMMARY
John can only read books when they’re upside down. Since books aren’t
printed that way, he has to flip them over himself. But Mrs. Jewls points out
that he can’t turn the blackboard upside down. So, if John wants to read what
she writes, he’ll have to learn to stand on his head. After several clumsy
attempts, John finally manages it with the help of a few classmates. However,
when one of them steps away to fetch a book, John loses his balance and falls
flat on his face. When he recovers, he’s surprised to discover that he can now
read the blackboard just like everyone else.
At first, everything seemed perfectly normal. John was one of the most active students in Mrs. Jewls’s class. He joined every activity, gave excellent answers, read better than almost everyone else, and always did his homework on time.
One day, Mrs. Jewls was solving a difficult math problem on the blackboard. It was a long line of tricky fractions, and the whole class was scrambling to copy it down. That’s when she noticed something strange.
She stopped from writing and stared at John. He wasn’t copying from the blackboard at all. He was copying from Joe’s notebook—Joe, who was sitting behind him.
“Wait a minute, class,” Mrs. Jewls said. “John, what are you doing?”
John looked up. “I’m copying the problem from the blackboard.”
“No, you aren’t,” she said. “You’re copying it from Joe.”
John hesitated. “Sometimes I copy from Joe,” he admitted. “But mostly I copy from the blackboard.”
“Why do you need to copy from Joe at all?” Mrs. Jewls asked.
“Because I can’t always see the blackboard very well,” John explained. “But I can see Joe’s notebook better.”
“How can you see Joe’s notebook better?” Mrs. Jewls demanded. “It’s upside down.”
John shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Mrs. Jewls picked up a book and handed it to him. “Read a page for me.”
John’s eyes widened. “What page?”
“Any page.”
John opened the book slowly. His hands were shaking.
“You make me nervous when you watch me like that,” he said, dropping the book onto his desk. “Could you go back to the blackboard? I think I’ll feel more comfortable.”
John sighed, then nodded. “Yes.”
“How long have you been reading like this?”
“Since I was little. I’ve always read this way.”
“I suppose you also write upside down,” the teacher said. “How can anyone read your work?”
John shrugged again. “I just turn the paper upside down,” he muttered.
“Right,” Mrs. Jewls said. “Do your parents know about this?”
“Yes, they do.”
Mrs. Jewls glanced at the clock. “All right, class. You may go to lunch five minutes early today. We’ll meet again after recess.”
The children cheered and rushed out—everyone except John. He walked slowly behind them, hoping Mrs. Jewls wouldn’t force him to read right-side up from now on.
As soon as the room was empty, Mrs. Jewls called John’s father.
“I need to speak with you as soon as possible,” she said. “But I can’t leave the school now.”
“If the mountain won’t come to you, you must go to the mountain,” the man replied. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”
Mrs. Jewls met him on the first floor, in the administration office.
“It’s about the way John reads and writes, isn’t it?” he said.
“Indeed,” she replied. “When did you first realize he reads upside down?”
“Long before he could read,” John’s father said. “His mother noticed something unusual. John loved drawing, but he would sketch a boat and call it a house. Then he’d draw a cup and say it was a hat.”
“Interesting,” Mrs. Jewls murmured.
“It became obvious when he wrote an M and insisted it was a W, or scribbled a 9 and said it was a 6,” the man continued. “Now he’s great at puzzles because he can see pieces in any position. And he beats everyone at Monopoly because he can read the board upside down.”
“Do you know why he’s different from the other children?” Mrs. Jewls asked.
John’s father shook his head. “No idea. His vision is perfect.”
“I thought so,” Mrs. Jewls said. “That means it must be his brain—and we can’t mess with a child’s brain.”
“Absolutely not.”
“The problem is he can’t read the blackboard,” she declared. “I’d like your permission to try some new methods. Nothing that will affect his brain.”
John’s father thought for a moment. “I don’t see why not. As long as it doesn’t involve messing with his brain.”
“Not at all,” Mrs. Jewls promised.
“Good,” he said, standing. “I must return to the office. We’ll keep in touch.”
As the man left, Mrs. Jewls considered John’s problem.
We can’t turn the blackboard upside down, she reasoned. If the mountain won’t come to you, you must go to the mountain. That means John will have to learn to stand on his head.
She hurried up the stairs to the thirtieth story, excited that she had found a solution.
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