BIG MOUTH

This story offers a new perspective on Joy’s decision to place her enormous piece of gum on Jason’s seat in the twelfth chapter of Louis Sachar’s Sideways Stories from Wayside School. Before we dive into the fan‑fiction, let’s take a look at Chapter 12, “Jason.”

CHAPTER 12. JASON — SUMMARY

Jason tells Mrs. Jewls that Joy is chewing gum in class, and the teacher prepares to write Joy’s name on the blackboard under the word DISCIPLINE. Jason volunteers to write it himself, and while he’s at the board, Joy places her huge glob of gum on his seat. When he returns to his desk and sits down, he becomes stuck to his chair. Mrs. Jewls tries several methods to free him (including throwing ice water on him to make the gum less sticky) but nothing works. Just as the three Erics are about to carry Jason and his chair to the bathroom to cut his pants off, Joy promises she can get him unstuck if Mrs. Jewls erases her name from the board. The teacher agrees, and Joy finally frees Jason by kissing him on the nose.

Everyone had had enough of Jason’s big mouth.

It all started on Todd’s birthday last year. He had invited the whole class, promising an unforgettable show. Todd’s parents had hired the most famous magician in town: Mr. Master and His Magical Moments.

Jason sat in the first row.

“I need a volunteer,” Mr. Master announced.

Dozens of hands shot up. Before Mr. Master could pick someone, Jason stood, marched onto the stage, and planted himself beside the magician. Mr. Master asked him to check whether the hat was empty.

Jason peered inside, then nearly burst into laughter.

“Guys!” he shouted. “The hat has a false bottom. Lean this way. You can see it better!”

Mr. Master froze.

“Jason, what are you doing?” Todd yelled.

“What do you think I’m doing?” Jason snapped. “I’m saving your show! Can’t you see the rabbit up his sleeve? It’s been trying to escape since the show started.”

Mr. Master packed up his props and stormed out. Todd’s mother begged him to stay, but he refused.

“Don’t call me again,” he said. “And I’ll make sure the other entertainers know what kind of hosts you are.”

With the show canceled, the children drifted home. Todd felt helpless and humiliated.

“You have such a big mouth, Jason,” he muttered.

“That’s not true,” Jason replied. “Joy’s mouth is bigger.”

Nobody invited Jason to another birthday party. And when he invited them to his own, everyone was suddenly very busy.

Mrs. Jewls knew nothing about Jason’s reputation. She always punished Todd for talking in class, but somehow she never heard Jason at all.

Until the day Jason couldn’t keep his mouth shut again.

Mrs. Jewls’s birthday was approaching, and Miss Mush decided to throw her a surprise party at lunch. Everyone agreed to keep it secret.

But when Mrs. Jewls arrived that morning, she felt a little hurt. No one had wished her a happy birthday. Jason was the last to leave the classroom for recess and noticed her sitting alone at her desk.

“May I help you, Mrs. Jewls?” he asked. “You look upset.”

Mrs. Jewls smiled. “I’m not upset,” she said. “Jason, do you know what day it is today?”

“Oh! You think we forgot your birthday!” Jason exclaimed. “Don’t worry! Miss Mush is throwing you a surprise party at lunchtime.”

When Miss Mush heard what Jason had done, she canceled the party on the spot and threw away her cake. The entire school was furious, but no one knew how to deal with Jason.

“I may have an idea,” Joy said. “But I’ll need a piece of gum from each of you.”

Everyone handed over their gum. Joy had the biggest mouth in class, and she stuffed every piece inside. At first her jaw ached and she could barely breathe, but soon she managed to chew steadily.

The bell rang. Everyone returned to their seats.

Jason noticed the huge bulge in Joy’s cheek.

“Mrs. Jewls,” he called out without raising his hand, “Joy is chewing gum in class!”

Mrs. Jewls reached for the chalk to write Joy’s name on the board, but Jason jumped up.

“I’ll write it for you!”

While he was at the board, Joy removed the giant glob of gum and placed it on his chair. When Jason returned, he sat down, and smiled at Joy.

Joy smiled back.

ISLAND

This story offers an explanation for why everyone in Mrs. Jewls’s class believes Bebe is such a talented artist. Before we dive into the fan‑fiction, let’s take a look at Chapter 6 in Sideways Stories from Wayside School.

CHAPTER 6. BEBE — SUMMARY

Calvin and Bebe sit next to each other. Since Calvin believes Bebe is far better at drawing than he is, he spends art class helping her create as many pictures as possible instead of drawing anything himself. By the end of the lesson, however, Mrs. Jewls explains that art isn’t measured by how many pictures you make, but by how beautiful they are. Hearing this, Bebe throws all her drawings into the trash and heads home, where she completely overhauls her style by practicing very slowly.

It was almost the end of recess when Louis burst out of the school building and hurried toward the kickball field.

“Todd!” he called. “I need a quick favor!”

Todd dropped the ball and jogged over. “Sure, Louis. Anything.”

“Miss Mush just got a giant delivery of vegetables,” Louis explained. “She wants me to help carry the crates upstairs. Could you guys gather all the balls and take them to the sports gear room for me?”

Todd nodded. “We can do that. But who’s going to lock the door after we’re done?”

“Don’t worry,” Louis said. “It closes automatically. Just put the balls on the racks and leave. And don’t play with the equipment.”

He thanked Todd and dashed back inside. The bell rang just as he disappeared up the stairs.

“Alright, everyone,” Todd said. “Let’s see if we can carry the balls without dropping any.”

Mrs. Jewls’s class worked together, wobbling up the stairs with armfuls of basketballs, soccer balls, and kickballs. Luckily, not a single one escaped.

Todd sighed with relief as he looked around the sports gear room. Everything was on the racks, and they still had time to get to class.

Then the door slammed shut with a loud bang.

“Oh no,” Todd groaned.

“What?” Calvin asked. “Did we lose a ball?”

“No,” Todd said. “The door locks automatically. We’re stuck until Louis comes back.”

“Maybe some of us are still outside,” Bebe suggested. “They can tell Mrs. Jewls.”

Todd counted. Twenty seven students. All inside.

“Nope,” he muttered. “Louis is the only one who knows where we are.”

Stephen immediately began pounding on the door. “HELLO? ANYBODY?”

“Nobody can hear you,” Todd said. “Everyone’s in class.”

“There has to be something we can do!” Stephen insisted.

“The best thing we can do is not panic,” Todd said. “So, stop pounding.”

“How can I not panic?” Stephen cried. “We’re twenty seven people crammed in a room!”

Todd shrugged. “It’s the same as being in Mrs. Jewls’s class. And the best cure for panic is a game.”

“Excellent!” Terrence shouted. “Let’s kick the balls around until the walls turn purple!”

“No,” Todd snapped. “Louis said no touching the equipment. We’ll play ISLAND.”

Terrence wrinkled his nose. “ISLAND? What’s that?”

“It’s a party game,” Todd explained. “We pretend we’re stranded on a desert island. Everyone has to add something to the escape plan. We can’t escape until everything we need is drawn or painted.”

“But we don’t have paper,” Bebe pointed out.

Todd gestured toward a cupboard. “Let’s check there.”

“Hey, you said we can’t touch anything,” Terrence warned.

“We can’t touch equipment,” Todd corrected. He opened the cupboard. The shelves were crammed with stacks of paper and piles of pencils. And there were enough sharpeners to supply an army.

“I’m drawing an airplane,” Calvin announced. “Fastest way off the island.”

“Good luck,” Bebe laughed. “First we need food.”

She quickly sketched bananas and handed one to everyone.

“These bananas look weird,” Stephen muttered.

“But they’re delicious, aren’t they?” Bebe teased. “Come on, Stephen. We have to move fast.”

“Relax,” Terrence said. “Calvin’s already drawing the airplane.”

“Drawing an airplane will take forever,” Bebe replied. “We should build a boat. I’ll draw axes so we can chop wood. Everyone else, palm trees!”

The class watched in awe as Bebe filled the pages with axes, palm trees, a sturdy boat, oars, and even a rescue flag. They were just being rescued by a coast guard ship when the door opened.

“There you are!” Louis exclaimed. “I’ve been looking everywhere.”

“We were about to escape,” Todd said. “Thanks to Bebe’s amazing skills.”

“Calvin!” Louis called. “Aren’t you coming?”

Calvin was still hunched in a corner, scribbling furiously. “I can’t leave yet,” he mumbled. “My airplane isn’t finished.”

Todd helped him up and patted his shoulder. “It’s okay, buddy. Bebe already rescued us. She really is the best draw in the whole world.”

TIMING TROUBLES

This story focuses on Todd, the hero of Chapter 5 in Sideways Stories from Wayside School. Before we dive into the fan‑fiction, let’s take a quick look at what the fifth chapter is about.

CHAPTER 5. TODD — SUMMARY

Todd always thinks before he speaks, which makes him a little slower than the other students and causes him to fall behind in his workbook activities. However, he’s the one who ends up saving the day when two robbers suddenly enter the classroom. Todd hands them Joy’s workbook and tells them that knowledge is more valuable than money, an idea so surprising that it sends the robbers running.

Todd used to think before he spoke. Always. And this caused a couple of problems.

At recess, Todd was getting ready to play kickball with his friends when Terrence suddenly appeared. “May I check the ball?” he asked.

“Sure,” Todd said, handing it over.

Terrence grabbed the ball  and kicked it over the wall.

Todd stared at him, stunned. “Did you just ruin our game?”

Terrence laughed. “Better scram, little lamb,” he said, and wandered off to bully someone else.

Todd was determined to teach Terrence a lesson. But he couldn’t decide whether to shout, “Off you hop, cheeky pup!” or “Just buzz off, silly moth!” 

So, he spent the next three periods silently rehearsing both lines, trying to figure out which one was more devastating. By the time he finally delivered his comeback, Terrence was already on a different bus heading home.

The next day, Mrs. Jewls asked, “What’s the capital of France?”

Todd knew the answer. But he wanted to make sure he used the correct spelling and pronunciation. By the time he raised his hand, the class had already moved on to dinosaurs.

Mrs. Jewls had just asked where T Rex lived when she noticed Todd’s hand. “Paris,” he announced when she called on him. The whole class cracked up.

Louis noticed something odd about Todd, but he couldn’t figure out what. The children were chasing each other on the playground when someone shouted, “Heads up!”

Everyone dove out of the way. Everyone except Todd, who stood perfectly still, observing the ball’s orbit and trying to calculate its speed.

It hit him in the neck.

“Ouch,” he said.

“What are you doing, Todd?” Louis asked. “Why are you so slow?”

“I’m not slow,” Todd replied. “I just always think before I react.”

“Everyone thinks before they react,” Louis said. “But you look like you’re not reacting at all. What’s going on?”

Todd sighed. “Last Sunday was my birthday. Everyone was waiting for me to blow out the candles, but I couldn’t decide whether to wish for a dog or a gaming console. The candles melted all over the cake.”

“What did you pick eventually?” Louis asked.

“Nothing,” Todd said. “The fire alarm went off and we all ran outside.”

Louis nodded. “Okay. I know what you should do. Speak before you think.”

Todd frowned. “But that’s impossible. People don’t speak before they think.”

“People don’t have your problem,” Louis explained. “You need the opposite approach. Speak now, think later. It’ll fit you like a glove.”

Todd considered this, then nodded. “Alright. I’ll try.”

From that day on, Todd stopped thinking before speaking, and the results were wonderful. He greeted people on time, laughed at jokes while they were still funny, and answered Mrs. Jewls’s questions before the class moved on to the next chapter.

There was only one problem: Mrs. Jewls kept catching Todd talking in class. Every day she wrote his name on the blackboard, put a check next to it, and circled it. As punishment, she sent him home early on the kindergarten bus, where Todd was surrounded by noisy little kids.

They never thought before they spoke.

JUMP

This is another story connected to Chapter 1 of Sideways Stories from Wayside School. Before we dive into the fan‑fiction, let’s take a quick look at the first chapter again.

CHAPTER 1. MRS. GORF — SUMMARY

Mrs. Gorf teaches the class on the thirtieth story of Wayside School, but instead of helping her students learn, she uses her strange magical powers to turn them into apples, one by one. She lines the apples up on her desk, where they sit silently, unable to do anything. When every child has been transformed and Mrs. Gorf is preparing to leave the school forever, Todd suddenly realizes how they might force her to change them back.

For several days now, Mrs. Gorf had been turning the students in her class into apples. Joe was the first kid to become an apple. John and Todd followed almost immediately, and Stephen changed soon after. He was terrified.

Every child who was transformed felt the same way. At first, they were so scared they couldn't think straight. Then the fear sank into sandness: a heavy, hopeless feeling. They were stuck, helpless, and unable to do anything about it.

Todd felt that way too. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He was frightened, upset, and miserable. His whole life had been taken away, and he had no idea how to get it back. Then one night, while the other apples were asleep, Todd noticed something strange. His whole body felt numb, like he couldn't feel anything at all, but somehow it hurt to stay still. So, he tried to move. Just a little.

POP. He made a tiny hop.

Todd froze. Then, amazed, he tried again. This time he jumped so high he landed back on the desk with a loud thud. He stayed perfectly still, afraid he'd wake the others.

But inside, he was thrilled. The apples weren't completely powerless after all. And that's when he came up with a plan.

When morning came, Todd waited for the others to wake up. As soon as they stirred, he cleared his throat.

"A-hem. Guys!"

"Oh my gosh, Todd!" Stephen screamed. "You scared me! My heart almost jumped out of my chest!"

"What chest, Stephen?" Todd muttered. "We're apples. And we need to do something about it."

"Relax, Todd," Joe whispered. "Some people are trying to sleep."

"Trying to sleep?" Todd snapped. "Wake up, Joe. We're in trouble."

"Trouble?" Joe repeated. "What kind of trouble? Stop it, Todd. No one's in trouble."

"No one's in trouble?" Todd said. "Joe, look at yourself. You're an apple."

"I know," Joe laughed. "I've been an apple for three days. Best three days of my life."

Todd stared at him. "Are you crazy? What do you mean?"

Joe yawned. "What do I mean?" He was very sleepy.

"Yes, Joe!" Todd shouted. "What do you mean by the best three days of your life?"

"Well, we don't have to study," Joe said. "No homework either. We're  on vacation."

"Oh my gosh, Joe," Todd groaned. 

"Who doesn't like vacation?" Joe asked.

"We're not on vacation!" Todd roared. "We're stuck on Mrs. Gorf's desk on the thirtieth story of Wayside School!"

"I know Todd," Joe said. "I'm not stupid."

"No one said you're stupid," Todd replied.

Joe pointed behind him. "Maurecia and Joy think I'm stupid."

"Joe's right," Maurecia admitted. "But I'll stop saying that. I promise."

"Okay, nobody's stupid," Todd proclaimed. "But that's not the problem. We have something bigger to worry about."

"Don't worry, Todd," Joe said. "I count twenty-four apples on this desk. That means only three kids are left in the classroom."

Todd blinked. "Yeah, so?"

"She'll turn them into apples today," Joe said. "Then she'll have to turn us back into children."

"No, she won't!" Todd blurted. "Mrs. Gorf hates children. She hates being a teacher too!"

Maurecia nodded. "Todd's right. Mrs. Gorf is crazy. Once everyone is an apple, she'll grab her bag and go home."

"She's a monster!" Todd declared. "She'll fly back to her lair and we'll never see her again."

"Oh my gosh!" Stephen screamed. "I don't want to be an apple forever. I'm scared!"

"We're all scared," Todd said. "But we have to act before she leaves. Nobody else knows how to wiggle their ears."

"I know how to stick out my tongue," Joe chuckled.

"Everyone can do that," Todd said. "But you can't stick your tongue now, can you? You're an apple!"

"That's why people think you're stupid, Joe," Joy muttered.

"See, Todd?" Joe complained. "She's doing it again!"

"That's because we're in trouble and you keep talking about silly things," Todd said. "We may never become children again."

"Then we're doomed," Joe whispered. "We can't do anything, can we?"

"Actually, we can," Todd said. "We can jump and hit her in the face."

"Really?" Eric Bacon asked. he loved jumping, even though he wasn't very good at it. "Who's going to do that?"

"We all are," Todd said. "I'll jump first. But one apple isn't enough."

"Of course not," Kathy agreed. "Maybe the three Erics should go next. They're all fat. That'll hurt a lot."

"How many times do I have to tell you, Kathy?" Eric Bacon shouted. "I'm the skinniest boy in class!"

Kathy laughed. "But you're the biggest apple on the desk. You're fat now, aren't you?"

"Guys, stop fighting," Todd pleaded. "We need to focus on Mrs. Gorf. She's the enemy."

"I'm ready," Stephen said. 

"I'm ready too," Joe added. "Let's do this."

"Okay," Todd said. "The sun's up. She'll be here any minute. When I bop her in the face, I want all of you to follow. Got it?"

Everyone cheered.