內容簡介
There'd been a terrible mistake. Wayside School was supposed to be built with thirty classrooms one on top of the other...thirty stories tall! (The builder said he was very sorry.)
That may be why all kinds of funny things happen at Wayside SChool...especially on the thirteenth floor. You'll meet Mrs. Gorf, the meanest teacher of all, terrible Todd, who always gets sent home early, and John who can read only upside down--along with all the other kids in the crazy mix-up school that came out sideways. But you'll never guess the truth about Sammy, the new kid...or what's in store for Wayside School on Halloween!
There was a terrible mistake-Wayside School was built with one classroom on top of another, thirty stories high! (The builder said he was sorry.) Maybe that's why all kinds of funny things happened at Wayside-especially on the thirteenth floor.
作者簡介
When Louis Sachar was going to school, his teachers always pronounced his name wrong. Now that he has become a popular author of children's books, teachers all over the country are pronouncing his name wrong. It should be pronounced "Sacker," like someone who tackles quarterbacks or someone who stuffs potatoes into sacks.
Mr. Sachar received a B.A. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley. His first book, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, was accepted for publication during his first year of law school. After receiving his law degree, he spent six years asking himself whether he wanted to be an author or a lawyer before deciding to write for children full-time. His books include Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger, There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom, Wayside School is Falling Down, Dogs Don't Tell Jokes, and the Marvin Redpost series.
Louis Sachar lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and their daughter, Sherre.
精彩書評
'Thirty clever, fast-moving stories that describe the bizarre events at Wayside School ... each story is refreshingly different.'
-- Guardian
精彩書摘
Chapter One
Mrs. Gorf
Mrs. Gorf had a long tongue and pointed ears. She was the meanest teacher in Wayside School. She taught the class on the thirtieth story.
"If you children are bad," she warned, "or if you answer a problem wrong, I'll wiggle my ears, stick out my tongue, and turn you into apples!" Mrs. Gorf didn't like children, but she loved apples.
Joe couldn't add. He couldn't even count. But he knew that if he answered a problem wrong, he would be turned into an apple. So he copied from John. He didn't like to cheat, but Mrs. Gorf had never taught him how to add. One day Mrs. Gorf caught Joe copying John's paper.
She wiggled her ears--first her right one, then her left--stuck out her tongue, and turned Joe into an apple. Then she turned John into an apple for letting Joe cheat.
"Hey, that isn't fair," said Todd. "John was only trying to help a friend."
Mrs. Gorf wiggled her ears--first her right one, then her left--stuck out her tongue, and turned Todd into an apple. "Does anybody else have an opinion?" she asked.
Nobody said a word.
Mrs. Gorf laughed and placed the three apples on her desk.
Stephen started to cry. He couldn't help it. He was scared.
"I do not allow crying in the classroom," said Mrs. Gorf. She wiggled her ears--first her right one, then her left--stuck out her tongue, and turned Stephen into an apple.
For the rest of the day, the children were absolutely quiet. And when they went home, they were too scared even to talk to their parents.
But Joe, John, Todd, and Stephen couldn't go home. Mrs. Gorf just left them on her desk. They were able to talk to each other, but they didn't have much to say.
Their parents were very worried. They didn't know where their children were. Nobody seemed to know.
The next day Kathy was late for school. As soon as she walked in, Mrs. Gorf turned her into an apple.
Paul sneezed during class. He was turned into an apple.
Nancy said, "God bless you!" when Paul sneezed. Mrs. Gorf wiggled her ears--first her right one, then her left--stuck out her tongue, and turned Nancy into an apple.
Terrence fell out of his chair. He was turned into an apple.
Maurecia tried to run away. She was halfway to the door as Mrs. Gorf's right ear began to wiggle. When she reached the door, Mrs. Gorf's left ear wiggled. Maurecia opened the door and had one foot outside when Mrs. Gorf stuck out her tongue. Maurecia became an apple.
Mrs. Gorf picked up the apple from the floor and put it on her desk with the others. Then a funny thing happened. Mrs. Gorf turned around and fell over a piece of chalk.
The three Erics laughed. They were turned into apples.
Mrs. Gorf had a dozen apples on her desk: Joe, John, Todd, Stephen, Kathy, Paul, Nancy, Terrence, Maurecia, and the three Erics--Eric Fry, Eric Bacon, and Eric Ovens.
Louis, the yard teacher, walked into the classroom. He had missed the children at recess. He had heard that Mrs. Gorf was a mean teacher. So he came up to investigate. He saw the twelve apples on Mrs. Gorf's desk. "I must be wrong," he thought. "She must be a good teacher if so many children bring her apples." He walked back down to the playground.
The next day a dozen more children were turned into apples. Louis, the yard teacher, came back into the room. He saw twenty-four apples on Mrs. Gorf's desk. There were only three children left in the class. ''She must be the best teacher in the world," he thought.
By the end of the week all of the children were apples. Mrs. Gorf was very happy. ''Now I can go home," she said. "I don't have to teach anymore. I won't have to walk up thirty flights of stairs ever again."
"You're not going anywhere," shouted Todd. He jumped off the desk and bopped Mrs. Gorf on the nose.
The rest of the apples followed. Mrs. Gorf fell on the floor. The apples jumped all over her.
"Stop," she shouted, "or I'll turn you into apple sauce!"
But the apples didn't stop, and Mrs. Gorf could do nothing about it.
"Turn us back into children," Todd demanded.
Mrs. Gorf had no choice. She stuck out her tongue, wiggled her ears--this time her left one first, then her right--and turned the apples back into children.
"All right, " said Maurecia, "let's go get Louis. He'll know what to do."
"No!" screamed Mrs. Gorf. "I'll turn you back into apples." She wiggled her ears--first her right one, then her left--and stuck out her tongue. But Jenny held up a mirror, and Mrs. Gorf turned herself into an apple.
The children didn't know what to do. They didn't have a teacher. Even though Mrs. Gorf was mean, they didn't think it was right to leave her as an apple. But none of them knew how to wiggle their ears.
Louis, the yard teacher, walked in. "Where's Mrs. Gorf?" he asked.
Nobody said a word.
"Boy, am I hungry," said Louis. "I don't think Mrs. Gorf would mind if I ate this apple. After all, she always has so many."
He picked up the apple, which was really Mrs. Gorf, shined it up on his shirt, and ate it.
前言/序言
《魔法羅盤的秘密》 一本關於勇氣、友誼與探索未知世界的奇幻冒險小說 適閤年齡:8-12歲 --- 內容梗概 在寜靜的港口小鎮星灣鎮,生活著一個名叫埃利奧特(Elliot)的十一歲男孩。埃利奧特和鎮上其他孩子一樣,過著平靜的暑假生活,直到一個暴風雨之夜,一個神秘的漂流瓶打破瞭這份寜靜。瓶子裏裝著一張泛黃的羊皮紙地圖和一把銹跡斑斑的黃銅羅盤。 這張地圖指嚮的不是陸地,而是一片被古老傳說籠罩的“迷霧海域”。更令人驚奇的是,這把羅盤並非指嚮北方,它的指針總是指嚮一個不斷變化、充滿活力的方嚮——埃利奧特稱之為“心之所嚮”。 很快,埃利奧特發現,這把羅盤是傳說中失落的“星辰導航儀”的一部分。它不僅能指引方嚮,還能在持有者心中描繪齣未知的可能性。這份發現很快引來瞭不速之客:一位自稱“陰影收藏傢”的神秘人物,他覬覦羅盤的力量,想要利用它來消除世界上的“色彩”和“想象力”,讓一切都變得秩序井然,但也死氣沉沉。 為瞭保護這件神奇的物品,埃利奧特與他最好的朋友——愛鑽研機械的莉娜(Lina)和性格大膽的鄰傢女孩薩姆(Sam)——踏上瞭一場驚心動魄的航行。他們的目標是找到地圖上標記的三個“光之信標”,傳說隻有集齊光之信標,纔能真正激活羅盤的全部力量,並解開迷霧海域背後的古老謎團。 他們的旅程充滿瞭挑戰。他們需要穿越由巨大發光水母組成的“熒光森林”,攀登被遺忘的“迴聲山脈”,還要智鬥那些會模仿他人聲音、試圖迷惑探險者的“幻影魚群”。在每段旅程中,埃利奧特必須學會信任他的朋友,並勇敢地麵對自己內心的恐懼。 莉娜的機械天賦幫助他們修復瞭一艘老舊的帆船,賦予它穿越迷霧海域的動力;而薩姆的勇氣和果斷,則多次將小隊從危險的境地中解救齣來。但最重要的是,埃利奧特必須學會如何解讀那把不斷鏇轉的羅盤,辨彆齣哪些是真實的危險,哪些隻是內心的不安。 在故事的高潮,他們終於到達瞭地圖的終點——一座漂浮在雲層之上的古老圖書館。在那裏,他們不僅找到瞭關於羅盤起源的真相,還遭遇瞭陰影收藏傢設下的終極陷阱。他們必須用勇氣和智慧,而不是武力,來對抗那個試圖扼殺所有奇跡的敵人。 《魔法羅盤的秘密》是一部關於成長、探索以及捍衛我們內心深處那份對未知世界的好奇心的故事。它提醒我們,真正的方嚮不是固定不變的,而是需要我們用自己的心去創造和追尋的。 --- 核心主題與閱讀體驗 1. 探索未知與發現自我 本書將引領小讀者進入一個充滿想象力的世界,挑戰他們對“常識”的認知。埃利奧特從一個有些膽怯、依賴常規的孩子,成長為一個能夠領導團隊、相信直覺的探險傢。羅盤不僅僅是工具,它象徵著內在的指引——鼓勵孩子們傾聽自己內心的聲音,而不是盲目跟隨外界的既定路綫。 2. 友誼的力量與團隊閤作 埃利奧特的冒險小隊由三個性格迥異的孩子組成。莉娜代錶邏輯與創造性思維,薩姆代錶行動與無畏精神。故事強調瞭多樣性的價值:麵對不同的難題時,隻有當他們結閤各自的優勢,互相支持,纔能剋服看似不可能的障礙。 3. 想象力與現實的邊界 迷霧海域是一個物理上存在,但又完全由想象力構建的地方。這裏的生物、環境和規則都顛覆瞭我們習以為常的自然規律。這鼓勵小讀者擁抱創意和非綫性思維,理解“奇怪”和“不閤邏輯”的事物往往蘊含著最深刻的真理。 4. 勇氣與恐懼的對決 陰影收藏傢代錶著對秩序的過度追求和對想象力的壓製。他是一個無形的威脅,迫使主角們麵對自己最深層的恐懼——害怕失敗、害怕迷失方嚮。最終的勝利不是通過消滅敵人,而是通過散發齣的光芒和堅定的信念來化解黑暗。 --- 精妙的細節描寫 星灣鎮的氛圍: 故事始於一個被海鹽和舊木頭氣味籠罩的小鎮,那裏的一切都按部就班,孩子們的生活平靜得像退潮後的沙灘,為後續的奇遇做瞭完美的鋪墊。 奇特的地理奇觀: 沉默之島(The Isle of Mute): 一座被特殊磁場所籠罩的島嶼,所有聲音進入後都會被吸收,任何言語都無法傳達,探險者必須學會用肢體語言和眼神交流。 時間之河(The Chronos Current): 一條流經迷霧海域的洋流,乘坐它航行時,船上的人會經曆時間加速或減慢的奇特感受,要求他們精確控製船隻的航嚮以避免被睏在某個時間點。 星光珊瑚礁: 海底的一片由能吸收星光並緩慢釋放的珊瑚構成的礁石群,隻有在羅盤的引導下,船隻纔能安全通過,否則會被礁石的能量波動撕裂。 富有想象力的角色互動: 埃利奧特和小隊與一位會說古老航海術語的章魚老船長相遇,這位船長隻用謎語和詩歌來交流,考驗著莉娜的解碼能力。他們還必須與一群熱愛收集閃亮小物件的“海怪小妖精”進行一場關於“價值”的辯論,以換取通過一片危險水域的許可。 --- 作者寄語(緻小讀者) “你是否曾經感覺自己的人生地圖上,有一個方嚮是你不知道如何去標記的?也許你有一個瘋狂的想法,一個彆人都不相信的夢想?這趟旅程就是關於那個‘不知道’的地方。當你拿起這本故事書時,請想象你手中的羅盤指針也在為你輕輕轉動。它指嚮的不是任何一個已知的方嚮,而是你心中最渴望去探索的那個未知角落。去吧,帶著你的好奇心,我們一起航行。”