Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger by Louis Sachar Page A

ball, something awful might happen , thought Miss Nogard.
    She was just about to step on it, when suddenly she became very curious about the kind of thoughts babies had. She had never listened to a baby’s brain before.
    Miss Nogard held Mavis close to her heart and listened … .
    She gasped. Her face turned white, and her legs wobbled beneath her. As she tried to get her balance, she stepped on the rubber-band ball and fell toward the open window.
    Louis jumped over Sharie’s desk and grabbed her just in time.
    Mrs. Jewls hurried over.
    Miss Nogard tenderly handed Mrs. Jewls her baby. Then she fainted in Louis’s arms.
    It is impossible to describe, in words, exactly what Miss Nogard heard when she listened to Mavis’s brain.
    Babies don’t think in words.
    Miss Nogard heard pure love. And trust. And faith. With no words to get in the way.
    It was a love so strong that it dissolved away all the bitterness that had been caked around her heart.
    She opened her eyes.
    “Are you all right, Miss Nogard?” asked Stephen.
    All the children were very worried about her.
    Miss Nogard smiled at Louis, who was still holding her. “I’m fine,” she said, then took a couple of steps to steady herself. “In fact, I think I’m better than I’ve been in a long time.” She laughed, then hugged Stephen.
    “You should feel very proud of your class,” she told Mrs. Jewls. “They are bright, well behaved, and just a pleasure to teach.”
    “We are?” asked Maurecia.
    Miss Nogard fluffed Maurecia’s hair. “Yes, you are,” she said.
    Maurecia smiled up at her.
    “I know,” said Mrs. Jewls. “As I told my obstetrician—”
    “Your what?” asked Joy.
    “Obstetrician,” said Mrs. Jewls. “That’s the doctor who helped me have my baby. Then, once a baby is born, she gets a new doctor. That doctor is called a pediatrician. That’s different from a podiatrist, who is a doctor who takes care of people’s feet. There are many different kinds of doctors. There’s also a—”
    Todd raised his hand. “Mrs. Jewls, you’re starting to get a little boring,” he said.
    Mrs. Jewls made Todd write his name on the blackboard under the word DISCIPLINE.
    “Hey, Louis!” shouted Mac. “Ask Miss Nogard out on a date!”
    Everyone looked at Louis.
    Miss Nogard looked at him too.
    “Do it, Louis!” said Leslie.
    “I really would like to get to know you better, Miss Nogard,” he said.
    “Ooooh,” said Paul and Leslie.
    “Way to go, Louis!” cheered D.J.
    “Call me Wendy,” said Wendy Nogard.
    “Ooooh,” said Bebe and Calvin.
    “Okay, Wendy,” said Louis. “And you can call me Louis.”
    “I already do,” said Wendy. She smiled at him.
    He smiled back. “So what do you say?” he asked. “Would you like to go out sometime?”
    Miss Nogard hesitated.
    “Say yes, Miss Nogard!” urged Jenny.
    Miss Nogard took a deep breath. “I like you, Louis,” she said. “But I think there is something you should know about me first.”
    She bent over and parted the hair on top of her head.
    Everyone crowded around as they tried to get a good look.
    “It’s an ear!” shouted Jason.
    “Yes, it is an ear,” said Miss Nogard.
    “Cool!” said Terrence.
    “Can I touch it?” asked Dana.
    Everyone took turns touching her ear.
    The one on top of her head, I mean.
    “So, Louis, are you sure you still want to go out with me?” she asked.
    Louis held her hands in his. “I like you a lot,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how many ears you have.” He paused for a second. “How many ears do you have?”
    “Just three,” she assured him.
    “I think your ears are beautiful,” said Louis. “I think your nose and eyebrows are beautiful.”
    Miss Nogard didn’t have to read Louis’s mind to know he was telling the truth. She could see it in his eyes.
    His eyes were like the moon.
    She kissed him. His mustache tickled.
    Everybody oooohed.

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    Bloomsbury Publishing, London, Berlin, New York and Sydney
    First published