Sideways Stories From Wayside School Appearances Quotes

In the chapter about the three Erics, Sachar writes some very sly commentary about how people tend to make generalizations based on appearances. Even though Eric Bacon is the skinniest kid in class, everyone thinks he's fat because the other two Erics are.

At Wayside, sometimes the sweet and pretty girls are teased for being sweet and pretty. Allison isn't the only girl who stands up for herself—Maurecia, also pretty, is described as being able to beat up any boy in the class. For these girls, pretty doesn't mean weak, does it?

Here's a good example of how this book uses appearances in a comedic way—Sachar makes us think Stephen's green hair is for his costume, but really Stephen's hair is just green. This is the very funny punch line to Stephen's story.