The Scary Bell
The opening chapter is titled “The Bells of Wayside.” This is more than just a system of ringing. The bells of Wayside actually produce different sounds ranging from a loud CLANG to a more subtly toned ching-a-ling. And then there is the late bell:
“It always sounded like an angry driver was slamming the on a car horn, right behind him.”
Your Own Private Cloud
The Cloud of Doom can exist simultaneously as a literal entity and a metaphorical one. In fact, that seems to be the real power of the cloud. It becomes a pervasive presence that subtly begins to wield an influence over individuals which it really has no business doing:
“Whenever Jason looked at the board, he got a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach—almost as heavy as the 999-page book he lugged around in his backpack. It was like his own Cloud of Doom that he took wherever he went.”
The Walrus
A walrus occupies Wayside School. And, as might be expected, it initially instills terror in the kindergarten classroom it calls home. But a simple simile reveals the secret:
“Kindergarteners often got scared the first time they saw Mrs. Surlaw’s walrus. When they dared touch one of its giant tusks, however, they discovered it was soft as a pillow.”
Action
Metaphorical imagery is occasionally called into action in the text to help convey a sense of action. Although, rather surprisingly considering the target readership, this is not really the author’s go-to device for describing action, preferring to use it judiciously such as in the following example:
“Eric Bacon danced around Mrs. Jewls’s desk, like a football player who had scored a touchdown.”
“The Unbreakables”
A group of four students atop a metaphorical nickname to describe their idiosyncratic brand of super close friendship. Convinced that their four-way friendship can withstand any external pressures, they are known collectively as the Unbreakables. The cloud of doom will test the literal limits of that metaphor.
