Aimed at readers aged seven through nine, the Wayside books developed from author Louis Sachar’s personal experience as a second- and third-grade classroom assistant. Sachar, then a student at UC Berkeley, came across the assistantship, which offered college credit:

I thought it over and decided it was a pretty good deal. College credits, no homework, no term papers, no tests, all I had to do was help out in a second/third-grade class at Hillside Elementary School in Berkeley, California. Besides helping out in a classroom, I also became the Noontime Supervisor, or ‘Louis the Yard Teacher’ as I was known to the kids. It became my favorite college class, and a life-changing experience (Cosmo, Ella. “Discover the Weird and Wondrous World of Holes Author Louis Sachar!” B&N Reads, Barnesandnoble.com, June 2018).

Sachar went on to graduate with a degree in Economics in 1976 and began writing the Wayside School stories. He named the students in the book after actual students at Hillside Elementary School and includes a character named Louis—the playground teacher modeled after himself. The book was released in 1978 but did not sell well. Sachar went on to earn a Law degree.