Wayside School Is Falling Down (Wayside School 2)

“Thank you, Mac,” said Mrs. Jewls. “That was a very interesting story.”

“I’m not finished,” said Mac. “When the barber saw the ear on the floor, he said, ‘Is that your ear on the floor?’ And then the hippie said ‘What? I can’t hear you.’ So the barber showed him his ear; then he called an ambulance to take the hippie to the hospital.”

“Were they able to put his ear back on?” asked Todd.

“Well, see,” said Mac, “the doctors were all set to sew it to his head. They were in the operating room and everything. But suddenly they couldn’t find the ear. Man, they looked everywhere for it!”

“Did they look under the operating table?” asked Joy.

“Yep,” said Mac. “It wasn’t there.”

“How about in the bathroom?” asked Eric Bacon. “Maybe they lost it when they washed their hands.”

“They looked, but it wasn’t there,” said Mac.

“Did they leave it at the barber shop?” asked Jenny.

“Nope.”

“Did they ever find it?” asked Allison.

“Yes,” said Mac, “but you’ll never guess where!”

“In the refrigerator,” grumbled Mrs. Jewls.

“No, how would it get there?” asked Mac.

“Well, we really need to get back to mammals,” said Mrs. Jewls. “Yes, Mark.”

Benjamin lowered his hand. “My name’s not Mark,” he said. “My name really is Benjamin. Benjamin Nushmutt! And I came from Hempleton, not Magadonia.”

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“Fine,” said Mrs. Jewls. “But we were talking about mammals. Now the whale is the largest mammal. Even though it lives in the ocean, it is still a mammal, not a fish.”

“Do whales have hair?” asked John.

“Yes,” said Mrs. Jewls.

Dana laughed. “A whale with pigtails!” she exclaimed.

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“Boy, I’d love to pull one of those!” said Paul.

Benjamin couldn’t believe it. “Didn’t you hear what I just said?” he asked.

“Yes, Benjamin,” said Mrs. Jewls.

“Well, don’t you think I’m strange?” asked Benjamin. “All this time you’ve been calling me by the wrong name, and I never told you? Don’t you think I’m crazy?”

“No,” said Mrs. Jewls.

Benjamin was getting upset. “Well, don’t you think it’s a stupid name? Benjamin Nush-mutt!” He looked around at his classmates. “Doesn’t anybody think I’m weird?”