Following Todd, the new kid, and the many other students he meets, Wayside is an animated comedy with adventure around every corner. As if life as a young teen wasn't hard enough, now Todd has to deal with a strange school full of strange people… and cows, who seem to randomly roam the school. Thankfully though with the help of Dana, the melodramatic over-achiever; Myron, whose ineptness prevents him from being an over-achiever; and Maurecia, a tough girl who finds it easier to express herself with physical actions rather than words; through the help of these kids and others, Todd's might just survive.
"Readers have enjoyed Wayside tales from Louis Sachar," Tom Ascheim, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Nickelodeon Television stated, "and now fans can watch their favorite stories come to life as its first-ever TV series joins Nickelodeon's hit animation line-up." He continued: "The stories are absurdly funny interpretations of how kids perceive the world around them and the issues they face in their daily lives." Wayside will premiere on Nickelodeon at 12:30pm (ET) on June 25tth, 2007; appearing on weekdays thereafter at 12:30. The animated television series, produced by Nelvana studios, will be twenty-six episodes in length. Now television viewers can get a taste of the unique, if not just plain weirdness of the Wayside School for class in the summertime was never so interesting with. Summaries for the debut episode are as follows:
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In the first part of the premiere episode, "Oh, Great Leader," the students try to throw Wayside's principal a surprise birthday party. But when Principal Kidswatter mistakenly assumes they are attempting to "overthrow" him, he recruits "new kid" Todd (a.k.a. Agent 344) to spy for him. Todd, feeling a little insecure about his place in Mrs. Jewls' class, questions his new friends and their wacky ways.
In "Meet the Pets," the second half of the premiere episode, everyone brings their pet to class and leaves Todd, the only kid in class who doesn't have one, to watch their animals while they go out for recess. Chaos ensues when the pets escape, but Todd is able to learn a lesson in responsibility – and about himself – when a visit from the past encourages him to take control.
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