A Giggle Box, a Leaky Faucet, and a Foghorn

Illustrated by Tim Heitz

"**A Giggle Box, a Leaky Faucet, and a Foghorn**" is the thirteenth chapter of *Wayside School Is Falling Down*.

## Synopsis

Dana is teased by Joe and John for her emotional reactions during stories (especially ones about animals).

## Plot

This chapter opens by stating that every day after lunch, Mrs. Jewls reads a story to the class, which Dana hates. The last book Mrs. Jewls read was about a spider and a pig, the pig being very cute and the spider being very wise. Dana thought this book was horrible, because it was very funny, and oftentimes Dana would end up laughing for a very long time, even after everyone else finished, which she thought was very embarrassing. Because of this, John called her a giggle box, which made her laugh even harder. However, that wasn't the worst part of the book, because at the end, the spider died, which made Dana very sad. She cried for a very long time, even though, ironically, she hates spiders in real life and squashes them all the time. Because of this, John calls her a leaky faucet, which she finds funny, and she laughs through her tears.

In music class, Dana hears a song about a dragon who was very brave, but loses his bravery after his only friend leaves him. Dana finds this song very sad, and Joe and John chase her on the playground singing it. Dana covers her ears as tears stream down her face. As the bell rings, Dana walks upstairs to Mrs. Jewls's class. Dana hopes that Mrs. Jewls will read a boring book with no jokes, so Dana won't embarrass herself in front of the rest of the class. As she enters the room, John and Joe give Dana a present wrapped up in paper like she'd get on her birthday. Dana remarks it isn't her birthday, but John lets her keep it anyway, since he's always teasing her. When Dana opens the present she sees a box of tissues, which causes Joe and John to snicker. Dana remarks it isn't funny and starts to chase them, but Mrs. Jewls makes them sit down for class.

Mrs. Jewls presents a new book to read called "Stinky." Dana thinks the title is funny and laughs for a moment but quickly covers her mouth. Mrs. Jewls remarks that it's about a cute and playful skunk, which makes Dana worry, because stories about animals make her cry more often than other stories. Mrs. Jewls starts reading the book, which is about Stinky playing with his friend Charlie the Chipmunk, when his mother calls for him. Stinky and his mother attempt to cross the road, but Stinky's mom gets hit by a car and dies. Dana finds the story so sad that she starts to cry, and John teases her for it. She grabs a tissue and blows her nose hard enough for John to start calling her a "foghorn," which she finds so funny that she laughs as she blows her nose. The next day, Dana rushes up to class before lunch ends and asks Mrs. Jewls if they can avoid reading a story, noting that she hates them because they make her laugh and cry too much. Mrs. Jewls, however, actually admires the girl's emotions, noting that it means she must love stories a lot if she has such an emotional reaction to them, and wishes more students could be as appreciative of stories as her. Dana smiles for a moment, but suddenly feels disgusted, worrying she might have a crush on John.

## Characters

* Mrs. Jewls
* Dana
* Wilbur (mentioned, debut)
* Charlotte (mentioned, debut)
* John
* Dragon (mentioned, debut)
* Dragon's friend (mentioned, debut)
* Joe
* Stinky (mentioned, debut)
* Stinky's mom (mentioned, debut)
* Charlie (mentioned, debut)

## Trivia

* Later on in "What?", Myron will also refer to Dana as a "giggle box" after she laughs when reading a book.
* While the book and song in question are likely Charlotte's Web and Puff, the Magic Dragon, they are not referred to by name.

## Gallery

Joel Schick illustrationAdam McCauley illustration
### Foreign editions

Peter Allen illustration (UK)Satoshi Kitamura illustration (Japan)