Jenny

*For information on this character in the cartoon, see Jenny (cartoon).*

 — "*What?*"

## Jennifer

* Heitz
* McCauley
* Schick
* Brinckloe
* Hockerman

**Jennifer**, usually shortened to **Jenny**, is a character in the *Wayside School* books. She is one of the many students in Mrs. Jewls's class. She is an extroverted student that often has to ride her father's motorcycle to work, and often shows up late to class.

## Appearance

Jenny typically shows up to class wearing a motorcycle helmet and owns a sparkly shirt. Aside from this, her appearance is never described.

## Personality

In the books, Jenny appears to be an extroverted student, as she is seen interacting with several other characters throughout the course of the series, including Dana, Maurecia, Joy, Rondi, Allison, Leslie, and Louis. When she shows up to school in "Jenny" and notices no one else is around, she feels intense concern, showing she cares for the many students that attend Wayside School. Jenny seems to enjoy listening to gossip, as in "Way-High-Up Ball" and "Flowers for a Very Special Person" she seems to be very invested in the relationship of Louis and Miss Wendy Nogard. She seems to be on good terms with most of the students in Mrs. Jewls's class, with the sole exception of Terrence, as even most of the characters she isn't seen in dedicated friendships with, she seems to treat with respect.

She seems to be very stern in her sense of emotion, more willing to play basketball by herself than play freeze tag in "Recess" and attempting to go to school without drinking her prune juice in "*What?*" Jenny tries to get her way whenever she can, as she reads a story backwards in "*What?*" just so she doesn't miss whatever is at the start of the book. Jenny seems to be surprised when people don't feel the same way she does, as in "Another Story About Socks," she seems confused when she hears Hobo Bob likes spelling, which is her least favorite subject. She seems briefly annoyed by Mac in "The Closet That Wasn't There," telling him to "put a sock in it" when he's announcing every play he makes during a game of basketball, though she helps him get on top of Mrs. Jewls's closet later on in the chapter.

Jenny seems to always be working for the well-being of her classmates, as in "Mrs. Gorf," she pulls out a mirror to prevent Mrs. Gorf from turning anyone in her class back into an apple, and in "Mr. Gorf," she tries to keep Myron quiet so Mr. Gorf isn't disturbed. In "She's Back!" she checks on Deedee, to make sure that Mrs. Gorf didn't hurt her. Jenny is someone who cares for those around her, and works to make sure everyone is okay whenever possible. It is possible Jenny is athletic, as she is shown to be skilled at hopscotch in "Deedee" and "Ron," and she is the best at the somersault race according to "Conclusion."

## Relationships

### Dana

    Jenny and Dana appear to be good friends, as in "Calvin's Big Decision," the two joke together about where Calvin could put his tattoo, and in "Jenny," she seems to worry the most about what happened to Dana when she isn't at school on a Saturday. Jenny is additionally seen to be close friends with her and Leslie in "Stuck," where she grabs "Patches" from Louis. Jenny is seen to be briefly insulted when she notices Dana is still wearing her "Doofus Face," though this shows that Jenny does recognize the face, and soon after, she realizes Dana's face is stuck due to the Cloud of Doom, and hopes that Louis can help fix it. However, since Dana is typically reserved, the friendship isn't often seen to as much of a degree as other characters.

### Louis

Jenny seems to be good friends with Louis, as the two enjoy playing hopscotch together in "Ron." Towards the end of *Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger*, Jenny is one of the students who is most dedicated to helping Louis hook up with Miss Wendy Nogard, and in "Mr. Poop," she invites him to join her at jumping rope with Joy and Maurecia.

### Leslie

On a few occasions, Jenny is shown to be close friends with Leslie, such as in "Deedee," where the two play hopscotch together, and in "Ron," when Leslie rushes over to her to celebrate her winning a round of hopscotch. In "A Story with a Disappointing Ending," Jenny tries to help Leslie when she can't find her pencil, and in "Stuck," she helps grab "Patches" from Louis for her and Dana. In "Mrs. Surlaw," Jenny additionally discusses one of her favorite books with her in the library.

### Deedee

Jenny seems to be friends with Deedee, as in "Deedee," she invites her to play hopscotch. However, Deedee finds this "disgusting." In "She's Back!," Jenny tries to comfort Deedee when Mrs. Gorf appears.

### Maurecia

In "Mr. Poop," Jenny is seen jumping rope with Maurecia and Joy, implying that the three could be good friends. However, no other interactions between them have been seen in the books.

### Joy

In "Mr. Poop," Jenny is seen jumping rope with Maurecia and Joy, implying that the three could be good friends. However, no other interactions between them have been seen in the books.

## Appearances

For a list of every chapter Jenny is seen in, see here.

## Trivia

* In the Joel Schick illustrations for *Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger*, two unidentified female students can be seen in the illustrations for "A Message from the Principal" and "A Light Bulb, a Pencil Sharpener, a Coffeepot, and a Sack of Potatoes." The only confirmed illustration of Jenny by Joel Schick is in "*What?*," where she is seen with her motorcycle helmet on. Therefore, it is possible one of these designs is meant to be Jenny, but it is unknown which one.
* In the books, she transforms Mrs. Gorf into an apple by holding up a mirror. In the cartoon, this role is taken by Maurecia.
* According to "Recess," she doesn't like to play freeze tag, but loves to play cheese tag. Because of this, she'd rather play basketball, even if she has to do it by herself.
* Jenny dislikes prune juice or peas.

### Other designs

Peter Allen design (British edition, 2004)Jenny as she appears in the cartoon. (2005)Satoshi Kitamura design (Japanese edition, 2010)Ramona Bruno design (Italian edition, 2021)
## References

1. ↑ "Jenny"
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "*What?*"
3. ↑ "Game Day"
4. ↑ "Science, Geography, Etc."