The Wheel on the School is a novel by Meindert DeJong, a Dutch-born American, that won the 1955 Newbery Medal for children's literature and the 1957 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis.

The task of finding a wagon wheel in the tiny village proves difficult, and the children meet several interesting personalities during their search.

This simple yet compelling plot teaches that if people think and wonder why, things will begin to happen and dreams will come true.

The schoolchildren are: Lina, the only girl in the small school; Jella, the biggest of all the children; Auka, an average boy; Eelka, who is fat and awkward; and Pier and Dirk, the inseparable twins.

These six kids are aided by their teacher, Grandmother Sibble III, legless Janus, old Douwa, and the "tin man".