Wonder

Wonder
Written by R. J. Palacio
Ages 8-12

Auggie Pullman is about to start 5th grade at a new school, his first school, actually. He has been home schooled his whole life because he was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a normal school. But he is a normal kid in every other way. Convincing all the other kids of that, however, will be a challenge. This heartwarming realistic fiction takes a look at how powerful kindness can be and how much we can each learn and grow from our trials.

I really enjoyed this story. It is a quick read but provides a lot of depth. It actually made me really wish I had a class of my own so I could share it with them. It is funny, relatable, and tackles some big issues like bullying and empathy. It is definitely worth a read and, if you are so lucky as to have a class of your own, worth sharing! Here are a few ideas on how to use it:

Read Aloud
My first thought was that this would be an AMAZING read aloud story. It is full of big important lessons that every teacher and parent wants their children to learn. There are lots of great talking points and interesting subjects to discuss with a class. I would especially use this at the beginning of the year when everyone is trying to figure out who they are going to be and how to act around others. Even if everyone has been in the school for years, the beginning of a new school year is a fresh start and everyone feels kind of new. Some things to discuss:

• Kindness: One of Auggie's teachers challenges the kids, "When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind." I love how the quote emphasizes that kindness is a choice. Each of us is capable of choosing to be kind and each of us deserves to be respected by others. Some of the kids in the story were probably afraid to be kind to Auggie because they didn't know how others would react. But they missed out on all the good things that come from being kind. How are Summer and Julian different? How are Summer and Charlotte different? Choosing to be kind can be more than not being mean. It can be more than just being nice. Let students share experiences when others were kind to them and when they were kind to someone else. What happened? How did they feel? One of my favorite things in my 5th grade class was a spotlight jar where students got to highlight the good deeds they saw happening in the classroom. Fostering an environment of kindness and friendship is so important to helping students grow.
• Empathy: One of the strengths of this story is that it is told through several different perspectives. Many characters get to speak to us and we learn a lot about each of them through their own words and thoughts. Since we are kind of stuck in our own minds and only see the world through our own eyes, it is helpful to remember that other people see the world differently. They each have their own problems, difficulties, and concerns. Auggie is so wrapped up in his experiences at school that he doesn't always understand why Via is upset. Via sees the changes making Miranda popular but doesn't understand the problems making her so sad. We often don't see the trials people hide but we all have them. Recognizing that everyone has good things and bad things going on in their life might help us choose to be kind a little more often.
• Bullying: Unfortunately, I don't think bullying will ever go away. It will always be something children (and adults) have to face at some time in some form. Along with kindness and empathy, I believe it would be helpful to discuss how the kids in the story hurt Auggie. Only one time does a bully physically hurt him, but there are many times that he is hurt. How do the kids hurt him with words? How do they hurt him with the things they don't do? What things can your students do to prevent that kind of bullying in their school?

Voice
I love that this story is told from the perspective of several different characters. As a reader, I get more than one perspective on events from the school year which is helpful in seeing the whole picture. And it is done very well! Palacio carefully considers the voice of the character narrating and his or her personality certainly shines through the writing. Some of the "background" characters that we might not really get to know get to speak to us in their chapters with their own quirks about their own concerns. Some, like Justin, even use their own teenage, casual, too-cool-for-capitals writing style. I remember our fifth grade class working a lot on the Six Traits of Writing (and I'm sure this starts in the younger grades). Voice can be a tricky one to show because it is kind of abstract. Wonder is a great example of Voice that can really help young students grasp what it means and start thinking about their own voice.

After talking about Voice and how it is used in this novel, I would want my students to practice. As an exercise, ask students to write about a personal experience from someone else's perspective. Preferably, this would be an event or story that they've already written about (possibly in their journal). They will have to think about the other person's personality, feelings, and opinions. How do they talk? What kinds of words do they use? This would be a fun opportunity to buddy up and share the two versions with a partner who can help identify the differences in voice.

Alternatively, ask the students to write a new chapter for Wonder from the perspective of someone else in the story. There are still many characters we don't hear from that would be really interesting to read. A few options would be Auggie's mom, Charlotte, Mr. Tushman, Miles or Henry. There are lots of new perspectives waiting to be explored.

Mr. Tushman (the principal at Auggie's school) knows there is something special about this fifth grade age. He tells them that this moment in their lives moves him, "because you're at the cusp, kids. You're at the edge between childhood and everything that comes after. You're in transition" (p. 299). We need more stories like Wonder to help inspire our children in that transition to be better, to try to understand others, and to choose kindness.

*Bonus! Here's a link to a great article with lots of stories and behind the scenes from Palacio. If you've read the book, you'll especially find it interesting!

These Is My Words

These Is My Words
Written by Nancy Turner

For the past month, I have been trying to convince just about everyone I have talked with to read this book. So I guess it's your turn now. After half of the characters I was introduced to died within the first twenty pages, I wasn't sure this book would be worth it, but it is. Just keep reading a bit and you will be as absolutely and completely hooked as I was.

This is a snapshot of the life of Sarah Agnes Prine from 1881 to 1901. It begins when she is a 17 year old girl traveling with her family from the Arizona Territories to greener pastures in Texas. This voyage (as well as a few others) and life in the Territories is shared from Sarah's perspective through a novel comprised of her diary entries. It's full of adventure, heartache, and a truly swoon-worthy romance. It's honest and funny. I don't think I have ever read a book that has simultaneously made me long for a life in a different era and also be so glad I don't live in it. Sarah is a lovable, relatable character who is hardworking, down-to-earth, intelligent, and stubborn. She has a thirst for knowledge and a knack for writing that make this novel inspiring and enjoyable.

"It seems there is always a road with bends and forks to choose, and taking one path means you can never take another one. There's no starting over nor undoing the steps I've taken. It isn't like I'd want to... It's just that I want everything, my insides are not just hungry, but greedy" (p. 309).

Since I'm sure you'll wonder how much, if any, of this diary is real, I'll tell you. The novel is a historical fiction, based on the real Sarah Agnes Prine, the great-grandmother of author Nancy Turner. As an assignment at a local junior college, Turner decided to write a short story about her great-grandmother Sarah and thus began These Is My Words. Turner says that while she had heard many stories of her great-grandmother, she didn't know many facts about her life. Turner used the only written documentation of her family's story available - a memoir written by Sarah's older brother, Henry, describing a wagon trip from Arizona to Texas. Turner used real events from Henry's memoir, actual places and dates that correspond with historical events, and real people that lived in Pima County at that time. However, there was no diary from Sarah's life. While many of Sarah's character traits are authentic, the details of her life were imagined by Turner. Many of the main characters were also created for the story. So, though it is based on a real person, it is a work of fiction. A fabulous work of fiction.

"Mama told me to make a special point to remember the best times of my life. There are so many hard things to live through, and latching on to the good things will give you strength to endure, she says. So I must remember this day. It is beautiful and this seems like the best time to live and the best place" (p. 327).

One of my favorite things about the story was watching Sarah grow up. We only see a glimpse of twenty years of her long life (the real Sarah lived into her nineties!), but they are perhaps the twenty years of the most growth, change, and life. She starts as a simple girl and becomes a loving wife, a strong mother, and a wise woman. I enjoyed watching her relationships change as she did, in particular her relationship with her mother. At one point Sarah explains, "I don't think I really knew my own mother until I had children" (p. 370). As a mother myself now, this made me long to really know my mother, for all my child-memories of her seem insufficient. I look forward to the day when I can sit and talk with her and really find out who she is. 

"We are driving away, and I look back over my shoulder with a strange feeling of parting. It is not a lonely feeling, but just as I am always sad to close the cover on a book, I feel I have finished with this part of my life and will have to begin a new book" (p. 286).

This quote is talking about books like These Is My Words. The kind of book that you don't want to finish so you stretch out the last twenty pages over a few days just so you can let it linger a little longer. Let this be your next novel; You won't regret it. Then give me a call so we can chat about it.