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Wonder

Auggie has a hard time overcoming his disability and often surrendered to hating what he was born with.  But in the end he figures out that even though going to middle school and having classmates bully him for what he looks like on the outside, Auggie's intelligence and loyalty helps him realize he can be just like anyone else- just a little more unique.
As a reader, you start to understand all of the struggles and hurdles Auggie goes through, making this book somewhat stereotypical of having the main character fight his conscience of what he thinks of himself and what other think of him and overcoming all of that to just accept what he is and to use it to his advantage.

Even though Auggie's case is extremely severe, I think anyone can relate and understand what Auggie goes through because it's about accepting yourself for your strengths and weaknesses, as well as accepting others for what they may be going through too.  It respectfully demonstrates a person's perspective of this disability by having Auggie, his mom, dad, sister, and friend's point of views by having them each narrate a chapter (or more depending on the character) and how they see each situation occuring.

I think Wonder would be a good book for an advisory group, but I think there are other books and resources available to talk about personal struggles and bullying in addition to this one.  The reason I say this, is because the book concentrates on  Auggie's facial deformity as well as how he sees people seeing him and I think it should concentrate more on Auggie's perspective.

Regardless of how I feel about the advisory group use for this book, I still think I would recommend this book to any student 5th-8th grade, especially someone who has a disability themselves. Overall, I liked the book, I liked how the author used multiple views throughout the book, and I think it has a good lesson about judging people on the outside rather than what they have going on inside.

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By R. J. Palacio
Summary:
August "Auggie" Pullman is a 10 year old boy who has a facial deformaty- since he was born he had several surgeries to help repair his vision, hearing, and breathing. Up until this point, he had been homeschooled by his mother but now his mom thinks it's best to mainstream him and enrolls Auggie at Beecher Middle School. Through the support of his mother, father, and sister Violet, he finds friends and continues to be his unique self and ends up loving and succeeding in the middle school that he initially hated.

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I would incorporate all of these books into one lesson plan by having a literature circle for my middle schoolers.  I think it would depend on if I'm teaching 5th grade or 8th grade because of the difference in maturity level and understanding is on two different levels so I would have to say I would only be comfortable doing all five of these books in a 7th/8th grade class.  It also depends on a person-to-person basis so if I find it suitable to recommend any of these books to a 5th/6th grader, I would absolutely be comfortable giving that student one of these books to read.

I think having a lit circle for a 7th or 8th grade class with these books could help them understand more of what a special needs student is and how they can help their fellow classmates with special needs if they aren't already doing so. (I don't know what kind of special needs students I will have, but I know there will be at least a handful that my students and myself will interact with on a daily basis.)

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Anything But Typical

In this book, Jason does not overcome his autism, but starts to accept it.  Even though his mom is constantly trying to help him do what he needs to do on a daily basis, he learns to accept that this is what makes his mom his mom and he loves her for that.  I think Anything But Typical is respectful of autism because it shows an autistic person in a different light.  It's written in first person, inside Jason's head, but he narrates the whole story as if he doesn't have autism at all.  It gives the reader a sense of what goes through someone's brain who has autism and how they deal with their disability on a daily schedule.

The whole book mainly concentrates on Jason's interactions with his parents, brother, relatives, teachers, and classmates.  He can see how people look at him, how they think he doesn't have any thoughts going through his brain, and how he really feels about the people he's surrounded by.  It's stereotypical of what everyone else feels about a person with autism and it's good to know about someone who does have that disability that they think just like anyone else.

I think this book could be integrated into an advisory group or given to just one person because it's inside the head of someone we don't normally get to see inside of.  It teaches us that someone with autism is well aware of their surroundings and no matter what you may say to them or about them, they have feelings just like you and me, but they have a completely different way of dealing with an array of emotions.

Overall, I really liked the book as it allows the reader to see inside the head of a person with autism and I could understand the disability in a whole new light.

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By Nora Raleigh Baskin
Summary:
This book is about a boy named Jason who is autistic.  He is 12 years old and is mainstreamed without a one-on-one aid.  He has a 9 year old brother named Jeremy who relies on him and makes Jason feel needed, even when he doesn’t need him.

Even though Jason doesn’t do much speaking, he is very intelligent and writes a lot.  Especially on a website called “Wordspace” where Jason writes fictional stories.  There’s someone that keeps reading his online story and they start talking to each other on the internet and they finally have the chance to meet at a writing conference but Jason knows she won’t want to be his friend when she finally meets him so Jason does everything he can to avoid meeting her in person.

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By Kathryn Erskine
Summary:
The main character, Caitlin is a 5th grader who has Asperger's Syndrom (AS).  Her older brother, Devon, was in the middle school when he was shot by a fellow student in a school shooting.  Their dad has a hard time coping with Devon's death and Caitlin is trying to figure out how to find closure for this whole situation.  Caitlin finds it when she discovers that finishing her brother's Eagle Scout project with her dad is their way to bond and to move past the whole nightmare.

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Mockingbird

I find this book relatable and something that will help other students of this age level to understand what goes through someone's mind with AS.  Although the book deals with some bullies (fellow classmates), it shows how best to be around someone with AS and what to do/not to do for these students.  Caitlin doesn't overcome AS, but she learns new ways of dealing with emotions; throughout most of the book she says she doesn't have feelings or interpersonal skills so it makes it difficult for her to empathize with anyone.

By using this book with a class, they can learn more about what it's like to have a disability such as AS and we can explain how to be respectful to a classmate with this disability. It's easy to forget that a student with AS may be finding it difficult to interact with fellow classmates because their brain processes everything differently. Incorporating a lesson into the curriculum using this book can definitely be beneficial to students because they will see the world through new lenses. I would definitely recommend using this book in a classroom discussion for all of the reasons listed previously.

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By Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Summary:
Ally is a girl in the fifth grade who can’t read because it’s too difficult for her. The words she read keep swimming so it makes it difficult for Ally to read anything.  However, everything that she sees she imagines something extraordinary that it can be turned into.  (A pot of coffee brewing becomes a dinosaurs sipping coffee by a volcano.)  Her mom is a waitress in a diner, her dad is deployed in the military, and her brother is still in high school and works at a refurbishment shop after school.  Ally is somewhat on her own when it comes to doing things after school like homework and getting dinner, so I think this is one reason why she is still struggling with reading and asking for help.  Through the help of her teacher, Mr. Daniels, she finally is diagnosed with dyslexia and gets the appropriate help needed in order to succeed in the fifth grade.

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Fish In A Tree

This novel promotes understanding of what it's like for someone with dyslexia (I could get in the mind-frame of what it feels like to not be able to read any words in front of me).  It also touches on a lot of bullying and although it's slightly overdramatic, Ally and her friends are really good at dealing with bullies, which I find as a good representation of knowing when to stand up to them and when to walk away.  So, I would say in a way it was stereotypical with how the antagonist was portrayed and what the antagonist would do, but besides that there wasn't much stereotyping present in the novel.  I think with the mix of the reader seeing what it's like to have dyslexia, the bullying that Ally went through, and the challenges she overcame, it would be useful in an advisory group to demonstrate what may be going on in someone else's brain to make them act the way they do sometimes.  Often, a student doesn't act out for no reason- there's a alternative drive that occurs.

The way this story is told is respectful for Ally, but it doesn't make the reader feel like she's a helpless puppy.  Ally wants to read but she just doesn't know how to ask for help.

I would definitely recommend this book for any age because it shows someone overcoming their disability and conquering the fifth grade at the same time. It's an easy read and you're rooting for Ally the whole time.

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By April Henry
Summary:
Cheyenne is a 16 year old girl who became legally blind at the age of 13 when she was hit by a car which blinded her and killed her mom.  Her dad remarried Cheyenne’s long-term nurse, Danielle, who was the one that took her to the doctor to get medicine for the pneumonia Cheyenne was battling; when they drove to the pharmacy to pick up the antibiotics, someone saw that the car was left running (Cadillac Escalade, and it was running per Cheyenne’s request to stay warm), the car was stolen.  But it was too late for Griffin to leave Cheyenne there and steal the car- he took both of them as his capture.  Once Griffin’s dad, Roy, found out that Cheyenne’s dad was the CEO of Nike, he decided to hold onto Cheyenne to request $5 million ransom.  The biggest fear that Cheyenne has throughout the whole kidnapping is whether or not they’ll deliver her back to her parents dead or alive.

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Girl, Stolen

This book is an appropriate read for a middle school student.  It doesn't necessarily promote stereotyping because it concentrates mainly on Cheyenne's difficulties and struggles that she has after she goes blind.

Girl, Stolen definitely promotes understanding because Cheyenne says the only time she feels like she’s on an even playing field with the rest of the world is when she’s on the phone with someone- they can’t see her, she can’t see them, but she knows that person is talking to her whereas if she were talking in person, she doesn’t always realize that they have left the room and she’s left talking to no one.

Having this book available for young adolescents, I can use it as an example for what a student with a disability is feeling, what they're going through and try to get these students to connect to the character themselves.  Since the main character was in a car accident, I can use her example as a way to put themselves in her position- take away one of their senses, see how they handle it.

I would recommend the book because even though the basic storyline (fight for survival) is a classic story, the fact that the girl who has to do that is only sixteen and she's blind makes it so much more relatable for teenagers. It also shows with challenges and the fight for survival comes courage and fear. Cheyenne knows she has a very little success rate of surviving her kidnapping, but she has to try anyway despite all of the odds against her.