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By: Sharon M. Draper
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This is a new realistic fictional chapter book about a girl named Isabella. Isabella has always felt pulled between two worlds. And now that her parents are divorced, it seems their fights are even worse, and they’re always about HER. Isabella feels even more stuck in the middle, split and divided between them than ever. And she’s is beginning to realize that being split between Mom and Dad is more than switching houses, switching nicknames, switching backpacks: it’s also about switching identities.

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Eleven-year-old Isabella’s blended family is more divided than ever in this thoughtful story about divorce and racial identity from the award-winning and...

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By: Lois Brandt
About:
Within this realistic fictional picture book, Sofia opens the fridge in Maddi’s apartment and finds only a carton of milk inside. Maddi explains that her mom doesn’t have enough money for much else. Sofia must determine what she can do in order to solve her friend's issues at home.
Supplemental Text:
I found this blog post about what it means as a reader to pick up Maddi's Fridge, and how it may impact young children of all ages.

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By: Gabrielle Ford and Sarah Thomson
About:
This nonfiction autobiographic story follows Gabrielle Ford and her rare disease that caused her to be wheelchair bound-feeling like she had to give up on her dreams. That was, until, Izzy her coonhound dog came into her life! Izzy had a disease similar to Gabe's (Gabrielle's), and inspired her to stand up for what she believes in.

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Gabe & Izzy: Standing Up for America's Bullied

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The moving, true story of the young woman dubbed "The Voice of America's Bullied"; how her bond with her dog, Izzy, changed her life; and their...

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Out of Darkness: The Story of Louis Braille

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Out of Darkness: The Story of Louis Braille

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By: Russell Freedman
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Louis Braille was a young blind boy who couldn't communicate with his peers through writing. Punching holes in his papers, he experimented with dots that creating the content of Braille, a language in which the use of touch can formulate words that people of blindness cannot see. This nonfiction chapter book is a true definition of giving a voice to those who may not have one.

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Out of Darkness: The Story of Louis Braille

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A biography of the modest Frenchman who, after being blinded at the age of three, went on to develop a system of raised dots on paper that enabled blind people to...

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By: Jen Bryant
About:
This nonfiction picture book discusses additionally Louis Braille, however, with this visual story, we follow the young boy at the age of 5 and his desire to read. With attending a school in Paris, and tending to his own needs in school with the village children. Louis came to terms that he needed to change the way blind individuals could participate in reading.

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Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille

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The Hardcover of the Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille by Jen Bryant, Boris Kulikov | at Barnes & Noble. FREE Shipping on $25.0 or more!

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By: Don Brown
About:
Ever felt like you are completely alone? Like you aren't special in comparison to those around you? That is exactly how Albert Einstein felt when he was growing up in the 1880's. He was born too big according to his own grandmother, and his mother worried that his head was too big. How did Albert come from this background, to becoming a widely world known inventor and scientist?

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When he was born in 1879, Albert was a peculiarly fat baby with an unusually big and misshaped head. When he was older, he hit his sister, frustrated his teachers...

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By: Roald Dahl
About:
This fictional chapter book by Roald Dahl details the experience of a poor boy named Charlie and his family desiring to win the competition to experience Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory through a golden ticket. Realizing that risk comes with reward, Charlie must learn that choices come with results.

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Coming to Broadway in March 2017, "ROALD DAHL’s most treasured tale is coming to the land where sweet dreams come true-Broadway-in a delicious...

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By: Sally Hobart Alexander and Robert Alexander
About:
Based on a true story about Laura Bridgeman, a deaf and blind child who was considered world-famous by the age of 12. Before there was Helen Keller, Laura was facing the struggles of not being able to see or hear, and left her to discover her own path of being an inspiration to others.
Supplemental Text:
The link includes a website that can inform students about what it is like to be blind, especially from Laura Bridgeman's perspective of being both deaf and blind.

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Laura Dewey Bridgman was born in Hanover, New Hampshire, on December 21, 1829, to hardworking New England farmers. At the age of 24 months, she fell ill with scarlet fever for many weeks and lost her sight, hearing, sense of smell, and nearly all of her sense of taste.

Communication between Laura and her family was very limited. She developed a rudimentary sign language, but as she grew older she frequently had temper tantrums, and by the time she was seven she could be controlled only by being physically overpowered. Laura's father was the only family member she would obey.

Five years after the Perkins School for the Blind opened its doors, Director Samuel Gridley Howe heard about Laura and was eager to try educating her. In that era, people who were deafblind were considered hopelessly unreachable.

Howe traveled to Hanover, New Hampshire, and easily convinced her busy family that Laura's best chance lay in going to Perkins School for the Blind. She arrived at the school in October of 1837, 11 weeks before her eighth birthday.

Intellectual awakening

No one had succeeded in teaching language to someone who was deafblind, and Howe was now faced with creating a method of education. Instead of expanding upon Laura's natural sign language, he decided to teach her English.

He gave her familiar objects, such as forks and keys, with name labels made of raised letters pasted upon them. When he gave her detached labels with the same words, she matched them with their objects. However, Howe could tell that "the only intellectual exercise was that of imitation and memory."

Howe next cut up the labels so each letter was separate. He spelled the now-familiar words, showed them to Laura, then jumbled the letters. Laura was able to rearrange them so they once again spelled the words. According to Howe, it was at this point that Laura grasped the concept of language and communication.

From the moment she understood that objects have names, Laura eagerly demanded to be taught the name of everything she encountered. During the next year of her education, her teachers focused on expanding her communication skills and vocabulary.

Once she mastered language, her curriculum became much like that of the other pupils at Perkins, and she attended classes and studied reading, writing, geography, arithmetic, history, grammar, algebra, geometry, physiology, philosophy and history.

Known around the world

Samuel Gridley Howe published the account of Laura Bridgman's education in the Perkins Annual Reports, making both teacher and student internationally famous.

In 1842, British writer Charles Dickens visited Perkins and wrote of his encounter with Laura in his book, American Notes. Dickens described the twelve-year-old girl in sentimental terms, dwelling upon her innocence and childish beauty, and likened her to a prisoner liberated from a vault of isolation. This effusive praise increased her celebrity and popularity throughout the world.

Later years

Laura's instruction at Perkins ended in 1850, when she was 20, and she returned to New Hampshire to be with her family. After years of being with a constant teacher companion, Laura was suddenly on her own day and night, and her busy farming family had little time or patience for her.

Her health began to deteriorate, and Howe realized that Laura should return to Perkins. He and Dorothea Dix, Laura's friend and advocate, raised an endowment to ensure that she would have a permanent home at the school. Although she often spent summers with her family in New Hampshire, Laura lived at Perkins School for the Blind, her "Sunny Home," for the rest of her life.

Laura's adult life at Perkins was busy. She lived in one of the four cottages with the students and did her share of the housework. Laura read a great deal in her free time, principally from the Bible. She sold her needlework pieces, delighting in having money to give gifts to her friends and contributions to the poor.

She was an enthusiastic letter writer throughout her life, and sometimes traveled to visit friends and relations. For a Victorian woman of this time, Laura lived a comfortable life.

When she was 59, Laura Bridgman became ill. After several weeks, she died peacefully at Perkins on May 24, 1889.

Suggested citation for scholars

McGinnity, B.L., Seymour-Ford, J. and Andries, K.J. (2004) Laura Bridgman. Perkins History Museum, Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown, MA.

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Laura Dewey Bridgman was born in Hanover, New Hampshire, on December 21, 1829, to hardworking New England farmers. At the age of 24 months, she fell ill with scarlet fever for many weeks and lost her sight, hearing, sense of smell, and nearly all of her sense of taste.

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By: Jeanne Betancourt
About:
This chapter book story introduces the life of a young boy dealing with dyslexia. Many students do not understand why Brian is so different, and he feels very left out. This book discusses the internal struggles of a child facing a learning disability.
Supplemental Text:
This is a link to a book review from Publisher's Weekly about the story of My Name is Brain Brian.

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Jeanne Betrancourt, Author, Jeanne Betancourt, Author Scholastic $14.95 (128p) ISBN 978-0-590-44921-2

More By and About This Author

Brian dreads entering sixth grade, knowing his learning experiences will be fraught with the confusion and frustration of years past. But on opening day, his teacher recognizes his problem--tipped off by the boy's reversing letters when writing his name--and conducts a battery of tests. Results indicate that, despite a keen intellect, Brian has dyslexia. A meeting with Brian's (heretofore unaware) parents leads to a support program at home and at school. Betancourt ( More Than Meets the Eye ) ``brings her own experience with dyslexia to Brian's story,'' though it seems unlikely that a child in a modern-day urban environment would reach sixth grade without having been diagnosed. (The boy's father and grandfather are similarly afflicted.) A superfluous subplot concerns the point system Brian and his friends devise for clowning in school; lengthy passages about Canada geese further slow the pace. Despite rather undistinguished writing, struggling students may relate to this protagonist's difficulties. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)

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Children's Book Review: My Name is Brain Brian by Jeanne Betrancourt, Author, Jeanne Betancourt, Author Scholastic $14.95 (128p) ISBN 978-0-590-44921-2

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Jeanne Betrancourt, Author, Jeanne Betancourt, Author Scholastic $14.95 (128p) ISBN 978-0-590-44921-2 More By and About This Author Brian dreads entering sixth grade, knowing his learning experiences will be fraught with the confusion and frustration of years past. But on opening day, his teacher recognizes his problem--tipped off by the boy's reversing letters when writing his name--and conducts a battery of tests.

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By: E.B. White
About:
Within this fictional chapter book, Charlotte, a young girl who has grown up on her family farm, realizes that a young, small pig, is about to have his life cut short because he is the runt of the litter. Charlotte does not see this as a fair course of action, and demands the pig be kept in order to have opportunity within his life.

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Charlotte's Web
Don't miss one of America's top 100 most-loved novels, selected by PBS's The Great American Read. This beloved book by E. B. White, author of Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan, is a classic of children's literature that is "just about perfect." This paperback edition includes a foreword by two-time Newbery-winning author Kate DiCamillo.
Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte's Web, high up in Zuckerman's barn. Charlotte's spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur's life when he was born the runt of his litter.

E. B. White's Newbery Honor Book is a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. It contains illustrations by Garth Williams, the acclaimed illustrator of E. B. White's Stuart Little and Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, among many other books.

Whether enjoyed in the classroom or for homeschooling or independent reading, Charlotte's Web is a proven favorite.

1101727968

Charlotte's Web
Don't miss one of America's top 100 most-loved novels, selected by PBS's The Great American Read. This beloved book by E. B. White, author of Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan, is a classic of children's literature that is "just about perfect." This paperback edition includes a foreword by two-time Newbery-winning author Kate DiCamillo.
Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte's Web, high up in Zuckerman's barn. Charlotte's spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur's life when he was born the runt of his litter.

E. B. White's Newbery Honor Book is a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. It contains illustrations by Garth Williams, the acclaimed illustrator of E. B. White's Stuart Little and Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, among many other books.

Whether enjoyed in the classroom or for homeschooling or independent reading, Charlotte's Web is a proven favorite.

Notes From Your Bookseller

A truly timeless classic, Charlotte's Web is a poignant story about an unconventional friendship between a spider and a pig. This book is humorous and heartwarming and it belongs on every shelf.

Don't miss one of America's top 100 most-loved novels, selected by PBS's The Great American Read. This beloved book by E. B. White, author of Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan, is a classic of children's literature that is "just about perfect." This paperback edition includes a foreword by two-time Newbery-winning author Kate DiCamillo.
Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte's Web, high up in Zuckerman's barn. Charlotte's spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur's life when he was born the runt of his litter.

E. B. White's Newbery Honor Book is a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. It contains illustrations by Garth Williams, the acclaimed illustrator of E. B. White's Stuart Little and Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, among many other books.

Whether enjoyed in the classroom or for homeschooling or independent reading, Charlotte's Web is a proven favorite.

About the Author

E. B. White, the author of such beloved classics as Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan, was born in Mount Vernon, New York. He graduated from Cornell University in 1921 and, five or six years later, joined the staff of the New Yorker magazine, then in its infancy. He died on October 1, 1985, at his home in Maine.

Mr. White's essays have appeared in Harper's magazine, and some of his other books are: One Man's Meat, The Second Tree from the Corner, Letters of E. B. White, Essays of E. B. White, and Poems and Sketches of E. B. White. He won countless awards, including the 1971 National Medal for Literature and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, which commended him for making a "substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children."

During his lifetime, many young readers asked Mr. White if his stories were true. In a letter written to be sent to his fans, he answered, "No, they are imaginary tales . . . But real life is only one kind of life-there is also the life of the imagination."

Kate DiCamillo is the acclaimed author of many books for young readers, including The Tale of Despereaux, winner of the Newbery Medal; Because of Winn-Dixie, a Newbery Honor Book; and The Tiger Rising, a National Book Award finalist. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Garth Williams is the renowned illustrator of almost one hundred books for children, including the beloved Stuart Little by E. B. White, Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban, and the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

He was born in 1912 in New York City but raised in England. He founded an art school near London and served with the British Red Cross Civilian Defense during World War II. Williams worked as a portrait sculptor, art director, and magazine artist before doing his first book Stuart Little, thus beginning a long and lustrous career illustrating some of the best known children's books.

In addition to illustrating works by White and Wilder, he also illustrated George Selden's The Cricket in Times Square and its sequels (Farrar Straus Giroux). He created the character and pictures for the first book in the Frances series by Russell Hoban (HarperCollins) and the first books in the Miss Bianca series by Margery Sharp (Little, Brown). He collaborated with Margaret Wise Brown on her Little Golden Books titles Home for a Bunny and Little Fur Family, among others, and with Jack Prelutsky on two poetry collections published by Greenwillow: Ride a Purple Pelican and Beneath a Blue Umbrella. He also wrote and illustrated seven books on his own, including Baby Farm Animals (Little Golden Books) and The Rabbits' Wedding (HarperCollins).

Date of Birth:

July 11, 1899

Date of Death:

October 1, 1985

Place of Birth:

Mount Vernon, New York

Place of Death:

North Brooklin, Maine

Education:

B.A., Cornell University, 1921

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One
Before Breakfast
"Where's Papa going with that ax?" said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.

"Out to the hoghouse," replied Mrs. Arable. "Some pigs were born last night."

"I don't see why he needs an ax," continued Fern, who was only eight.

"Well," said her mother, "one of the pigs is a runt. It's very small and weak, and it will never amount to anything. So your father has decided to do away with it."

"Do away with it?" shrieked Fern. "You mean kill it? Just because it's smaller than the others?"

Mrs. Arable put a pitcher of cream on the table. "Don't yell, Fern!" she said. "Your father is right. The pig would probably die anyway."

Fern pushed a chair out of the way and ran outdoors. The grass was wet and the earth smelled of springtime. Fern's sneakers were sopping by the time she caught up with her father.

"Please don't kill it!" she sobbed. "It's unfair."

Mr. Arable stopped walking.

"Fern," he said gently, "you will have to learn to control yourself."

"Control myself?" yelled Fern. "This is a matter of life and death, and you talk about controlling myself." Tears ran down her cheeks and she took hold of the ax and tried to pull it out of her father's hand.

"Fern," said Mr. Arable, "I know more about raising a litter of pigs than you do. A weakling makes trouble. Now run along!"

"But it's unfair," cried Fern. "The pig couldn't help being born small, could it? If I had been very small at birth, would you have killed me?"

Mr. Arable smiled. "Certainly not," he said, looking down at his daughter with love. "But this is different. A little girl is one thing, a little runty pig is another."

"I see nodifference," replied Fern, still hanging on to the ax. "This is the most terrible case of injustice I ever heard of."

A queer look came over John Arable's face. He seemed almost ready to cry himself.

"All right," he said. "You go back to the house and I will bring the runt when I come in. I'll let you start it on a bottle, like a baby. Then you'll see what trouble a pig can be."

When Mr. Arable returned to the house half an hour later, he carried a carton under his arm. Fern was upstairs changing her sneakers. The kitchen table was set for breakfast, and the room smelled of coffee, bacon, damp plaster, and wood smoke from the stove.

"Put it on her chair!" said Mrs. Arable. Mr. Arable set the carton down at Fern's place. Then he walked to the sink and washed his hands and dried them on the roller towel.

Fern came slowly down the stairs. Her eyes were red from crying. As she approached her chair, the carton wobbled, and there was a scratching noise. Fern looked at her father. Then she lifted the lid of the carton. There, inside, looking up at her, was the newborn pig. It was a white one. The morning light shone through its ears, turning them pink.

"He's yours," said Mr. Arable. "Saved from an untimely death. And may the good Lord forgive me for this foolishness."

Fern couldn't take her eyes off the tiny pig. "Oh," she whispered. "Oh, look at him! He's absolutely perfect."

She closed the carton carefully. First she kissed her father, then she kissed her mother. Then she opened the lid again, lifted the pig out, and held it against her cheek. At this moment her brother Avery came into the room. Avery was ten. He was heavily armed-an air rifle in one hand, a wooden dagger in the other.

"What's that?" he demanded. "What's Fern got?"

"She's got a guest for breakfast," said Mrs. Arable. "Wash your hands and face, Avery!"

"Let's see it!" said Avery, setting his gun down.

"You call that miserable thing a pig? That's a fine specimen of a pig-it's no bigger than a white rat."

"Wash up and eat your breakfast, Avery!" said his mother. "The school bus will be along in half an hour."

"Can I have a pig, too, Pop?" asked Avery.

"No, I only distribute pigs to early risers," said Mr. Arable. "Fern was up at daylight, trying to rid the world of injustice. As a result, she now has a pig. A small one, to be sure, but nevertheless a pig. It just shows what can happen if a person gets out of bed promptly. Let's eat!"

But Fern couldn't eat until her pig had had a drink of milk. Mrs. Arable found a baby's nursing bottle and a rubber nipple. She poured warm milk into the bottle, fitted the nipple over the top, and handed it to Fern. "Give him his breakfast!" she said.

A minute later, Fern was seated on the floor in the corner of the kitchen with her infant between her knees, teaching it to suck from the bottle. The pig, although tiny, had a good appetite and caught on quickly.

The school bus honked from the road.

"Run!" commanded Mrs. Arable, taking the pig from Fern and slipping a doughnut into her hand. Avery grabbed his gun and another doughnut.

The children ran out to the road and climbed into the bus. Fern took no notice of the others in the bus. She just sat and stared out of the window, thinking what a blissful world it was and how lucky she was to have entire charge of a pig. By the time the bus reached school, Fern had named her pet, selecting the most beautiful name she could think of.

"Its name is Wilbur," she whispered to herself.

She was still thinking about the pig when the teacher said: "Fern, what is the capital of Pennsylvania?"

"Wilbur," replied Fern, dreamily. The pupils giggled. Fern blushed.

Twenty years after WWII, a woman's life is upended when she discovers a mysterious book set in the imaginary world she created for her sister after being evacuated from war-torn London. Could this book be the key that helps her solve her sister's disappearance? This moving novel is sure to delight fans of Once Upon a River and The Paris Library. Keep reading to discover the power Patti Callahan Henry sees in books, reading, and stories that speak to the heart.

Editorial Reviews

Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
ALA Notable Children's Book
Massachusetts Children's Book Award
Horn Book Fanfare
Newbery Honor Book

PAPERBACK COMMENTARY

Customer Reviews

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Don't miss one of America's top 100 most-loved novels, selected by PBS's The Great American Read.This beloved book by E. B. White, author of Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan, is a classic of children's literature that is "just...

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By: Jacqueline Woodson
About:
Within this realistic fiction picture book, there are two characters by the names of Chloe and Maya. Maya wishes to play with Chloe, but is hesitant and often says no. Chloe's teacher one day states that acts of kindness can change the world. Will Chloe realize and learn from her mistakes?

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The Hardcover of the Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, E. B. Lewis | at Barnes & Noble. FREE Shipping on $25.0 or more!

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By: R.J. Palacio
About:
Another fictional chapter book text called Wonder follows the story of a boy named Auggie, and how his facial deformity is now going to be exposed to a public school environment for the first time. Auggie has been through a lot, but that doesn't mean those around him aren't dealing with their own demons. Auggie shows the world how exactly to become a wonder.
Supplemental Text:
Information from The New York Times, and how Auggie's life aligns with others.

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Activity Sheets
As students read and discuss, they might take notes using one or more of the three graphic organizers (PDFs) we have created for our Text to Text feature, which matches often-taught texts with Times articles and other content.

* Comparing Two or More Texts

* Double-Entry Chart for Close Reading

* Document Analysis Questions

_________
Text 1: Excerpt from Part Two of R. J. Palacio's 'Wonder,' narrated by Auggie's sister, Via:

Does August see how other people see him, or has he gotten so good at pretending not to see that it doesn't bother him? Or does it bother him? When he looks in the mirror, does he see the Auggie Mom and Dad see, or does he see the Auggie everyone else sees? Or is there another August he sees, someone in his dreams behind the misshapen head and face? Sometimes when I looked at Grans, I could see the pretty girl she used to be underneath the wrinkles. I could see the girl from Ipanema inside the old-lady walk. Does August see himself as he might have looked without that single gene that caused the catastrophe of his face?

I wish I could ask him this stuff. I wish he would tell me how he feels. He used to be easier to read before the surgeries. You knew that when his eyes squinted, he was happy. When his mouth went straight, he was being mischievous. When his cheeks trembled, he was about to cry. He looks better now, no doubt about that, but the signs we used to gauge his moods are all gone. There are new ones, or course. Mom and Dad can read every single one. But I'm having trouble keeping up. And there's part of me that doesn't want to keep trying: why can't he just say what he's feeling like everyone else? He doesn't have a trache tube in his mouth anymore that keeps him from talking. His jaw's not wired shut. He's ten years old. He can use his words. But we circle around him like he's still the baby he used to be. We change plans, go to plan B, interrupt conversations, go back on promises depending on his moods, his whims, his needs. But he needs to grow up now. We need to let him, help him, make him grow up. Here's what I think: we've all spent so much time trying to make August think he's normal that he actually thinks he's normal. And the problem is, he's not.

Text 2: Excerpt from Melissa Shang's 'Stories About Disability Don't Have To Be Sad'
_________

I was inspired to take matters into my own hands and write a book of my own, starring a girl with a disability. I knew exactly what genre of book I wanted to write. I've never been a fan of "great children's literature" that was somber or tragic. My friends and I have loved the Cupcake Diaries series, paperbacks with pink covers that described four best friends and their adventures together, making cupcakes. Not exactly heavy stuff, but fun to read. I wanted to write something like the Cupcake Diaries, but starring a middle-school girl with a disability and her filmmaking adventures with her best friends. Instead of making cupcakes, they would make special-effect YouTube videos.

My older sister Eva helped me set up a Kickstarter campaign to hire an editor. We wrote the first draft of the book, called "Mia Lee Is Wheeling Through Middle School," and found a literary agent. Using our money from our Kickstarter campaign, we hired someone to help us edit our draft into a polished copy, then sent it out to publishing houses.

When the responses started to come in, they were almost all the same: For a girl who was in a wheelchair with a degenerative nerve disease, Mia Lee was just too happy.

"I keep expecting more from the plotline than what's currently here," one publisher wrote. "What if it was about sisters who were twins, and one had Charcot-Marie-Tooth and one didn't? That would create a more important conflict." Another said that Mia Lee's character didn't seem suited for a lighthearted story. Finally, my agent told me, "I just don't think people are ready for this type of story for this type of character."

What she meant is that Mia Lee, my sassy, YouTube-loving heroine, differed too much from the convention of what a disabled kid is supposed to be like. There are very few stories about kids in wheelchairs, and there are even fewer with a disabled person who is cheerful and happy. Disability is always seen as a misfortune, and disabled characters are simply opportunities to demonstrate the kindness of the able-bodied protagonists.

For once, I want to see the disabled kids not in the hospital, but in the school cafeteria eating lunch with their friends. I wanted young readers to think of disabled kids not as miserable people to be pitied, but as people living normal lives in spite of their challenges. I want young readers to see disabled kids as friends, people to gossip with, to take selfies with and to go see movies with on the weekends. Not having books that show disability in a lighthearted way makes it harder for everyone else to see disability as a normal part of life.

For Writing and Discussion
_________

1. What do these passages have to say about how a person with a disability might feel about the concept of "normal"?

2. How do Melissa and Auggie find happiness in spite of their challenges in life? What helps them to be resilient?

3. In both the book and the opinion piece, a sibling plays an important role. What similarities do you see? What differences?

4. Melissa refers to American Girl dolls and the Cupcake Diaries books as contributing to her happy childhood. How do toys and imagination play a role in Auggie's childhood experiences? How have they played a role in your childhood? How do you think imaginative play helps us to grow?

5. "Wonder" has inspired a "Choose Kind" movement on Tumblr and the hashtag #thewonderofwonder. Melissa cites Change.org, Kickstarter and Amazon self-publishing as being instrumental in getting her message out to the world. How has the internet helped people with disabilities change perceptions in the wider world?

6. The comments on Melissa's article reveal that her experience and attitude strike a chord with an array of readers who want to support her positive outlook. Which of the comments are most interesting to you? Why? Where does Auggie find support for himself in the novel? What obstacles does he need to overcome to find it?

7. Compare and contrast the cover art from "Wonder" with the Dadu Shin artwork on the Times piece. What do these visual representations of each text convey wordlessly? How well do they fit the texts?

8. Based on this article, do you think Melissa would be a fan of the book "Wonder"? Use evidence from the text to support your claim.

9. How do you think Auggie would answer either or both of the "key questions" we pose above? How would you answer them?
Going Further
_________

- Each person's experience with disability is different, as The Times's Disability column makes clear. Skim some of the pieces recently published there and choose one to read in depth. How does your chosen piece differ from Melissa Shang's essay in terms of tone, content, writing style or some other respect? What does it add to your understanding of how people experience life with disabilities? How does it challenge your assumptions? Finally, what can you observe and learn from these articles as a writer yourself?

_________

- In an interview with NPR, R. J. Palacio said she found it more interesting to write about acts of kindness from young people than acts of meanness. This led her to introspection about her own junior high school experience. "Could I have been nicer?" she wonders.

Was I nice? I think somewhere in between nice and not nice is where many people are. It's funny because a lot of people have told me that they identify with the book not because they have experienced bullying, but because when they were younger they remember that there were times when they could've been nicer.

Consider your own life. Where do you fall "in between nice and not nice"? Write a journal entry using specific examples from your life to investigate the answer to this question.

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- Ms. Palacio followed up her first novel with " 365 Days of Wonder." This book collects and shares precepts that she imagines Mr. Browne, the fictional teacher from "Wonder," would share with his class. Using a site such as Brainy Quote, collect 10 precepts you would consider adding to Mr. Browne's collection, or create some of your own precepts to submit via the Choose Kind Tumblr page.

- Read this 40-year-old article from The New York Times's archive, " Surgical Teamwork Gives Disease Victims a New Life," featuring the stories of two young people with severe facial abnormalities. In 1977, what new advances were offering exciting possibilities to the author and readers of this article? In what ways had the situation improved for people with disabilities over previous generations? What do you notice about the word choice in the writing? How have our way of speaking and writing about disability changed since 1977? Look at this article with the eye of a 21st-century newspaper editor. Highlight wording that would need to change to publish this article in a respected newspaper today and revise those passages.

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- The New York Times features a Health Guide section that gives an overview of various illnesses or disabilities such as Auggie's condition, Treacher-Collins syndrome, and Melissa Shang's condition, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Consider a different chronic illness or disability that someone in your life faces and research it using a Times Health Guide. Then, respectfully ask that person to share a little bit of their personal experience with you via email, video chat or perhaps even an audio recording such as in The Times's Patient Voices feature. (Here is another link to personal experiences with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease examples.)

_________

- Auggie's experience involves starting at a new school and trying to build friendships, a challenge many students face each year. In this New York Times article from 2015, the Yale professor Nicholas A. Christakis writes about college freshmen establishing friendships:

It turns out that we are hard-wired to seek and make friends in novel, stressful circumstances. Students naturally assemble themselves into elaborate social networks - and not just Snapchat, Tumblr, Facebook or Twitter. Our modern technology is merely put into the service of more ancient and powerful impulses.

Compile a list of tips that you think would help a new student adapt to life and build friendships in your school. Additionally, this article begins with a graphic called a sociogram (explained here and exemplified here) that maps the relationships among a set of students. Create a sociogram for the characters in "Wonder" or for another young adult book you have recently read. Do the relationship structures in the novel seem realistic and authentic?

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- This Picture Prompt asks you to think about whether you are an optimist or a pessimist using an illustration of the classic "glass half full or half empty" metaphor. Which are you? To what extent do you think happiness is something that comes from within, and to what extent do you think it is determined by outside events? Why?

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- Mr. Browne is a memorable character from "Wonder" who influences the way his students think about themselves and their world. Does he remind you of any teachers in your own life? Consider this Student Opinion question, then follow it up with a note to a favorite teacher, past or present, who has successfully changed your mind-set about your own abilities.

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More Learning Network Lesson Plans on Often-Taught Literature

Here is what we have so far, and the collection is always growing:

Maya Angelou, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,""Antigone," "The Book Thief," "The Catcher in the Rye," "The Crucible,""Death of a Salesman," Roald Dahl, Charles Dickens, "Enrique's Journey,""Frankenstein," "The Giver," "The Glass Castle," "The Grapes of Wrath," "The Great Gatsby," "Harry Potter," "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," "The Hunger Games," "The Kite Runner," "Lord of the Flies," "Of Mice and Men," John Milton, "The Necklace," "Orwell and "1984", "The Outsiders," "A Raisin in the Sun," Shakespeare, Henry David Thoreau, Mark Twain and "Huckleberry Finn," "The Scarlet Letter," "Speak" and "To Kill a Mockingbird."

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Text to Text | 'Wonder' and 'Stories About Disability Don't Have to Be Sad'

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Activity Sheets As students read and discuss, they might take notes using one or more of the three graphic organizers (PDFs) we have created for our Text to Text feature, which matches often-taught texts with Times articles and other content.

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By: Debbie Levy
About:
This picture book biography is about Ruth Bader, her life as a young child going into adulthood. Ruth always stood up for what she believed in, and used her words to state when things were just or not. When taking those powers to the Supreme Court, she shows how to empower women, children, and individuals everywhere to fight for what they want.

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I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark

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The Hardcover of the I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy, Elizabeth Baddeley | at Barnes & Noble. FREE Shipping on $25.0 or

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By: Matt de la Peña
About:
This picture book follows Cj and his grandmother on how they take the bus to the stop of Market Street. As CJ notices those around him, he questions why he even takes the bus in the first place. When Nana (CJ's Grandmother), describes the amazing individuals he comes across on the bus and those around him, CJ explores why exactly this is a daily occurrence.
Supplemental Text:
Book review of Last Stop on Market Street.

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Matt de la Peña, illus. by Christian Robinson. Putnam, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-25774-2

More By and About This Author

Like still waters, de la Peña (A Nation's Hope) and Robinson's (Gaston) story runs deep. It finds beauty in unexpected places, explores the difference between what's fleeting and what lasts, acknowledges inequality, and testifies to the love shared by an African-American boy and his grandmother.

On Sunday, CJ and Nana don't go home after church like everybody else. Instead, they wait for the Market Street bus. "How come we don't got a car?" CJ complains. Like many children his age, CJ is caught up in noticing what other people have and don't have; de la Peña handles these conversations with grace. "Boy, what do we need a car for?" she responds. "We got a bus that breathes fire, and old Mr. Dennis, who always has a trick for you." (The driver obliges by pulling a coin out of CJ's ear.) When CJ wishes for a fancy mobile music device like the one that two boys at the back of the bus share, Nana points out a passenger with a guitar. "You got the real live thing sitting across from you." The man begins to play, and CJ closes his eyes. "He was lost in the sound and the sound gave him the feeling of magic." When the song's over, the whole bus applauds, "even the boys in the back." Nana, readers begin to sense, brings people together wherever she goes.

Robinson's paintings contribute to the story's embrace of simplicity. His folk-style figures come in a rainbow of shapes and sizes, his urban landscape accented with flying pigeons and the tracery of security gates and fire escapes. At last, CJ and Nana reach their destination-the neighborhood soup kitchen. Nana's ability to find "beautiful where he never even thought to look" begins to work on CJ as the two spot people they've come to know. "I'm glad we came," he tells her. Earlier, Nana says that life in the deteriorated neighborhood makes people "a better witness for what's beautiful." This story has the same effect. Ages 3-5. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Jan.)

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Children's Book Review: Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña, illus. by Christian Robinson. Putnam, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-25774-2

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Matt de la Peña, illus. by Christian Robinson. Putnam, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-25774-2 More By and About This Author Like still waters, de la Peña (A Nation's Hope) and Robinson's (Gaston) story runs deep. It finds beauty in unexpected places, explores the difference between what's fleeting and what lasts, acknowledges inequality, and testifies to the love shared by an African-American boy and his grandmother.

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By: Jacqueline Woodson
About:
This realistic fiction picture book discusses Clover, our main character, lives in one town that is separated from the other. This is how it has been for years, but Clover wants to know why a fence must exist to separate people from one another. There is also another little girl, who may also be confused by this very idea. Clover must figure out why this is, and what she can do to change it.

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The Hardcover of the The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson, E. B. Lewis | at Barnes & Noble. FREE Shipping on $25.0 or more!

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By: Alan Rabinowitz
About:
This autobiography is based on the life of a man who has a great love for animals, but in particular, loves jaguars. They are his favorite animal, but cannot help but notice how sad they look within their cages. Alan Rabinowitz turns sad this situation into the better by becoming a wildlife conservationist to protect the animals he loves so dearly.

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The Hardcover of the A Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz, Catia Chien | at Barnes & Noble. FREE Shipping on $25.0 or more!

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By: Misty Copeland
About:
Misty Copeland is the first African American principal dancer in American Ballet History. She wrote her own chapter book about the highlights of her career. But, her road to getting to that position was a difficult one, and her story discusses what exactly Misty went through in order to gain her spot within the American Ballet Theatre.

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Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina Young Readers Edition

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The Hardcover of the Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina Young Readers Edition by Misty Copeland at Barnes & Noble. FREE Shipping on $25.0 or more!

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By: Robert Coles
About:
This nonfiction picture book speaks on Ruby Bridges was just 6 years old when a judge ordered that 4 African American girls were to attend school in New Orleans in 1960. With mobs and protestors attending William Frantz Elementary school, Ruby was scared about going to this school for the first time. With courage, trust, and standing up for what you believe in, Ruby will be taken on a journey to change the world one step at a time.
Supplemental Text:
This is an interview with Ruby Bridges grown up, but is being interviewed by a child.

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By: Rhode Montijo
About:
Within this fictional graphic novel, Gabby Gomez is a girl who constantly chews bubble gum. She can't stop! It has gotten to the point where her mom decides, "It's time to stop!" However, will that stop Gabby? Will her chewing gum change the course of the world forever? Follow this series of our protagonist Gabby as she takes her skills to massive heights

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The Gumazing Gum Girl!: Chews Your Destiny (Gum Girl Series #1)

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The Paperback of the The Gumazing Gum Girl!: Chews Your Destiny (Gum Girl Series #1) by Rhode Montijo at Barnes & Noble. FREE Shipping on $25.0 or more

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By: Fran Manushkin
About:
This early chapter book discusses the story of our silly protagonist Pedro. This book resembles at times a graphic novel, due to its bright and vivid pictures along with text on each page. Pedro believes that he has what it takes to be the hero of the first-grade. No matter what he's doing, Pedro is always good for some laughs and adventure. Despite being in the first grade, he sure does have some big ideas to create change.

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Spend some time with Pedro, Katie Woo's fun-loving friend. From a buggy disaster to a run for class president, Pedro has what it takes to be the hero of...

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By: Kelly DiPucchio
About:
Similar to our previous text within the set, the protagonist, Grace Campbell, learns within school that there has never been a female president before. From that moment forward, she vows to be president herself and takes on some harsh tasks that face the reality of becoming the President of the United States.

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"Where are the girls?"When Grace's teacher reveals that the United States has never had a female president, Grace decides to be the first. And she immediately...

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By: Alan Schroeder
About:
This nonfiction picture book introduces Harriet Tubman within her younger years, the courageous and heroic woman who helped hundreds of slaves escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad. She was nicknamed Minty, short for Araminta, was a feisty and headstrong young slave, whose  spirit often got her into trouble. But, with this story, we will see how her troubles caused great reward for others.
Supplemental Text:
The map below is a visual that students could be provided with in order to truly see the journey that Harriet went through during her lifetime.

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Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway - Map | America's Byways

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By: Mac Barnett
About:
Within this chapter book series, many have said this is a combination of James Bond and  Diary of a Wimpy Kid with this suitable independent read of Mac B. Kid Spy. Based upon the author's vivid imagination, the story highlights include when the precious Crown Jewels have been stolen, and there's only one person who can help the Queen of England: her newest secret agent, Mac B. Mac travels around the globe in search of the stolen treasure. But will he find it in time?
Supplemental Text:
The video provided below comes from Scholastic about the author of Mac B. Kid Spy, Mac Bennet, where he discusses his own life and connection to the story he wrote.

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Mac B. Kid Spy by Mac Barnett | Official Book Trailer

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By: Steve Breen
About:
Within this fictional picture book, Violet has dreams of flying and has a great brain for inventing new things. However, she has peers at her school that tease her for her skills and knowledge. All she wants is to have friends that enjoy the same things that she does. How will she prove them wrong? With the start of a neighborhood air show, Violet hopes to do so.

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Violet is a science-loving girl inventor with a flair for the air! Fans of Ada Twist, Scientist and Rosie Revere, Engineer will love this...

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Students can attempt writing or completing classroom activities with a blindfold to evaluate what it would be like to complete tasks losing one of the crucial senses for most individuals. Each student can complete one task with the blindfold, and then create an exit ticket writing piece about how that perspective has changed the way they see people with blindness or any other disadvantage.

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Children may view this video from UNICEF, where children may discuss within a small group about the disadvantages that members of this video may present. Then, once discussion groups have been completed, they can complete a small research project on a disability of their choice and how it impacts the individual's life. Students could also leave a comment online for the video on how this perspective has impacted them.

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UNICEF's Fight for Equality

One out of every 20 children aged 14 or younger-93 million kids around the world-are living with a moderate or severe disability of some kind. Many are invisible, excluded from school, hidden by their families and abandoned by their governments. We believe that regardless of ability, all children have a right to reach their full potential.

Removing Barriers so Kids Can Flourish

From 2014 to 2017, UNICEF invested more than $1.2 billion in social inclusion programs, supported by more than 195 professional staff in 155 country offices. UNICEF helps governments in 157 countries to provide critical social protection legislation and programs for the most vulnerable and marginalized children.

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UNICEF's Fight for Equality One out of every 20 children aged 14 or younger-93 million kids around the world-are living with a moderate or severe disability of some kind. Many are invisible, excluded from school, hidden by their families and abandoned by their governments.

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Students can be presented with a school issue. This school issue could be related to the cafeteria foods, management of the auditorium, etc. Students will select a school issue and will compose a short presentation or writing piece, depending on the grade, on what issue they would change for the school and how they would plan to change it to benefit others.

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Students will create their own Character X-Ray of themselves, or a favorite character from one of the books that we have read. Their task is to identify how they see themselves as a hero, or the perspective of how they see their favorite character, and share it verbally with the class.

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Students will be creating a Word Cloud with words that they align with when they hear the word "community." Students will then share their creations in small groups or with the entire class along with an informal discussion.

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Using the platform of Storybird, students will create their own story based upon their own life in relation to their first memory of school, and how it has changed from their experiences today.

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Students will receive a signature word or phrase, just like Auggie received from his precepts, and students will interpret what it means in relation to what we have been learning in class, or this can be directly related to the book Wonder. Additionally attached is Wonder's website where it has an icon for teachers.

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An unforgettable story of kindness and unrelenting courage.

Sara Blum lives an idyllic life with her adoring parents in Vichy France. But her world comes crashing down when the Nazi occupation separates the family and forces the young Jewish girl into hiding. Her classmate Julien and his family will risk everything to ensure her survival, and, together, Sara and Julien manage to find beauty in a secret world of their creation.

First a graphic novel, now read the novelized version of the celebrated New York Times bestselling story of kindness and unrelenting courage in a time of war-inspired by the blockbuster phenomenon Wonder.

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Celebrate the Power of Kindness with WONDER - Penguin Random House

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Celebrate the power of kindness with WONDER by R.J. Palacio-the worldwide bestseller that launched the Choose Kind movement.

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Community involvement is very important to educators as we like to emphasize the significance of every individual impacting the Earth in their own way. The engagement I felt would be fitting for this category would be for students to share what their home-lives are like. This could be achieved through the use of a drawing, a writing piece, or a verbal presentation with the class.