Choose Kind

One of the most thought-provoking books that I have read in the past year is Wonder by R.J. Palacio.

You can see the author's introduction to the trailer here:

And the actual trailer here:

If that doesn't convince you to read the book, stop by Jen Vincent's blog to read about when she went with Michelle, one of her students, to meet the author. You may need to have a tissue with you.

I read this powerful book several months ago, but it has pulled me back and I started to re-read it yesterday. It just continues to speak to me. Palacio has created incredible characters that seem to live and breathe, and in the process, they take your breath away. On a lighter note, she also has an amazing fart scene which is almost always a plus.

Throughout the book, readers are offered glimpses of a variety characters who are kind, indifferent, mean, and/or ignorant. They are encouraged to "choose kind." Fortunately, Palacio writes this in such a way that it doesn't feel preachy, but it still packs a positive punch. Since the publication of the book, an anti-bullying campaign has been started encouraging us all to "choose kind." 

This fall, at least one of our 5th grade teachers will be starting the year by reading the book aloud. I am hoping that even more students and teachers will also read it and we can all begin to choose kind more often. To help encourage this, we will have quotes from the book posted throughout the school. I am pretty excited to be sharing the Wonder of Wonder and I hope you will join us.