365 Days of Wonder by R. J. Palacio

Reviewed by Lori
Title: 365 Days of Wonder {Mr. Browne's Precepts}

Series: Wonder

Author: R. J. Palacio

Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 127343

Description:  A book of precepts, with one saying for each day, from Auggie's teacher Mr. Browne.

Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It 

Why I Read It: I’m a bit of a fan of precepts and it looked like a very quick read.

Notes: I really enjoyed reading this book.  Interestingly, I had this book and Wonder delivered at the same time.  Usually I would have read wonder first but I ended up sticking my nose in this one instead and couldn’t put it down.  While it did give away some of the plot points of Wonder I find I’m more interested in reading the book now than I had originally planned.  If the book is written with the same tone and care as this book I think I will find it delightful. While I had heard/seen/read many of the precepts before I did find ones that were new to me.  But more than the precepts I enjoyed Mr. Browne’s notes for the end of each month. If he had been my teacher in school I would have had a fantastic year. For a fictional character I found him completely engaging and if he was a speaker at a conference you could be sure I would attend.  I found that the book focused very much on kindness. A message that bears repeating – especially today. This book is great as an introduction to Inquiry in the middle school classroom.

Recommended Readers:  Everyone... absolutely everyone.  Teachers, Students, Adults, Children.  This book will appeal to everybody.  

Themes: Precepts, Kindness, Wonder, Anecdotes and Lessons, Grade 5, Student and Teacher Relationships, Friendship, Change, Social understanding

Cross-Genre Links:
Movie: Wonder
Character Education: Kindness
Literary Devices: Precepts and Maxims
English: Essays
Social Studies: Anti-bullying, Random Acts 

Inquiries and Activities:

  • What is a precept?
  • What is your favourite precept and why?
  • Why do Mr. Browne's students contact him over the summer and what do they confess?
  • How does Julian come self-realization?
  • Write your own precept.   
  • As a class put your precepts together to create your own yearly precept calendar.  Use your own and quotes that you like. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for Reading!

Popular posts from this blog

Finding Reading a Challenge During a Pandemic

Reviewed by Lori
Image
I love reading.  I have always loved reading.  But reading during a pandemic has been more than a little bit challenging.   Between worries and distractions my mind is constantly somewhere else.  I've found that I can't sustain my focus for more than a chapter or two.  I pick up a book, I put it down.  Then I struggle to remember what I just read, so I have to start all over again.  I've tried new books, old favourites, audio books, and ebooks.  The result is always the same, another book added to the "to be finished" pile.  And it isn't like I don't have the time to read, I have scads of it.  But then I'm never alone and the moment I pick up a book to try again, someone and/or something needs my attention and whatever little time I had to myself has now blown away like dandelion seeds in a stiff breeze.   You'd think given the situation, with multiple lockdowns and unending time at home, I would use reading as an escape -...
Read more

The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett

Reviewed by Lori
Image
 Title:  The Girl and The Bicycle  Author/Illustrator:  Mark Pett   Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 80407  Description:  A wordless picture book in which a  girl sees a bicycle she wants to buy, works hard  for a kindly neighbour to earn the money for it,  then gets a pleasant surprise. Curriculum Links:  Art: Pencil Illustrations, Lines Character Education: Kindness, Perseverance, Responsibility Math: Financial Literacy Reading: Inferring Science: Daily and Seasonal Changes Social Studies: Our Changing Roles and Responsibilities Notes: Design:  This book is slightly wider and shorter than an average picture book.  The cover and title alone made me want to pick up this book.  A little girl and her younger brother are on the cover with the girl looking at a green bicycle in a toy store window.  The pages in the book are done in taupes and greys so the pages seem soft and aged (rather than ...
Read more