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

The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title: The Poet's Dog Author: Patricia MacLachlan Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 127678 Description:   An abandoned dog, able to speak only to poets and children, rescues a pair of young children stranded in the forest. Together, they find a way to overcome their losses. Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It Why I Read It: Poetry and Dogs... what more can I say.  Notes: This is one of those novels that I absolutely love.  It is written for a younger audience but there are deeper aspects to the story that are very appealing to an adult reader.   The story is encapsulated within 88 pages, and spells out the story of Teddy, the poet's dog, whose master has passed away, and Flora and Nickel, two children he finds lost in a blizzard.   The children are left in a car by their mother as she goes to look for help after getting stuck in the snow.  The children get scared and leave the vehicle and get lost in the woods where they are found by Teddy who brings them home.  Flo
Read more

Butter by Erin Jade Lange

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title:  Butter Author: Erin Jade Lange Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 76283 Description: Unable to control his binge eating, a morbidly obese teenager nicknamed Butter decides to make a live webcast of his last meal as he attempts to eat himself to death. Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud It Why I Read It:   Interesting cover and title. Notes: Butter's world is empty and he uses food to fill the void.  When Butter gets fed up with the bullying at school he starts a website called "Butter's Last Meal."  While it started as just an outlet for his frustration, when he starts receiving menu suggestions the website takes on a life of its own and starts to affect his real life as well.  The boys who taunted and bullied him now invite him to sit at their table, invite him bowling, and out to parties.  He gets close to his crush Anna, who has no idea that he is the JP she has been communicating with online, until he finally plays his saxophone and she recognizes the
Read more

Brain Jack by Brian Falkner

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title: Brain Jack Author: Brian Falkner Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 128664 Description:   In a near-future New York City, computer genius Sam Wilson manages to hack into the AT&T network and sets off a chain of events that have a profound effect on human activity throughout the world. Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It! Why I Read It: Interesting write up in the catalogue and a growing interest in tech-related reading. Notes: Sam is a seventeen-year-old Hacker, one of the best around.  So good that he is able to hack into the telecomerica head offices and order a couple of "neuro" headsets for himself and his friend Fargas.  The latest technology that allows you to directly access the computer network using only your brain.  But Sam's hacking brings down services for three days - something that will go down in history.  That's when the CDD (the cyber defence division) start watching him.  It's not long before they hack Sam back and he's arrested.
Read more