#9 Wonder

#9 {and #2 of Spring Break} is Wonder by R.J. Palacio ~ shared with me by a colleague who's note said "You'll love it!  :) Denise" and I did.  What a GREAT book to read, especially after struggling through The Goldfinch.  A DELIGHTFUL story about August and his first year at school as a fifth grader.  Auggie has facial defomaties {even though we hate that word}.  What happens to him is heartbreakingly sad, heartbreakingly tender, and heartbreakingly wonderful.  One Flaw, and I KNEW this would happen from page one SPOILER ALERT.  The damn dog dies.  {NO MORE DEAD DOGS, right Gordon Korman?}
But other than that...this is a must read.

The English teacher had monthy precepts that he posted on his board.  Only a few of them made the book, but they were all listed in the appendix.  First off, I love this concept of teaching precepts to students...helping them figure out their own 'rules of life'.  Here are some of my favorites:
p311 ~
September
When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind. ~ Dr. WAyne W. Dyer

October
Your deeds are your monuments. ~ inscription on an Egyptian tomb

April
What is beautiful is good, and who is good will soon be beautiful. ~ Sappho

May
Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as you ever can.
~ John WEsley's Rule

August's Precept
Everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their life because we all overcometh the world. ~ Auggie

fl: I know I'm not an ordinary ten-year-old kid.  ll: She bent down and whispered in my ear.  "You really are a wonder, Auggie.  You are a wonder."