Wonder by R. J. Palacio

Wonder by R. J. Palacio is a moving and uplifting story of 10 year-old August (Auggie) who was born with a facial deformity. The book would make a good class novel for pupils in years 5 or 6.

Auggie lives in New York with his parents and older sister.  In many ways he is an ordinary boy. He rides a bike and likes to play on his xbox. However, Auggie was born with deformities of the face and looks very different from other children.  At the beginning of the book, he tells us 'My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.' Auggie's appearance shocks people. People stare at him and others look away as soon as they see him. 

The predominant themes which emerge throughout the novel are: kindness, difference, family, courage and friendship. All of these make it a powerful story to read with children and provide opportunities to discuss at length the way individuals and society treat those who are perceived as 'different'. As such the novel would make an ideal choice for numerous areas of the curriculum: anti-bullying week, British Values, Diversity...

The story is told in the first person from a range of points of view. The story begins with Auggie and is told through his eyes. We see first hand how his deformity has impacted on his life and how he feels about the way others treat him, both strangers and his own family. There are also chapters narrated by his sister, his friends from school, his sister's boyfriend and his sister's friend. Pupils will, as they read the accounts from the different characters, see Auggie's life from those different perspectives. These perspectives would be good stimuli for looking at character motive and could be used in drama activities such as hot seating. The way the story is told helps pupils understand why the different characters behave in the ways that they do.

The vocabulary in the book would be accessible to the vast majority of year 5 and 6 pupils. What provides the challenge is the multiple perspectives we encounter of the same event. Pupils will need to realise that as we move from one section of the novel to another, we often go back in time to view the same events again but they are told to us by a different person. For those pupils who have not read widely or have ony just begun to read independently this may be challenging but with guidance and support not insurmountable.

A significant amount of the dialogue in the novel isn't tagged and as such some pupils may find it difficult to follow. These excerpts could be used for readers' theatre to: explore and identify who is saying what; consider characterisation (identify how each of the characters feel at that point and therefore how they might be saying the lines spoken); thought-tracking and playscripts.

There is also one section of the book which is told through a variety of means of communication: letters, facebook posts, texts and emails. The difference in register of each of the communications is interesting. The 'shifts in formality' are clear and could therefore be used as a model when discussing and teaching this aspect of writing.

Although the majority of readers won't have experienced Auggie's medical problems, you can identify with each and every one of the characters which makes it such a compelling read. It is a story which is funny, sad, moving and uplifting. 

The film is due to be released in the UK in December this year. I strongly recommend that you read the book with your classes before they see the film.

Publisher: Corgi Children's

Publication Date: 2014

ISBN: 978-0552565974  

          

                 

Penny Dreadful is a Magnet for Disaster by Joanna Nadin

Penny Dreadful is a Magnet for Disaster contains three adventures starring Penny Jones, a girl who comes up with plenty of ‘brilliant’ ideas. Each story is a complete story in itself. Penny Dreadful isn't her real name, it's a nickname given to her by her father. Her gran says she is a ‘Magnet for Disaster’ and certainly in these three stories she lives up to both descriptions. This is because Penny's 'brilliant' ideas frequently don’t turn out in the way that she planned and usually have disastrous consequences. With the help of her best friend Cosmo, Penny manages to superglue her cousin Georgia May Morton-Jones to the carpet, steal a dog and amaze the school inspector.

These are fun stories that read aloud well and are supported by lively illustrations by Jess Mikhail. Children in years 2 and 3 will enjoy reading about Penny's disasters. The themes of the stories are similar to those in Francesca Simon's Horrid Henry and David Roberts' Dirty Bertie, but this time the protagonist is female. However, due to the style of writing, children will need to have developed a little more reading confidence to read these books independently than either the Horrid Henry or Dirty Bertie series.

It is very difficult not to love Penny Dreadful as she hurtles from one disaster to the next. The books are narrated in the first person and Penny chats away unstoppably and is so utterly believable. The stories are fast-paced and the style in which they are written enhances the character of Penny. Each of the characters are quirky and loveable in their own way. The storytelling is only broken up by the equally quirky and perfectly matched illustrations provided by Jess Mikhail. There are lots of amusing pictures with highlighted and capitalised text bubbles to enhance the fast pace and humour.

Penny Dreadful is a Magnet for Disaster would be an ideal book for use during guided reading for those children who have developed their reading confidence and are ready to discuss how an author's style adds to the meaning of a text. (The old AF 5). There is much to discuss such as the ways in which the text has been broken up with speech bubbles, lists and different sizes of text affect the children's reading and enjoyment of the story. Why Penny's 'brilliant' ideas never seem to work out the way she planned and how do the author and illustrator make the stories so funny? The stories also lend themselves to work on characterisation. Each character has their own distinctive character traits which will make it easy for children in year 3 to identify and therefore, develop their understanding of character traits. Jess Mikhail's illustrations of each of the characters at the front of the book could easily be enlarged for a working wall display identifying the adjectives which describe each of the characters.

In Year 4 the stories would also be a good resource for looking at events from different points of view. Using Anthony Browne's book Voices in the Park as a model children could retell the events from a range of different points of view. So, for example 'Penny Dreadful and the Faithful Sidekick' could be explored from the points of view of Aunt Deedee and Mrs Higgins. What are their stories? Other ideas include writing their own Penny Dreadful story or re-writing one of the stories as a play.

Penny Dreadful is a Magnet for Disaster was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize.

• Publisher: Usborne
• Date of Publication: 2011
• ISBN: 978-1-4095-2672-8