It was such an honor last week to be able to go and listen to R.J. Palacio speak about her career and her amazing book “Wonder”. For those of you who haven’t had the opportunity to hear a professional author explain the labor of love that goes into writing their book, it is well worth seeking out such an opportunity. I remember when we had a few “authors in residence” come to visit our school in the last decade or so (Debbie Dadey…William Durbin) how REAL it made the entire writing process feel. As a listener, I felt even more connected to the text. Watch your local community listings to see if your public library or other organizations are bringing anyone to town this summer!
R.J. Palacio was brought to our town because “Wonder” was a community read book this year. The schools, libraries, book clubs and the community at large took on “Wonder” and made it our own. When the book was selected, one of the requirements was that the author be willing to come and share her story–and she was.
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| Super easy to listen to! The entire audience was captivated the entire time! |
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| Here message–both in the book and in her presentation. Message sent and received. |
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| R.J. was gracious enough to stay to chat and sign books despite her rigorous schedule. My students were SO excited! |
It was amazing to hear about her history in the publishing world as well as the “catalyst” that got her to write the book. I loved how she explained about her inspirations and the impact the book has had on her and millions of readers. She even shared photos of some of the emails and projects students have sent her related to her message of “choose kind” in the book. I took quite a few more photos, but I don’t want to “steal” her presentation–so leave you with this…if you haven’t read “Wonder”, put it on your to-do list. If you haven’t heard an author speak about his/her craft, put it on your bucket list. And above all…”If given the choice between what is right and what is kind, CHOOSE KIND.”
Enough said.
Have a GREAT week, everyone!
