That Book Woman, By Heather Henson, Illustrated by David Small
      This Bluebonnet book features a family that lives in the Appalachian mountains. The family does not have any neighbors near them and no school close to them. However, one of the daughters in the family, Lark, is literate and loves reading. Her older brother, Cal, however, does not understand her fascination with books and does not want to learn to read. One day, a woman comes to their door with a load of books. She wants to give the family the books for nothing in return. She comes frequently like clockwork to give them books no matter the weather conditions. After she comes during a horrible snowstorm to give them new books, Cal is surprised and wonders why books are so important to her. Cal then decides to ask Lark to teach him how to read. The next time that the woman comes with the books, she asks Cal to read something to her. After Cal does so, the woman says that this was all she wanted in exchange for the books.
      This book would be most appropriate for second and third-grade students. This book has engaging illustrations and a poetic feel to the text, so students can easily invest in the story. Additionally, the book features an author's note that explains the true history of the women who gave books to Appalachian families as part of a government initiative. This book would be a great introduction to a project that students could do by researching these amazing women. The author's note also includes resources to continue this resource. Additionally, this book demonstrates the true joy that reading can bring. It also shows students that historically, not everyone could learn how to read. This can connect to the modern world how there are still people at a disadvantage in this area. This helps students see the true value in learning how to read and their education.

11 Birthdays, By Wendy Mass
       This Bluebonnet Book features a boy and girl who were born on the same day but to different parents. The boy, Leo, and the girl, Amanda, have been friends since they were born and shared each birthday together. However, on their tenth birthday, Leo's friends pressure Leo into telling them that his mom forces him to share his birthday with Amanda. Amanda overhears this and is crushed. She cuts off Leo from her life for a whole year and they plan to have separate birthdays for their 11th birthday. However, Amanda did not hear Leo gaining the courage to tell his friends later on his tenth birthday that he actually enjoys sharing his birthday with her even if she is a girl. The day of Amanda's 11th birthday comes and goes, and Amanda expects it to be Saturday when she wakes up the next morning. The day, however, repeats itself and she relives her birthday over and over. Eventually, Amanda and Leo find out that both of them have been reliving the same day and they reconcile to make the most of it. Eventually, they find a mysterious old woman that helps them discover the familial curse that explains what is happening to them. Together, the three of them are able to break the curse at the end of the book and they finally wake up to the next day, Saturday. The two's friendship has become strengthened by their experience.
       This book would be most appropriate for third, fourth, or fifth-grade students. This book is a chapter book that may be too long and complex for second graders to read on their own and they may become confused when listening to the book in a read-aloud. However, for older elementary students, this book would be fantastic to have in the classroom library and to read aloud to the students each day. This book teaches readers that actions have consequences. Leo told his friends negative things about Amanda and Amanda heard it. Therefore, she cut off their friendship. However, because Amanda and Leo never talked about their conflict, they never resolved it until the end of the book. This shows students what ack of communication can do to friendships and the consequences of Leo's words that Amanda overheard. Additionally, this book is a chapter book with simple language but engaging ideas. This keeps students interested in reading the story independently especially as they transition to reading chapter books.

Wonder, by R.J. Palacio

            This story follows the journey of a young boy named August (or “Auggie”) as he enters school for the first time in fifth grade. However, he does not experience the typical transition that a homeschooler might have because he looks different than the other students due to birth defects. This adds extra challenges for his first year in middle school. However, August’s support system is solid at the beginning of the book and builds throughout the story to include his entire class. At first, August experiences verbal bullying from a few cruel students. The rest of the students stare at him relentlessly. Throughout the year, the dynamics of school change when he gains many new friends, and no one stares at him because they have come to know him. His family dynamics change too. His older sister begins high school which brings its own challenges, and the whole family experiences a shared loss. At the end of the book, August wins the Henry Ward Beecher medal for his grace under pressure and perseverance through hardship. When the principal announces that August is the winner of the award, the whole auditorium gives him a standing ovation. As he and his family make their way to his graduation party after the ceremony, his mother, amazed at August’s strength and resilience tells him that he “a wonder.” This book was selected for the Texas Bluebonnet Master List, Texas Lonestar Reading List, ALA Notable Children's Book, and many more honors and awards.

            I would love to use this book with a fifth grade English class. The overall message of acceptance, perseverance, and kindness is a timeless and ageless lesson. Additionally, the vocabulary and structure are geared towards students in this grade. The book is more suitable for upper-elementary students due to some of its mature themes as well. For instance, August experiences deep betrayal when he hears Jack, whom August thought was a dear friend, say to another student that he would commit suicide if he looked like August. This does teach an important lesson about the reality of the impact that students’ words have on one another. Therefore, this book would be incredible for studying a character trait of the month such as kindness or compassion and is grade-level appropriate conceptually and in readability.

            Wonder would be a fantastic book to use when teaching about point of view because the story is told from the point of view of August, his friends, his sister, and his sister’s boyfriend in the first person. This teaches students to see stories from all characters involved because they do not view everything the same. Students could then try to imagine other stories from multiple characters’ points of view even when it is not in the text. Imagining an event from another point of view helps build empathy and understanding, both of which are well developed in Wonder. Furthermore, each character has a unique voice in the text, so it is a good example for students developing their own voice and studying voice in literature.