There are precisely 107 ways to read R.J. Palacio’s young adult phenom, Wonder. For two action-packed days in July, twelve elite upper-elementary-aged enthusiasts of the novel gathered at the O. Henry Museum to turn the novel upside-down and inside-out—not to mention backwards, British-accented, and in full-fledged original song—in a search for new meaning, inspiration, and entertainment. It’s all part of our very first Badgerdog Book Crush. The result was silly, thoughtful, and left us each hungry for more. As you savor their creative approaches to reading, I wonder: How exactly do you read?
Tricia Hassenfeld
Badgerdog Teaching Artist
Why We Read
– a collaborative piece by the self-proclaimed Book Crush Club
Because I want to eat cake
To find the romantic parts
To really feel the character
To get inspired
To be helpful
To kill mosquitos
To breed venus fly traps
It’s fun to do
For school
Other people say it’s good
My mom likes it and suggests it
Because it’s awesome!
If I’m bored or I just wake up
To help me go to sleep
For Fun
To learn something
To learn how to do stuff
To make the use of trees reasonable
Because we enjoy it!! 🙂
Learn important lessons
Reading entertains me
Reading helps me ignore my mom when she’s asking me to do chores
To be hungry
To be a good student
To get more knowledge
We love it!
It is amazing!!
Reading entertains
Badgerdog Book Crush Club
Read with Scissors and Glue!
“August,“ a cut-out poem by Quinn
“Jack,” a collage by Campbell
“Reading with Scissors Collage,” by Keena
“Cover Collage,” by Laya
Read with Markers!
“Make a Mess!” by Laya
Read as a Historian!
“Map of Beecher Prep,” by Quinn
Read as a Historian and an Artist!
“Timeline of August’s Feelings,” by Brian
Read as a Scientist!
(Create “what if” statements and use your imagination to test your hypotheses.)
What If?
If Auggie flunked out of Beecher Prep, then he would have to be homeschooled again.
If he had to be homeschooled again, then he wouldn’t have any friends.
If he didn’t have any friends, then he wouldn’t have any birthday parties because he wouldn’t invite anyone.
If he didn’t have any birthday parties because he wouldn’t invite anyone, he’d have to eat a whole cake. If he had to eat a whole cake, he would get really sick. If he got really sick, he would die.
If he died, he would go to heaven.
If he went to heaven, then he would fall out of heaven.
If he fell out of heaven, he would be nowhere forever!
Therefore, if Auggie flunked out of Beecher Prep, he would be nowhere forever!
Cody
“If Julian Had Stayed,” by Solomon
Read as a Scholar!
(Compare the novel to another piece of fiction, an idea from our idea box!)
“Comperisant: Reading like a Character,” by Solomon
Read the Wrong Way!
(Summarize exactly what didn’t happen in the novel.)
“The Lies of Wonder,” by Eric
Read as a Character!
(Rewrite a chapter from another character’s perspective.)
Ordinary: Eddie’s Version
I know I’m an ordinary fourteen-year-old kid. I mean, sure, I have evidence. I have parents. It’s not like I’m a zombie or anything. But there’s a kid I know who is, though. He’s this guy named August Pullman. His face is like the most creepiest thing on earth.
Anyways, I have an Xbox. I eat regular food. I play sports. If that isn’t ordinary then I don’t know what that is. Also, I forgot to tell you: I have one younger sister. She’s six. She’s probably the most annoying person on earth.
Also, I forgot to tell you, my name is Edward, but most people call me Eddie. Yeah, I’m the kid who took the hearing-aids from that zombie. At the Big Movie Night at the Briarwood Nature Reserve when we saw those kids, I thought it was a zombie apocalypse.
Brian
Read as a character and a scientist!
(What if Belua was real?” Bring a fictional character to life!)
“Belua Chapter,” by Diya
Read as a Poet!
“Miranda,” an acrostic poem by Emma
Read as an Editor!
“Olivia’s Brother Revision Pages,” by Keena
Read as a Musician!
(Create a song for a character.)
“Summer Song,” by Diya
Read as a Mathematician by Noticing and Recording Patterns!
A graph of excitement throughout the novel, by Campbell
Read as a Character and an Illustrator!
“Myself as a Character,” by Sruthi
Read as an Artist!
Untitled abstract piece in red marker (inspired by music), by Cody
“Back Cover Inspired by Color,” by Sruthi
Read as a Writer!
(Gain inspiration from your own life.)
“Farther Intro,” inspired by Wonder and the difference in the characters, by Carisa
Read as a Writer (Again)!
(Copy the author’s style to create a brand-new piece.)
“Facebook, Texts and Cavemen,” by Eric
Read as a Writer and an Artist!
(Copy the author’s style and bring it to life with color and shape.)
“Summer and August,” by Emma
