I am so pleased that this year's winner of the Great Stone Face Award (which Maple Street students also chose as their favorite) is a book called Wonder by R. J. Palacio. This is a not-to-be missed book about a boy with a severe facial deformity, who decides that he no longer wants to be home schooled. He wants to attend fifth grade and just be treated like a normal kid. But this proves difficult because most people just can't seem to get past the way he looks. What makes this book really special is that it is told through the voices of many different characters, giving us a chance to see different perspectives of how Auggie's challenges affect his life and those around him. I highly recommend this book for students and adults. Click here to read a book excerpt or watch some book trailers.
At Maple Street, the book that came in second was The Unwanteds, and in third place was The One and Only Ivan. The results of the voting across the state of New Hampshire are here.
I'd like to thank the PTA for their support of the Great Stone Face program - they fund the purchase of extra copies of the books so that they are accessible to more students. During the months of March and April, students listen to one of the Great Stone Face books read by a staff member -as part of the Friday afternoon Community Clubs.
