Summer Book Club for Kids: Wonder by RJ Palacio
How to host a kids book club on the book Wonder by RJ Palacio. Invitations, activity ideas, discussion questions, and more.
This post is part of an ongoing Summer Reading for Kids series. Click HERE to find ideas for reading activities, reading lists, and reading incentives…and keep checking back for more!
This summer my middle daughter chose the book Wonder by RJ Palacio for her Summer Book Club. She had read it during our Epic Vacation (click here and see the book camping with her!) and absolutely loved it. “Mom,” she said, “it’s a book about learning to love yourself and learning that everyone is beautiful no matter what they look like.”
Wonder Book Club Invitations
She (age 10) made the invitations herself by printing out the head that is on the book cover and gluing it to blue paper. She hand-wrote the details of time and place on the back and made sure to hand them out about six weeks ahead of time so her friends would have a chance to acquire and read the book.
It is important to give your child creative control over the book club. My daughter really wanted to make the invitations herself, and came up with the entire idea. Sometimes my kids want more help with the preparations, and sometimes they want to do it all. Be there to support and help where needed and allow them to bring their ideas to life!
Wonder Book Club Activities
“You are a wonder because…” introduction game
We made a strip of paper for each girl that said “{Girl’s name} is a wonder because_________” and taped them on each girl’s back as she arrived for the book club. The girls took turns writing positive things about each other, and we read them later in our discussion.
Because my daughter invited friends from different circles (school, church, neighborhood), not all of them knew each other, but they still managed to find wonderful things to say about everyone. It really made each girl feel special as they read their own cards.
Once everyone arrived and had a chance to write on all the cards, we moved into the living room where we began the discussion. I was incredibly impressed with how thoughtful their answers to the questions were. All of them had truly loved the book and felt it was very applicable to their lives.
Word discussion activity
During this activity each girl drew a piece of paper out of a box. Each of the papers had a word or phrase meant to evoke more discussion about the book. We used the following words:
- Astronaut Helmet
- Padawan
- The Sound of Music
- Standing Ovation
- Mr. Browne’s Precepts
You can add your own so there will be a slip of paper for each book club attendee. My daughter helped me go through the book and find interesting words and phrases related to the story. This activity prompted some really great discussion!
Framed quote craft activity
For our craft activity, the girls decorated picture frames of my daughter’s favorite quote from the book.
I purchased 4×6 frames at the Dollar Store and brought out all of the craft supplies I could think of: ribbon, jewels, buttons, and fabric strips. I provided a couple of glue guns and the girls went to town decorating their picture frames.
We used this 4×6 printable of one of Mr. Browne’s Precepts and printed one for each girl, which they put into their fully-decorated frames.
“When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.”
Mr Browne, Wonder by RJ Palacio
You can download this printable for your own personal use by filling out the form at the bottom of this post.
This was, by far, the girls’ favorite activity of the afternoon. It was super fun to see all of their creative ideas and individuality! Craft projects are definitely a favorite activity amongst 10 and 11-year-old girls. My daughter displays her framed quote right by her bed, and I know several of her friends do the same.
Wonder Book Club Discussion Questions
Here are the discussion questions we used:
- Did you like the way the author told the story from different view points?
- Whose viewpoint did you enjoy the most?
- What parts of the story made you the saddest?
- What parts of the story made you laugh?
- Which character did you relate to the most?
- Which of Mr. Browne’s precepts did you like best? Why?
- How did you feel about the ending?
- What was the most important thing you learned from this book?
My daughter led the discussion and I was impressed with how much her friends wanted to talk about the book. That said, these book club discussions can sometimes feel like they aren’t going great. Allow the kids to discuss as little or as much as they like. Some kids really like answering questions like these, and others don’t. It also just depends on the group dynamic.
Wonder Book Club refreshments
Once everyone was finished with the craft project, we moved to the dining room where we ate ice cream. My daughter and I went through the book to find a treat that matched the book, and it seems August and his family and friends ate a lot of ice cream. So ice cream it was!
The girls had a wonderful time, and most importantly, they read a wonderful book. We are already looking forward to our next book club!
If you have any great book suggestions for 10-11 year old girls, please comment!
More books for girls:
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please read my disclosure.
That is seriously the sweetest thing. You are the best mom ever. {smooches}
Was this part of an ongoing book club that other people host sometimes too, or a one-time thing you guys did? Either way, I agree with Hilary that you are an awesome mom.
It’s just something fun we do for the summer to encourage more reading. Each of my kids hosts one book club with their friends. That said, a few of the friends have taken the idea and run with it so they have attended some other book clubs, too!
What a wonderful idea!!!
My daughter is in fourth grade and she loved Because of Winn Dixie. It is also a movie ( which she also loved) They read it as a class and the whole class was into it.