On Saturday, February 28th, 2026, the Newtown AYLUS members organized and led a reading
session for elementary school students. During this meeting, the volunteers and children read
Wonder by R. J. Palacio, a widely loved 2012 novel that was later adapted into a film. Rather
than choosing a short picture book, the group intentionally selected a longer chapter book to
challenge the students, strengthen their literacy skills, and encourage deeper thinking about the
overall story’s theme.
Three volunteers worked closely with a small group of five children, creating a supportive and
welcoming environment where everyone felt comfortable participating. The students took turns
reading aloud, which allowed them to practice fluency while staying engaged with the story plot.
During this session, the group read pages 214–238, where the narrative shifts again from the
previous main character, August, to his sister’s former best friend, Miranda. Through Miranda’s
perspective, the students explored the reasons behind her significant change in personality after
the summer vacation. They discussed what happened to her over the course of summer at
camp, how her personal background shaped her actions, and why she changed so dramatically
in such a short time. The volunteers guided the students in analyzing the reason behind
Miranda lying about her family condition using Via’s family as hers in order to gain attention and
social recognition. At the beginning of this section, the group also read about the tension
between the protagonist August, his parents, and his sister Via, as well as the emotional impact
of August’s dog, Daisy, passing away.
With the volunteers’ support, the students were able to follow the storyline clearly and
thoughtfully discuss the characters’ emotions and challenges. Overall, the session was highly
successful. Compared to previous sessions, the children demonstrated noticeable growth in
both confidence and reading ability. Their enthusiasm for the story, combined with the academic
progress they showed, made the experience especially meaningful for both the students and the
volunteers.
Participating members included Rumi Tian (event leader), Kylee Guo, Edward Zhao, each
contributing one volunteer hour.