On Saturday, December 13, 2025, the Newtown AYLUS members organized and hosted a community reading session for elementary school students. For this meeting, the volunteers and the children read the book Wonder by R. J. Palacio: a widely loved 2012 novel that later adapted to a film. Instead of picking a short or simple picture book, the group intentionally selected a substantial chapter book to help young readers stretch their abilities, build stronger literacy skills, and think more critically about the themes within the story.
Two volunteers guided a small group of five children, creating a relatively small sized, friendly, and encouraging environment where everyone felt comfortable participating. The children read aloud in turns, which helped them practice reading fluency while staying connected to the plot. During this session, the group read pages 142-167, which mentioned Jack Will’s perspective of the story. After getting a clue from Summer about why August was mad at him, he tried figuring it out but couldn’t. He only figured it out during science class when the memory of Halloween suddenly came to him. However, after class Julian made rude comments about August and Jack Will punched him for it. He was suspended instead of expelled to reflect on his actions and apologize. After a series of emails and texts Jack Will and August were able to make up and be friends again.
The session was very successful. With the volunteers’ support, the students were able to follow the storyline clearly and talk about the emotions and difficulties the character experiences. Compared to the previous meeting, the children showed noticeable gains in confidence and reading skill, and many shared that they were excited to continue the book next time. Their enjoyment of the story, along with the academic progress they demonstrated, made the event especially meaningful for both the students and volunteers.
Participating members included Kylee Guo (event leader), Edward Soong, and Rumi Tian, each
contributing one volunteer hour.