On Saturday, January 24, 2026, 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 7 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 168-192, which mentioned Jack Will’s perspective of the story. Jack has now been outcast by Julian who convinced most boys to stop being friends with him. And while Jack is saddened by this, he gets through with hanging out with August and Summer. August and Jack have thoroughly reconciled and started finding a science project to do together. While they were in August’s room, Via stops by to introduce her boyfriend to which they two laugh about. It then transitions to Justin’s perspective after he is introduced to August and Jack by Via. Justin recounts his first meeting with Via and a nervous dinner with her family. He gushes about Via and how perfect she is.
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.