Knee Deep in a Good Book

Gonna put the the world away for a minute

Pretend I don't live in it

Sunshine gonna wash my blues away…

Wishing I was knee deep in the water somewhere

Got the blue sky breeze and it don't seem fair

Only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair

Sunrise there's a fire in the sky

Never been so happy

Never felt so high

And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise

~ Zac Brown Band with Jimmy Buffett

      Since I am here in chili western New York, instead of knee deep in the water somewhere, I am perched like a lazy cat in a perfect little sunny spot in our family room.

I will pretend this is my beach chair.

Here's my reading stack,

a cup of steaming java,

and some stitching for in between books.

And Grace found her sunny spot!

      I can’t stop thinking about the book I finished yesterday. On the basis of several recent reviews, I could not wait to get my hands on Wonder by RJ Palacio.  A few pages in and I was hooked. I fell in love with August, an amazing ten-year-old boy who rises above the challenge and adversity he faces simply because he is judged by his appearance. August is in fifth grade and not only is he starting middle school, but he is also starting school for the first time ever.  I join the masses in saying as soon as you get the chance, read this wonderful first novel of RJ Palacio’s.  

A few of my favorite parts…

Mr. Browne, August’s English teacher starts the first class with a discussion of P-R-E-C-E-P-T-S. When no one can tell him what a precept is, he adds a definition to the board:

PRECEPTS = RULES ABOUT REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS!

“A precept is anything that helps guide us when making decisions about really important things.” 
     His monthly precepts will guide students and help them “Know Thyself”, a message on a plaque posted on his door. September’s precept is “When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.”

         At the end of this first class, August thinks…I suddenly realized that I was going to like school. No matter what.

         August has bumps in the road as do most students, but his bumps are often mountainous. August keeps climbing with the love and support of a strong family and true friends that he makes along the way. We do get by with a little help from our friends!

         At the end of the school year, Mr. Browne asks each of his students to craft their own precepts and mail them to him over the summer. Of course the teacher in me loves this idea and I love August’s precept most of all: Everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their life because we all overcometh the world. In my world this book and author RJ Palacio deserve a standing ovation. Thank you for a great story!