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| The amazing author of WONDER, R.J. Palacio and me |
I arrived
in Naperville early. My iPhone has been having major issues and we aren’t lucky
enough to have an Apple Store in Central IL, but Naperville does. I arrived at
my appointment, had my phone taken, was given a new one, and was on my way. I
walked out of Apple and glanced across to see this:
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| Anderson's Bookshop - Naperville |
We talk –
or tweet- so much about Anderson’s on Twitter and it is just a bookstore. But,
as I told my husband when I got home, it is so much more than that. It’s an independent
bookstore - I love to support those whenever possible. It obviously celebrates children;
there are children books in about half of the store. It brings authors in to be
celebrated. In doing so, it allows kids to meet these people who have often
become their heroes. At its heart, Anderson’s celebrates books and their
readers.
I
wandered in and began looking for the books on my list. My top three weren’t
there ( I would find out later that John had bought all the copies of two of
them and one wasn’t out yet.) :) I quickly found several others that I wanted and
continued to meander through the aisles. After about an hour I checked out.
Then I
moved on to other stores in town before meeting my friend Jen for lunch. Jen’s
student Michelle had come with her, and Michelle’s family. Michelle has some
similarities to Auggie in Wonder. It was an honor to meet her, her
sister, her mom, and her nurse. A wonderful family, the hour passed quickly.
When we
returned to Anderson’s it was just about time for the event. I found Donna and
John, met some new friends as well. We caught up quickly and then R.J. Palacio
came out. She was just wonderful. This is, amazingly, her first book. She spoke
about the inspiration for writing Wonder, when she found time to write,
her family, the future for Auggie, and more. After she was done we got a chance to get our books signed. John had bought our tickets pretty early so we were towards the front. I loved getting to pass on the message from my son, Luke, who has read Wonder that he thinks it is a simply amazing book. It was a pleasure to watch RJ Palacio interact with people in line. She was simply warm, genuine, and kind to everyone.
After
leaving Anderson’s some of us wandered down a few doors to catch up some more.
We laughed at how many books we had between the five of us. The conversation
moved from discussing the book, Twitter, school libraries, #nerdbery, and what
books we love. All too soon it was time to go home. I went back to John’s car
where he gave me three amazing gifts – the two books I was trying to purchase
and a #wonderofwonder CD. (Songs that are mentioned in the book)
On the
first hour of my three hour drive home I listened to the CD over and over, reflecting on
how you can enjoy the company of these people that you know mainly through a
social network. I also thought about how a book as amazing as Wonder can
change you. John said when he talks about Wonder he holds it close to
his heart as he talks about it. I do too. This book is so important to me.
In that
vein, I was trying to think about how to thank John for all of the books he gives
me. How to thank R.J. Palacio for writing this book. And I can’t think of a
better way than to give away one copy of this book. So, please add your email
below if you want a free copy of Wonder.
Giveaway
Rules
1. The giveaway will run from April 15 to 11:59 PM
on April 20.
2. This contest is open to people living in the
continental United States.
3. You must be at least 13 to enter.
4. If you can, please pay it forward. Thanks!
J
J
