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Welcome to Wonders

Expand their world through literacy

You want all your students to build knowledge while exploring our world through literacy. Literacy is the key to understanding—across time, borders, and cultures—and will help students recognize and embrace the role they play in the world they are creating.

Wonders is an evidence-based K–5 ELA program that empowers students to take an active role in learning and exploration. Your students will enjoy unparalleled opportunities to express and assess themselves through reading, writing, and speaking. They will encounter the right content at the right moment in their learning journey to promote strong educational outcomes for all.

Your Partner in Literacy Success

teachers in the US supported

student journeys impacted

of public schools served

When you're ready, experience Wonders for yourself. Explore a range of print and digital resources and discover strategies for classroom implementation.

Sample Wonders

Collaborating with you to empower great teaching and learning

The EdReports.org evaluation in which Wonders ©2023 was highly rated across the three gateways: Text Quality and Complexity, Building Knowledge, and Usability.

Case studies and testimonials from a range of customers in districts with differing needs. All these districts acknowledge that Wonders contributed to student success

An independent efficacy study, in which the students using Wonders showed significant gains from beginning-of-year to end-of-year exams. The study supports that there is a causal link to Tier III promising evidence, based on ESSA guidelines.

Read more on compelling indicators of student success.

Read on to learn how Wonders meets your most pressing needs as an elementary literacy educator:

The Science of Reading , Link will open in a new tab

Foundational skills , link will open in a new tab, differentiated learning , link will open in a new tab, writing , link will open in a new tab, student empowerment , link will open in a new tab, authentic literature , link will open in a new tab, professional development , link will open in a new tab, instructional model , link will open in a new tab, evaluation materials , link will open in a new tab, grounded in the science of reading.

Put evidence-based practices to work in your classroom

Drawing upon decades of literacy research, we built Wonders to deliver high-quality literacy instruction backed by the Science of Reading. Our program is underpinned by the findings of preeminent reading researchers—because modern classrooms should be served by proven instructional practices.

Learn more about our research into the Science of Reading.

A Love of Literacy Begins with Phonics

Build a strong foundation for success with daily, explicit, systematic instruction

Make phonics explicit and bring foundational skills to the forefront of instruction, ensuring that every student has the building blocks needed to succeed on their journey through literacy.

Learn more about Wonders foundational skills on our pedagogy page.

Foundational skills instruction is multimodal, engaging, and structured for assessment-informed differentiation.

Consistent foundational skills routines are rooted in research and best practices.

The point-of-use Phonics Skills Trace provides structural clarity and shows students what they’ve already learned, what they’re learning now, and what they will learn next.

Student-facing digital activities and technologies gather data, differentiate instruction for key phonics skills, and provide you with a clear picture of student growth.

Students build capabilities every day with integrated spelling, grammar, and handwriting instruction.

Foundational Skills Lesson Cards provide simple, flexible, and scaffolded instruction and support of key foundational skills, including phonological awareness.

Reach Every Learner

Enrich, extend, and support learning for all your students

The path to success doesn’t look the same for every child. Wonders helps you accommodate varied learning needs with instructional on-ramps, scaffolded supports, ELL resources, and data-driven differentiation to teach, reteach, or extend—broadening all students’ horizons.

Access, Support, and Success for English Language Learners

Wonders ELL components provide unparalleled support for English language acquisition in all four domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Explore the extensive ELL support available in Wonders.

In addition to embedded ELL Support in your Teacher's Edition, Wonders provides a dedicated ELL Small Group Guide. It supports flexible delivery of ELL small group instruction to accommodate both push-in and pull-out teaching models.

Robust, embedded scaffolds provide point-of-use whole group support for beginning, intermediate, and advanced English language learners.

The Newcomers Cards and Teacher's Guide are designed to build oral language, giving students the communication skills needed to connect with their teachers, classmates, and world around them.

Provide Equitable Access to Texts

Support meaningful connections to content area learning as well as literature and Leveled Readers at three complexity bands—and a fourth level for English language learners. Leveled Readers accelerate learning and build knowledge for all students.

A. Unit Vocabulary is bolded to reinforce knowledge building.

B. Captions and callouts add context to images, maps, diagrams, and charts.

C. ELL Readers are designed to support language acquisition and academic vocabulary.

Enrich Instruction for All

If They Read About It, They Write About It

Extend opportunities for students to put their ideas into writing

Strong communication skills help children navigate their world. Wonders provides students in grades K–5 with daily opportunities to practice both process and on-demand writing. A strong focus on extended writing to multiple sources prepares students in grades 2–5 for what they will experience on test day, whether they will take SBAC, AIR, or SBACC state assessments.

Get a closer look at Wonders writing instruction in the Reading/Writing Companion student consumable.

Empower Students by Listening to Voice and Honoring Choice

Encourage growth and exploration by promoting social and emotional learning and student agency

When academic and personal growth go hand-in-hand, the whole child flourishes. Wonders has built-in opportunities for students to exercise agency and engage in social and emotional learning, all while hitting targeted literacy skills. Moments presenting choice and encouraging self-reflection empower young people to play an active role in their education.

The Wonders  Guides are a team of age-appropriate, diverse, and student-friendly characters, providing students reassurance of their progress towards mastery throughout the program.

The My Goals page provides students with opportunities to reflect on their own learning. Students assess their knowledge, identify where they need practice, and recognize their growth.

Center Activity Cards give students a choice of various, multimodal activities designed to achieve the same learning goals and foster self-expression.

Expand Their World Through the Wonders of Literature

Build knowledge and broaden horizons

We are committed to showcasing diversity throughout Wonders , not only because all children should feel represented in their readings, but also because we recognize that literacy can help promote understanding. That’s why we have selected authentic texts that feature diverse lived experiences, written by authors from a range of backgrounds and cultures.

Invite students to explore their world with instruction that:

• Provides a 50/50 balance between literary and informational text to enhance content area learning.
• Includes both classic and contemporary works in various genres that highlight a diverse range of people and experiences.
• Focuses on social emotional learning and student empowerment with texts that model social justice and how students can impact their communities.
• Offers Culturally Responsive Lessons to help students and teachers read selected texts through a culturally responsive lens and highlight a diverse range of people and experiences.
• Supports teachers with examining unconscious bias and conducting sensitive conversations.

Preparing Every Teacher to Support Every Student from Day One

With on-demand, point-of-use resources, support is at your fingertips to help you maximize the power of Wonders

Your teacher digital workspace provides extensive guidance to help you effectively and easily implement Wonders . Digital supports will introduce you to the curriculum and the instructional path, give you an overview of resources, and provide guidance for administering placement and diagnostic assessments.

You’ll also get model classroom videos and ready-to-teach modules, designed to support district coaches and facilitators as they deliver on-site or remote Wonders support sessions.

Learn more about the extensive digital support available in Wonders.

Develop Critical Readers, Writers, Communicators, and Thinkers

Wonders instructional model.

Build Knowledge Through a Text Set

• Investigate an Essential Question.
• Read a variety of texts.
• Closely read texts for deeper meaning.
• Respond to texts using text evidence.
• Conduct research.
• Share your knowledge.
• Inspire action.

Communicate Effectively Through Writing

• Analyze mentor texts and student models.
• Understand purpose and audience.
• Plan writing, using sources as needed.
• Conference with peers and teachers.
• Evaluate work against a rubric.
• Improve writing continuously.
• Share your writing.

Instruction Aligned to the Science of Reading

Explicit instruction supports students in building knowledge:

• Foundational Reading Skills
• Phonics/Word Analysis
• Reading Literature
• Reading Informational Texts
• Comparing Texts
• Researching

Skills-based mini-lessons support students in developing their writing:

• Narrative Writing
• Argumentative Writing
• Expository Writing
• Handwriting
• Speaking and Listening
• Following Conventions
• Creating and Collaborating

Differentiation

Differentiate resources, instruction, and level of scaffolds.

Small Group Teacher-Led Instruction

• Choose from small group skills lesson options to target instruction to meet students’ needs.
• Read texts with scaffolded support.

Independent/Collaborative Work

• Students transfer knowledge of skills and standards to independent reading and practice.
• Students transfer skills to their writing.

Extend, Connect, and Assess

At the end of the unit, students transfer and apply knowledge gained to new contexts.

Demonstrate Understanding

• Extend knowledge through online reading and Reader’s Theater.
• Connect ELA skills to content area reading with science and social studies texts.
• Assess learning with program assessments.

Review and Evaluation Materials for Wonders

Grade K Scope & Sequence

Grade 1 Scope & Sequence

Grade 2 Scope & Sequence

Grade 3 Scope & Sequence

Grade 4 Scope & Sequence

Grade 5 Scope & Sequence

A love of reading starts with a solid foundation

Fast, Fun, Effective

The Heggerty Way

• Bridge to Reading

Our new foundational skills curriculum brings together explicit phonics instruction with Heggerty phonemic awareness lessons for a comprehensive approach to early literacy instruction.

Phonemic Awareness

The #1 choice for daily phonemic awareness instruction for more than 20 years, the Heggerty curriculum supplements your existing curricula.

• Bridge to Writing

Our research-based writing curriculum curriculum marries grammar concepts with writing process instruction, providing a comprehensive solution that makes writing instruction easy for teachers and engaging for students.

Our most comprehensive solution yet, the new myHeggerty provides you with all of your favorite Heggerty resources in a single, online hub.

Professional Development

Our professional learning opportunities provide in-person, online, and on-demand experiences that equip teachers to implement the Heggerty curricula with confidence.

Decodable Library

Our decodable books lay the groundwork for confident and proficient readers, supporting educators in delivering targeted and effective small group reading instruction.

Everything a kindergarten teacher needs to implement daily whole-group phonemic awareness and phonics lessons in 30 minutes.

Intervention

of 4th graders and 69% of 8th graders are reading below a proficient level, according to 2022 NAEP scores.

National Association of Educational Progress Reading Assessment, 2022

of elementry students are capable of learning to read when they receive sufficient instruction on foundational reading skills.

"Narrowing the Third Grade Reading Gap" EAB Report, 2019

of teachers surveyed said Heggerty meets or exceeds expectations when it comes to having a positive impact on learning outcomes.

Strategex survey of 676 Heggerty customers, 2020

Customer stories

These decodable readers are great. My students love the colorful illustrations. I love the excitement of the students when they read the fiction and nonfiction stories.

The teachers and the students are loving Heggerty! It takes them 10-12 minutes during morning meeting, and the students ask them to do it again! Great resource for building phonemic awareness!

It has been a game changer. Imagine how amazing it would be if used school wide. My class is blending letters together so much easier when they read, too. Also, many are able to spell phonetically so much better!!!

I love that you can gain access to everything you need, the lessons, the teaching, videos, assessments …. everything! I am also impressed that you can track your progress.

Our teachers love using this curriculum. To have phonemic Awareness activities that you can pick up and use with zero prep- game changer. Our teachers have also learned the progression of skills within the curriculum and this was new learning for them. They use this whole group and reinforce pieces of it in small group instruction for students who struggle.

Launching Bridge the Gap 2025

Bridge the gap 2025 edition sample, fidelity checklist – primary extension, fidelity checklist – pre k, fidelity checklist – kindergarten, fidelity checklist – primary, elementary writing week: the writing rope and integration of reading and writing instruction, elementary writing week: the good, the bad, and the ugly: the wild west of assessing writing subskills and written expression in grades k-3, elementary writing week: moving beyond strategies: equipping teachers for effective writing instruction, hamilton township schools success story, heggerty library lesson plans – grade 2, heggerty library lesson plans – grade 1, heggerty library lesson plans – grade k, heggerty library lesson plans for grades k-2, series 1, 15 essential resources for elementary writing instruction, professional learning community series: starting a book club, the writing rope book club: a spotlight on explicit writing instruction, heggerty insights: faqs on phonemic awareness instruction, navigating writing instruction in the elementary classroom, heggerty library sample.

✏️📝 Looking for ways to enhance your writing curriculum? Check out our latest blog post, “15 Essential Resources for Elementary Writing Instruction,” by Heggerty Literacy Specialist, Janine Henley! 🔎 Discover a curated collection of resources—from webinars and books to podcasts and articles—that will empower you to cultivate proficient and creative writers in your classroom. Dive into these carefully selected tools to strengthen foundations and unlock writing success for your students. 📚🎧💡 📩 Comment “blog” below so you can get access to this AMAZING resource!

📚✨ Stay in the know with the latest tips and resources from Heggerty! 💻 Sign up for our monthly newsletter and join us in empowering teachers to help students become lifelong readers. ⏱️Get timely updates on upcoming events and webinars, free resources, and engaging products for your classroom. Don`t miss out—subscribe now! 📝💡 📩 Comment "newsletter" in the comments to be sent the sign up link!

☀️ Countdown to Summer Break! ☀️ Get ready to dive into summer with Heggerty’s FREE Summer Support lessons, now available in both English and Spanish! Perfect for parents, tutors, and summer school staff, these high-quality phonemic awareness lessons from our NEW 2022 Editions are here to reinforce and prepare students for the next step in their reading journey. 📖✨ For 6 weeks, students will revisit key weeks from their completed grade, strengthening their connection between letters and sounds. Plus, with access to our daily lesson videos, every child can receive quality instruction from a literacy specialist, no matter where they are! 🎥👩‍🏫 📩 Want the link to share with your families, teacher bestie, or administrators? Leave "summer" in the comments to get the download sent right to your inbox!

📝✨ Good news! All of our Writing Week webinars are available on demand! 🎥 Join us for an inspiring session, designed to elevate your writing instruction. Led by assistant professor Julie Brehmer and curriculum specialist Janine Henley, we explore key components of writing curricula, strategies to enhance teacher knowledge, and effective implementation techniques. 💡Gain practical insights and tools to foster a strong writing foundation in your classroom. Watch now and empower your teaching with expert guidance and actionable strategies! 📚✏️ Watch the recorded session now! Comment “Writing” for a link to this webinar!

⭐ #Heggertytime offers students the opportunity to practice phonemic awareness skills by integrating the use of hand motions to make learning fun, engaging, and effective. ✨Hand motions can help students learn letter names and sounds by providing multisensory support and a visual anchor for the sounds they are working with. 🍎 This multi-sensory approach keeps readers active and attentive, helps reinforce key reading concepts, and supports all learning styles, transforming classrooms into dynamic hubs of hands-on learning. 🔗 Comment “guide” for access to our F R E E hand motion guide!

🎉 Let’s celebrate the writing success at Hamilton Township School District!📝 Since implementing Heggerty Bridge to Writing, Hamilton Township School District has seen significant improvements in both the teaching process and student engagement. Students and educators are gaining a deeper understanding of the writing process, and there’s a newfound enthusiasm for writing across the board! ✨ 🔗Comment “writing” below to receive this inspiring success story!

🌟 Want to support your readers over the summer? Our F R E E Summer Support webinar is available on demand! ☀️ Discover why phonemic awareness is the key to reading success, learn how to choose the perfect Heggerty level for your summer program, and get a peek into our comprehensive Summer Support lessons. 📩 Comment “webinar” below for a direct link!

⭐ Shining a Spotlight on: Heggerty Library 📚 Second-grade teacher @alwaysmoretolearn shares her thoughts on the second-grade decodable book set! This collection of decodable books not only supports the practice of second-grade skills but also makes reading engaging and fun for students! 🔗 Comment “library” below to get more information and the link for our F R E E downloadable samples.

🔓 Unlock the power of digital blending with myHeggerty! 🌟 Teachers, elevate your early literacy instruction with our suite of online features, including the dynamic digital blending board. It’s not just a tool for educators, but a pathway for students to learn and engage in exciting new ways. 💻 From accessing our comprehensive curriculum to tracking progress with digital assessments, myHeggerty brings learning to life both inside and outside the classroom. 🔗 Ready to take your teaching to the next level? Drop “blend” in the comments for a link to our interactive digital tour of myHeggerty!

⭐️ As we approach the end of Teacher Appreciation Week, I am reminded of the incredible impact educators have on the lives of students. The unwavering dedication to literacy instruction is truly remarkable and deserving of recognition. ❤️ I want to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude for the passion and commitment educators bring to the classrooms every day. Their efforts are shaping the future generation of readers, and their role as educators is invaluable. 📚 Let’s come together to celebrate the tireless work of teachers everywhere. Thank you for being the driving force behind our shared mission to empower students through literacy. Warm Regards, Alisa VanHekken Chief Academic Officer

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How Griffin Dunne’s fairy-tale upbringing unraveled

In “The Friday Afternoon Club,” Dunne chronicles the murder and divorce that upended his family.

Griffin Dunne’s new book, “ The Friday Afternoon Club ,” opens with a terrifying scene: Dunne’s mother, Ellen (Lenny), is awakened at 3 a.m. by a Los Angeles detective and informed that her 22-year-old daughter, Dominique, has been strangled and is on life support. Lenny immediately phones her ex-husband, Dominick Dunne, in New York to relay the news. “Nick, I need you,” she tells him.

Griffin Dunne knows how to tell a story. He’s an autodidact and raconteur who from an early age regaled family and friends — Carrie Fisher among them — with gossip and worldly takes on culture. Here he uses his authorial gifts — a filmmaker’s eye, photographic memory and way with a quip — to great effect, exploring how the seemingly charmed lives of the Dunnes unraveled.

Lenny was a charismatic heiress from Arizona by way of Miss Porter’s School for girls in Connecticut. She was drawn to Dominick’s sophistication, a departure from the men she encountered in Nogales, where her father ran a cattle ranch. In Manhattan, where Dominick worked as a stage manager for television, the couple hobnobbed with the entertainment elite. After an introduction from Frank Sinatra, Humphrey Bogart invited Dominick to L.A. to discuss a job opportunity. Upon his arrival, Dominick attended a party where he met Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly and Ava Gardner, and watched Sinatra sing a duet with Judy Garland. Dominick was enamored and accepted Bogie’s offer. The Dunnes moved to California with their sons, Griffin and Alex. A few years later, Dominique was born.

Summer reading

In 1960s and ’70s Beverly Hills, the Dunnes mingled with Tinseltown’s A-list. Griffin recalls getting fished out of the family pool by his idol, Sean Connery, who’d noticed the 8-year-old struggling in the deep end. “I saw the reflections of people smoking and drinking from below … oblivious to my efforts to reach the surface,” he writes. Suddenly “a hand lifted me by the butt and placed me at the pool’s edge.” The real-life James Bond admonished: “A wee bit early for the deep end, sonny.”

The outward glitter, though, disguised darker undercurrents. Dominick was desperate to impress and competitive with his brother, John Gregory Dunne. John and his wife, Joan Didion, were newly minted literary superstars. The tension between the siblings thickened over time. To onlookers, Lenny and Dominick seemed devoted to one another, but Dominick’s heavy drinking and affairs with men eroded their bond.

By Griffin’s account, he was a precocious prankster who early found that “if you dare to be sneaky enough, you will get away with anything.” Still, his boyish misdeeds landed him in enough trouble to get him kicked out of two boarding schools; he never graduated from high school.

Griffin confesses to wishing, as a young boy, that his father was more like his more macho uncle. He writes, “My fragile identity at that time was tied to a father who couldn’t throw to third and gave me two French poodles named after famous homosexuals.” He recounts a father-son baseball game Dominick volunteered for, to his son’s chagrin. On game day, Dominick was assigned right field, where it was thought he would do the least harm. But in the midst of play, Natalie Wood walked over “to keep him company.” The two bantered, unaware that Jack Palance was at bat. Palance smashed the ball; all watched as it sailed over Dominick’s head. When Dominick finally reached it after several boggled attempts, he threw it in Wood’s direction.

On the page — and one imagines, in life — Griffin skillfully deploys humor to soften life’s blows. And there were many blows to deflect. In the mid-1960s, when Griffin was 11, his parents divorced. In 1973, Lenny was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which eventually confined her to a wheelchair. Griffin’s brother, Alex, experienced crippling mental illness, which resulted in a suicide attempt and periodic institutionalization. Dominick’s successful run as a TV executive came to a crashing halt when, in a drunken rant, he publicly insulted the legendary talent agent Sue Mengers and was subsequently blackballed. And then, in 1982, just after Griffin finally landed a dream role as the star of “An American Werewolf in London,” his beloved sister, Dominique, herself on the cusp of fame, was killed.

At that point, Dominick was sober and determined to reinvent himself as a writer. At work on what would become the best-selling novel “The Two Mrs. Grenvilles,” he befriended editor Tina Brown, who pressed him to cover his daughter’s murder trial for Vanity Fair. Griffin was ambivalent about his father’s assignment, writing that “I was happy for my father. He had touched bottom and I wanted him to come back as the person he felt he truly was. … But his enthusiasm and excitement also unnerved me. He seemed all too ready and willing to use Dominique’s trial as a springboard for his own midlife metamorphosis.”

The Dunne family’s exploits and tragedies often split them apart, but after the murder trial, they were more closely bonded than ever, which Griffin recounts wistfully, still contemplating the fairy-tale aspects of his childhood amid the fraught. Griffin, the accomplished actor, producer and director, does occasionally take center stage. But in this account, aptly subtitled “A Family Memoir,” Griffin mainly occupies the role of son and brother — a bit player in his own story — allowing his larger-than-life parents and the life they constructed to take the lead. Now 69, a husband and father with a long string of professional achievements to his credit, Griffin can afford to let the light shine on his storied family.

His sister’s memory still haunts and comforts him. “The Friday Afternoon Club” ends with the birth of Griffin’s daughter, Hannah, in 1990. As he sat with his newborn in a hospital room, he writes, “a presence had joined us, and I knew at once it was Dominique. … ‘Oh, Dominique,’ I whispered, ‘look what I have. Isn’t she beautiful?’”

Leigh Haber is an independent editor, writer and publishing strategist who for 10 years ran Oprah’s Book Club.

The Friday Afternoon Club

A Family Memoir

By Griffin Dunne

Penguin Press. 400 pp. $30

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Here's How to Get Free Kids' Books from Barnes & Noble's Summer Reading Program

Can get a free book for reading and reacting to others — I see no downsides here.

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• Book retailer Barnes & Noble has announced the details of its 2024 Summer Reading Program.
• Kids can receive a free book, from a list of selected titles, if they participate.
• The program runs from July 1, 2024 to August 31, 2024.

That's why I'm grateful to events like Barnes & Noble's Summer Reading Program , which will at least give our family a little reward for all that work. In this case, a free book.

The details of the program are simple. The program is open to kids who are in grades 1 through 6. Kids who fall into that age range just have to follow three easy steps to reap their reward. The first is that kids have to read a total of eight books. There's no specific list, it can be any gripping yarns of their choosing. If you have a reader like mine at home, that should be the easy part.

In addition to finishing the books, kids also have to fill out a reading log with the titles of their books, and what their favorite parts were. You can find the reading logs on the Barnes & Noble corporate website , both in English and in Spanish . Adults can download them and print as many as they need, and hand them over to kids to fill in. In the journal, the blank space where kids have to describe their favorite part looks like it can accommodate one sentence, so they're not writing huge book reports or anything.

Then, the fun part: Between July 1, 2024 and August 31, they can turn in their reading logs at any Barnes & Noble store to receive their free book. Sadly, they don't get their pick of anything in the store. There's a pre-selected list, with a little more than 10 titles for grades 1 and 2, grades 3 and 4 and grades 5 and 6. There are more options for the older kids, but the lists are diverse enough that there should be something to appeal to every reader.

The best part: The eight books that the kids read don't have to be from Barnes & Noble. They can be books that have been lying around in your home, books from the library, even books from other bookstores. Everything counts!

The free books include classics that parents might remember like The Boxcar Children or A Wrinkle in Time , new hits like The Princess in Black and Dog Man , books for Minecraft fans and beloved authors like Rick Riordan and Kate DiCamillo. Who knows — maybe they'll walk away with a new (non- Wings of Fire ) obsession. (Please? The next one doesn't come out until December!) And if they're looking for inspiration for what to read to count toward their eight-book requirement? They can always check out the Good Housekeeping Kids' Book Award winners.

Books on Barnes & Noble's Free Book List

The Good Egg and the Talent Show

The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza

Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan

@media(max-width: 64rem){.css-o9j0dn:before{margin-bottom:0.5rem;margin-right:0.625rem;color:#ffffff;width:1.25rem;bottom:-0.2rem;height:1.25rem;content:'_';display:inline-block;position:relative;line-height:1;background-repeat:no-repeat;}.loaded .css-o9j0dn:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/goodhousekeeping/static/images/Clover.5c7a1a0.svg);}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.loaded .css-o9j0dn:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/goodhousekeeping/static/images/Clover.5c7a1a0.svg);}} All the Best Books to Read Next

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Watch CBS News

Reading group discussion guide for "Familiaris," Oprah's book club pick

By Jennifer Earl

Updated on: June 11, 2024 / 9:48 AM EDT / CBS News

• In the prologue, David Wroblewski writes, "The same would be true for each of the great quests in John Sawtelle's life." How would you describe the great quests in John Sawtelle's life?
• Mary is the strong, sensible, joyful backbone of the Sawtelle farm. She is talented at rerouting a conversation or course of action to a better result—at times she is an agitator, at times a peacekeeper. Which events of the book are changed by her intervention?
• John often uses the prompt "Suppose you could do one impossible thing." This phrase becomes his ethos for approaching life's challenges. How does each character interpret it?
• The text Practical Agriculture and Free Will by the fictional thinker George Solomon Drencher turns up regularly in Familiaris , quoted sincerely by John and as a punch line by others. The characters are amused by the book's overblown verbosity, but they do find guidance in its passages. How does the book unify the characters' life stages? Did any Drencherian quotes stand out to you for their strange practicality?
• Throughout the novel, So Jack encourages many characters to have heart-to-heart conversations with Granddaddy. Why? How do characters benefit from these conversations?
• John, Mary, Gar, and Claude are a family of extremely talented dog trainers, and the reader gets a detailed look at that process. Did any aspects of their work surprise you?
• How does the author differentiate each canine character from the others?
• Watching the Sawtelles and their friends over decades explores the broader contours of life experience—starting with their big dreams as they seek what Drencher would call their "singularism." Do you feel that the characters achieved a version of their dreams? Would Drencher say so?
• For those readers who have also read Wroblewski's debut novel, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle , how did the events of Familiaris enhance your understanding of Gar and Claude's relationship and their family history?
• Do you have a favorite canine character in Familiaris ? Do any remind you of a dog that has been part of your life?
• The friendship between John and Frank is tested throughout the book. How does the dynamic change over the course of their lives?
• The Peshtigo fire was a real event that occurred in Wisconsin on October 8, 1871. Its place in history is overshadowed by the Great Chicago Fire, which started on the very same day. Had you heard of the Peshtigo fire before reading Familiaris ?
• The part-human, part-supernatural character known to the Sawtelles as Ida Paine powerfully redirects several events, changing their outcomes and effectively turning back time. Do you see Ida as a force for good, or something more complicated?
• In your opinion, what does Ida want? What does Nyx want? Do they work together, or are they often at cross purposes? Who is in control?
• If you could have a conversation with your younger self and your older self, as John does with Ida's help in part III, what would you want to say?
• The categories the Sawtelles use to classify their dogs—Searcher, Consoler, Challenger, Defender—can also be used to describe the human characters in the story. How would you assign these? Do some apply to more than one character?
• There are many pair-wise relationships in the novel: John and Mary, of course, but also So Jack and Granddaddy, John and Elbow, Walter and Ida, etc. How can each of these be thought of as a love story?
• What is Elbow's relationship to wood? How does his work speak for him? Similarly, what about Frank's relationship to food?
• At the end of part III, John dreams of the first dogs who lived alongside humans. What does this dream mean to you? What do you think it means to John?
• Claude brings chaos and deceit to his relationships. In your opinion, does his darkness come from within or without, and is this universal?
• Why does Claude decide to leave at the end of part IV? What might he fear about staying?
• What does the novel say to you about friendship? What about love? Grief?
• Think about active mourning versus passive mourning, especially as it relates to John.
• Compare John's time at the rooming house with his time at the farm. What kind of community does John create in each place?
• What does it tell you about John's character that he never tells Frank the truth about the necker knob? Do you think Frank knows this, consciously or unconsciously?
• Which character do you most relate to, and why?
• Discuss the following terms: agency, choice, fate, optimism, creation, knowledge, yearning, loss. How are these manifested across the scope of the novel?
• Oprah Winfrey
• Oprah's Book Club

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Restructuring Leads to Layoffs at Little, Brown

The shake up at the Hachette Book Group imprint comes at a time when publishers are feeling pressured by sluggish print sales and rising supply chain costs.

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By Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth A. Harris

Hachette Book Group laid off seven employees at its Little, Brown imprint on Wednesday, according to the company, in a shake-up that was the latest example of turmoil in the publishing industry.

The layoffs, which the company described as part of a corporate restructuring, come as major publishing companies have been buffeted by sluggish print sales and rising supply chain costs, and have struggled to find new ways to get books in front of customers who have migrated online.

The seven people being laid off include the editors Tracy Sherrod, Pronoy Sarkar, Jean Garnett and Ben George, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who wasn’t authorized to discuss personnel matters.

To many industry observers, the departure of Sherrod, a high-ranking Black editor, is a troubling sign that publishers are faltering in their promise to diversify their companies, particularly within their executive ranks.

A Hachette spokeswoman said the restructuring was part of an effort to better serve readers and was not a cost-cutting measure. As part of the restructuring, the company said, it will hire in new roles. The news was reported earlier by Publishers Weekly .

Last month, Penguin Random House let go of two publishers of its most prestigious literary imprints, casting off Reagan Arthur , the publisher of Alfred A. Knopf, and Lisa Lucas , who was the publisher of Pantheon and Schocken and had been the first Black publisher at Pantheon in its 80-year history. Their departures were part of a cost-saving restructuring, according to a person in publishing familiar with the decision.

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Literacy Homework Booklet No. 2

Subject: English

Age range: 11-14

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

22 February 2018

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