The assignment: If you could give someone special in your life a present — just one gift — who would you choose, and what would it be? Discuss.

Certain students know their answers right away. A few find their answers more slowly. And while some responses spark lively conversation, others are revealed only in the privacy of journal pages. But all of the choices are as heartfelt as they are unexpected.

“A deeply humane exploration of gratitude, connection, and moral imagination [and] an exceptional read-aloud.” (School Library Journal)