Wonder

I think this book really changed how I look at "different" people out there. I think so because the storyis told from mostly the "different"person, Auggie's, point of view. It describes how people starred at him which really changed me.

I found this book to be amazing and it really made me think about people from a different point of view. I don't want to spoil the ending or the whole book, but I would highly recommend it for anybody but especially those in middle school. The main character is August (Auggie) and he has trouble due to his appearance. I feel like R.J. Palacio is strong in having the reader feel what Auggie is feeling.

Realistic fiction is generally not my cup of tea, and I've already read (and lived) my fair share of "fitting in" stories, so I was hesitant to pick up Wonder, but I had heard from so many people how much they liked it that I thought I'd give it a try.

For the most part, I liked Wonder. I thought Palacio did a great job of making Auggie seem like a very normal, average boy with the exception of his physical different-ness. His voice feels very authentic, and I love that he loves Star Wars. I also liked the chapters told from his sister Via's point of view, but I thought the other POVs pulled the focus off of Auggie (I am reading this book for his story, after all!)

The book lost me is at the very end, where the conclusion was overly sentimental, basically undoing all the good will it had been building over the course of the story. I can't say too much without giving away what happens, but I will say that I was disappointed in it.

Auggie is hideously ugly. I’d tell you how, but it would ruin the book for you. Let’s just say people sometimes audibly gasp when they look at him. He’s used to it. But, it’s still hard on him when he goes to school for the first time ever, and middle school at that. As his sister’s boyfriend says, “Middle School is just about as tough as it gets.” Will he ever make any friends who see him for the really, rather normal boy that he actually is, despite his appearance? This is a coming of age story, not only for Auggie, but for the other characters in the book as well, which really gives the reader a memorable punch. Auggie might be ugly, but WONDER is a beautiful book.

Palacio uses many voices to tell Auggie’s story, and it works because she does it well. In a soft, subtle, but definite shift, she creates a montage-effect with each voice leaving the story a little bit further ahead than where the last person left off. More than her story-telling skill, I appreciated the “message” of the book. Choose kind. See humanity in the world around you. Choose to be more than kind sometimes, go out of your way to do it. I just watched the viral video of some middle school kids bullying a bus monitor yesterday, so this message renewed some of my hope. People really can be kind. The deal is, though, that sometimes this type of message gets schmaltzy and downright preachy, so it’s easy for readers to tune it out. I think that’s where this book will differ. Just when it’s getting too preachy, the voices change and the narrative barrels forward.

If you liked MOCKINGBIRD, SO B. IT, or any other novel that teaches us how to get along, you'll love WONDER.

Rating: 5 tissues.