Wonder

Wonder

R.J. Palacio

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads):  I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?

R. J. Palacio has written a spare, warm, uplifting story that will have readers laughing one minute and wiping away tears the next. With wonderfully realistic family interactions (flawed, but loving), lively school scenes, and short chapters, Wonder is accessible to readers of all levels.

Marcie's Review: I loved this book, and would recommend it to anyone!  Auggie is such a wonderful, sympathetic, funny character who deals with his problems in a very mature way.  His family is loving and supportive, as are his true friends (at times I had a hard time believing middle schoolers could be so understanding).  I could not put this book down, and was sad when I finally finished it.

Becky's Review:  I really enjoyed this book.  A lot of times when I read books that are intended for middle grades, I find that they are written at a very basic level that seem too simplistic to me but this book is not like that.  It is very well written and as I was reading, I really didn't notice that it's intended for a younger audience.  I too had a hard time putting the book down; it's a fast read.  I really loved Auggie's attitude through the book and it was interesting to see other points of view as well so that you knew how Auggie affected other people.  The one complaint I have about the book is Justin's chapter.  It drove me nuts that there were no capital letters.  I had a hard time reading that whole section because I wanted to correct all mistakes!  I don't think the author needed to write in that format for the book to be successful and believable.

Marcie's Rating: 5 stars

Becky's Rating: 4 1/2 stars