Review – Wonder by R.J. Palacio (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: February 14, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0375869020
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

“August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER, now a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.“

I have been wanting to read this for awhile and when my son begged me to buy it for him the beginning of the summer I did. My 10 year old son ended up loving it and was eager for me to read it as well. This was an excellent read that I enjoyed a lot. It was very engaging and very well written!

The book is told in sections and each section is told by a different person involved in Auggie’s life. Auggie’s severe facial deformities have made life challenging for him to put it mildly and they affect everyone from his family to his friends.

I loved Auggie; he has a positive attitude, is able to poke fun at himself, and is incredibly smart. That’s not to say he’s perfect; he struggles a lot with things and sometimes assumes the worst of people because of his experiences.

This was a very heart-warming and humorous story about kids that look past Auggie’s appearance and give him a chance as a friend. It also takes an interesting look at how everyone around him is affected by either being related to him or choosing to be his friend.

This is a story that leaves you feeling absolutely happy and amazed at the end; it’s just very engaging and inspiring. I had a really hard time putting it down and understood completely why my son loved it so much.

Overall this was an amazing read and I would recommend everyone read it. There’s a lot of food for thought packed into this engaging, humorous, and inspiring story. It’s very readable and engaging and I enjoyed it thoroughly!

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– YA Reading Challenge