Oh my goodness, you need to read this sweet book. You need to read it for yourself, you need to read it to your kids, you need to read it to your class if you have one. This book broke my heart, made me laugh, got me fired up, and, in the end, made me so happy.
Wonder by R.J. Palacio is about a kid, August Pullman, who is born with a “facial difference” and has been homeschooled all his life. Until 5th grade rolls around and his parents think it’s time for him to go to school. Alternating between August’s point of view and those of his family, friends, and school mates, the reader learns about the ugly and beautiful parts of being born into a world that doesn’t understand you, a world that for the most part is disgusted by you.
August is such a brilliant character. He is going through normal everyday kid growing pains in addition to trying to get by unnoticed because of his looks. There is something in this book that every child can relate to. And every grown up for that matter. The lessons that the characters and the reader learns as the book progresses is beautiful. This book would be a great conversation starter for a bullying unit or a school-wide campaign about accepting differences. Or just teaching your kid at home about loving people.
I loved this book. Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Have you read it? You need to. Go now.
I read this book in almost one sitting a few months ago. I absolutely loved it. As an elementary teacher it is definitely a book that I want all of my kids to read and a book that I want to read aloud to them. Such a powerful message and so well-written. Good recommendation!
Isn’t it?? I definitely need a few more copies to put in my classroom library.
This book is AMAZING. I love that no one really describes August. August describes himself and so do the other characters, but it is up to the reader to picture August. I love all the different point of views. I just love everything about this book. It made my heart ache. It made me giggle. It made me uncomfortable and it really hit home on so many levels. I cannot wait until my daughter is old enough to read it. ๐
Me either! I want to read it to my kids so bad.
This book was so well done. My students loved it and I could hardly make it through without crying. As the mother of a child with a visible disability, I appreciated the multiple perspectives and the honest look at middle school life as a “different” kid. Winner!
Yes! So many heart strings pulled on this one—and I love that little boy of yours. I feel like a stalker so I have to refrain from liking every Instagram picture you post. ๐
I am so glad that you recommended this book. I initially picked it for my ten-year-old to read by himself (he is always looking for a good book, god love him!) and he absolutely refused. So, I read it by myself… and loved it, and knew that he needed to read it whether he liked it or not. It became the evening story time book for me, the ten-year-old and his six-year-old sister to read together. They both quickly fell in love with it (& Auggie) and they raced to my room each night because it was ‘Wonder time’. We loved this book so much (even the sad parts), that the next book we read was The Julian Chapter… very interesting perspective from the ‘bully’s’ point of view that led to a discussion I wasn’t quite ready to have with my six-year-old about the holocaust (but, turned out pretty well). If you haven’t already read Julian… you should!
Thank you for having excellent taste in books and sharing ๐
I am so glad that you read this book to your kids, Cyndi! That makes me so happy. And who could hate this book, really? I’m glad you didn’t give up and let your kids love it too. ๐
And thanks for the recommendation! I’m adding to the my list, I love when people suggests books I should read.