Wonder by R. J. Palacio (Fiction)

The book, Wonder, is about a boy named August Pullman. Auggie was born with facial deformities. Because of this, he has had several surgeries since he was a baby. Auggie is the center of his family’s world. Everyone focuses their attention on him and this causes his sister, who loves him greatly, to feel left out. Auggie has never gone to a mainstream school. He was always been home schooled, so that his parents could look after him.  Now that he is in the fifth grade, his parents decided that he was ready to start school at Beecher Prep. They wanted him to start living a normal life and make friends. Auggie is very nervous about going to school for the first time. He doesn’t want people to treat him differently because of the way he looks. Auggie’s first year in school has a lot of ups and downs. He makes friends, loses friends, gets bullied and experiences what it is like to be an ‘ordinary’ middle schooler.

In my opinion, this is a wonderful book and everyone should read it at least once. This book allows the reader to feel many different emotions. The story has a beautiful message that everyone in the world should come to learn – Choose Kind. It doesn’t matter what people look like on the outside. We are all the same on the inside. We should take the time to get to know people and treat others the way that we want to be treated.  I especially like how the author tells Auggie’s story using his point of view, as well as his friends and family's point of view. Each and every person in his life plays a special part in his journey. It is cool to see how others view what is happening during this time of Auggie’s life. After you read each person’s point of view you realize that this book isn't just about Auggie’s struggles, it is also about the struggles and successes of all the special people in his life. I would recommend this book to kids that want to learn about friendship and kindness. 

Reviewed by Caitlin F. 7th Grader