R. J. Palacio: Wonder - Wonder Book 1

Since it came out, Wonder has been highly recommended, and it's been on my to-read list for years. I finally listened to the audiobook, and I really enjoyed it.

Wonder by R. J. Palacio follows the story of August Pullman, a boy with an incredibly rare genetic mutation that caused his face to form incorrectly with some other additional health issues. Though Auggie wasn't supposed to survive for long after his birth, he pulled through and lives an almost normal life. However, the deformity to his face causes a lot of people to stare and make fun. Auggie starts school at Beecher Prep Middle School as a fifth-grader, and though he has never attended a regular school before (he was always homeschooled), he does extremely well academically. The story follows Auggie's crazy first school year.

I loved Wonder. My students also greatly enjoy this book. It's a fast, simple read with a really enjoyable plotline. I loved the characters of the novel, and how it switches among points of view. I loved Via's opening lines, describing August as the sun, and everyone else in their lives as a planet, because that is how the story is written. I did love seeing how much Auggie grew over the course of the year.

I think the parts that bugged me were around the climax. The fight between Jack, Auggie, and the 7th graders all felt a little contrived, and I didn't find it as realistic as the rest of the book. I appreciated the way the other boys stepped in for August, but why were they allowed to wander that far? If the park didn't want kids in the forest, shouldn't there have been more than just a temporary barricade that they went around easily?

I was also bothered by the principal of Beecher Prep giving information that is likely somewhat confidential to other parents (when he told Julian's parents some things about August). Confidentiality is a really strict rule in schools. Perhaps it's not governed as well in a private school? But as a public school teacher, I could get into some trouble for disclosing that kind of confidential information about a student.

At any rate, Wonder was an incredible book with a wonderful message. It radiates this idea that we need to be kind, not pitying (as some of the characters are in the novel).

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