Book: Wonder
Author: R.J.
Palacio
Publisher: Knopf Books For Young
Readers
Pages: 320
Grade Level: 5th Grade and up
Rating: 5 Stars
August Pullman is a ten year old boy with a deformed face, a result a rare
birth defect. Because of this, his mother has homeschooled him but his parents
decide that for the first time, as a 5th grader, August should go to
school. The story is told through the perspective of August, his sister, and
the new people he meets his first year in a mainstream private school.
When people refer to a “school story”, this book should be at the top
of the list. Palacio is such a talented author she truly transforms you into
the setting completely. You feel like all of her characters, a little
uncomfortable by August’s face (after all, it takes some getting used to), but
after a while you get past his looks and realize that he is a great boy and you
want to be his friend and number one cheerleader. This is an excellent “anti-bully”
story, teaches acceptance and sends a message that even though people look
different on the outside, they are just as smart, funny, creative and sensitive
as anyone else in the world. This is an upper elementary and middle school MUST
READ by teachers, students and their parents. It is definitely not a
disappointment.
