Author: R. J. Palacio
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Setting: Present Day New York City
Themes/Topics: Identity, Friendship, Bullying, Kindness, Overcoming disabilities, Middle School
Alerts: None — everyone in grade 4 our up should read this book!
AR BL: 4.8 AR Points: 11
Highly Recommended: Grades 4 and up. Some of the themes and content may make Wonder a more difficult read with 3rd grade students, but it could make a great read aloud or read with a caring adult book for younger students.
Wow! I will be thinking of Wonder by R. J. Palacio for a very long time. In fact, it may make it onto my favorite books of all time list. August Pullman, Auggie to his family and friends, was born with severe facial deformities as a result of a very rare genetic condition. Auggie himself tells us, "I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse."
Auggie has been homeschooled all his life due to the many surgeries he has had to undergo in order to survive and because his parents feared the reactions of other children. But, Auggie is now about to enter the fifth grade and his mom feels it is time for him to go to a traditional school.
Wonder is the story of Auggie's fifth grade year, and is told from multiple perspectives. Each narrator has a distinct voice and his or her own burdens to bear, even though none of those burdens are as obvious as Auggie's. It is Auggie's voice that truly makes this novel shine and that let's the reader know that, yes, indeed, we all are created in the image of God.
Gandhi once said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Wonder is a novel about being that change no matter who you are or what obstacles are in your way. It is a novel about being kind, being a friend, and loving others, and the courage it takes to live life to its fullest. It is a novel about how one person can make a huge difference. Read this book and be challenged to be the person, God created you to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment