Wonder by R.J. Palacio

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

August (Auggie) Pullman is a 10 year old boy who is much the same as other kids his age–he loves Star Wars, playing with his dog, and his XBox. But he has one very important thing that makes him different: his face. Auggie was born with a severe craniofacial deformity that even several surgeries have not been able to fix.

But life has been mostly OK for Auggie, because he’s lived with his loving sister and parents, who homeschooled him. But then they tell Auggie something he is not prepared for: He will be going to regular school as a fifth grader.

I can’t even tell you how much I enjoyed this book. It’s so rare that a book has you feeling a gamut of so many emotions. I laughed, smiled, cried, and felt tinges in my heart for some of the things Auggie was going through. I am a mother, and I cannot imagine having to be in that situation to have a son so different.

The best thing about August is that he has such a great sense of humor through it all. He laughs at himself more than anyone else does. In fact, he is the one who makes others feel comfortable around him. In spite of the lot he’s been given in life, once you get to know him he makes friends easily.

I really enjoyed the use of the different narrators throughout the book as well. It was great to get each person’s different perspective on life with Auggie and see where they were coming from. The only thing I wish I could have seen was maybe a chapter from each of Auggie’s parents.

It would have been easy to make a book about a “deformed” boy and overcoming adversity very sappy and eye-roll-inducing. But RJ Palacio has done a great job with making lovable characters and plot lines that a reader can really get into. I can’t wait to read more from her.

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I was able to read and review this book courtesy of Random House and NetGalley.