Review: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.

August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER, now a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.

Kindle Edition, 316 pages

Published February 14th 2012 by Alfred A. Knopf 

Series: Wonder #1

Genre: Young Adult/Fiction

Kristine's Thoughts:

I plan on seeing this movie so I had to pick up the book and read it before hand. It is against the law (my law) to watch a movie before reading the book. I managed to get the book done before it was released but this post won't go up until much after. Hopefully I will have seen the movie by the time this post goes up and I can check back to compare the two.

There are a gazillion reviews for this book and I noticed that a large number of my Goodreads friends had rated it very high so my expectations were high as well. It is more than safe to say that I was not disappointed. Why did I wait so long to read this?

First off, I have to say that this book was very easy to read. I managed to read the entire book in one sitting. It started with August telling the story and then it alternated between many other people that were a part of his life in one way or another. I am a huge fan of alternating perspectives because I feel you get a better picture of the entire story from all sides.

I won't re-tell the story but I will talk about how relevant and timeless the messages within the pages of this book were. It showcased how someone who was different from everyone else was treated and how it impacted his life and the people around him. It also showed how mean kids can be to each other and the hurt they can cause. It was powerful and very realistic. I think all fifth graders (the grade the kids in this book were) would benefit from reading Wonder because there is a lot that they can learn from it at that impressionable age. Older children, teenagers and even some adults could learn a thing or two from it as well.

I enjoyed every second of it and I can't wait to see if the movie can live up to it.

About the Author

R.J. Palacio lives in NYC with her husband, two sons, and two dogs. For more than twenty years, she was an art director and graphic designer, designing book jackets for other people while waiting for the perfect time in her life to start writing her own novel. But one day several years ago, a chance encounter with an extraordinary child in front of an ice cream store made R. J. realize that the perfect time to write that novel had finally come. Wonder is her first novel. She did not design the cover, but she sure does love it.

Raquel J. Palacio / R. J. Palacio is a pseudonym of: Raquel Jaramillo

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