Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Reviewed by Lori
Wonder
Title: Wonder

Author: R. J. Palacio

Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 61954

Description: Ten-year-old Auggie, born with extreme facial abnormalities, must struggle with the taunting and fear of classmates as he enters a private school in Manhattan in an attempt to live a normal life.

Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It!

Why I Read It: Great cover and multiple requests from customers.  I read 365 Days of Wonder first so I needed to read this book too.

Lori's Notes:  This book was fantastic.  August Pullman is a normal kid, except for his face.  August was born with a severe facial deformity, and because of all the surgeries this required August was home schooled.  Now that he is 10, Auggie is enrolled in Beecher Prep Academy. Nervous at first Auggie makes friends with Jack Will and Summer but kids can be cruel and everyone isn't as able to see past Auggie's exterior to the smart and funny kid he is inside.  Kids like Julian who tease Auggie and try to turn the kids against him and Jack.  But, everyone has a story and this book doesn't just focus on Auggie, but many of the different characters - his sister Via, her boyfriend Justin, and her friend Miranda, Auggie's friends Jack and Summer, and even bully Julian.  I loved how this book focused on different people and talked about some of the events from multiple perspectives.  You can see the reasons for some of the changes in behaviour between some of the characters - why Miranda and Via drift apart, why Julian has a hard time accepting August, etc.  A big part of the novel is about acceptance - of oneself and of others, but also understanding the changes that take place between friends at school - how we drift apart and come back together.  I also really liked the depiction of Auggie's parents - they're flawed but loving.  As well as the English teacher Mr. Browne - the precepts in this book are a great conversation starter as they will mean different things to different people.  I highly recommend this novel for all middle schools to have in their collections.  It would be a fantastic read aloud but be warned - I couldn't get through the novel without crying - but in a good way.

Recommended Readers: I would recommend this book to any school for purchase - elementary or secondary.  The story is fantastic and relatable no matter what age of the reader.  I also would recommend this title to any adult readers who like a good story.  This book should be part of every library collection and a read-aloud to all middle school students.  This is also a great novel for curriculum study.

Themes: Character, Self-Acceptance and the Acceptance of Others, Genetic Mutation, Physical Deformities, Bullying and the Bully Transformation, Friendship,  Personal Ethics, Coming of Age, Family, Seeing Beyond Appearances, Empathy, Resiliency, Sibling Relationships, Teachers

Cross-Genre Links: 
Music: You are so Beautiful performed by Joe Cocker
Music: Beautiful performed by Christina Aguilera
Movie: Mask (1985)
Weblink: Precepts

Inquiries and Activities: 

  • What are precepts?  Do you have a precept that you live by?  What is it?  Why do you like it?  What does it mean to you? 
  • Create your own precept and explain what it means to you.
  • How does Auggie adapt to going to school?  What is resilience?  Write a paragraph about how you or someone you know is resilient?
  • Why does Summer go and sit with Auggie on the first day of school?  Would you be like Summer?
  • What happens when people look beyond Auggie's appearance?
  • How does "the war" change after the school trip?  What happens when the bullies become allies?
  • Did you have empathy for Julian during the story?  Did your opinion of Julian change after reading his section?  
  • How can you make your school a place that accepts everyone?
  • Create a simple image of yourself like the cover of Wonder. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for Reading!

Popular posts from this blog

Bluffton by Matt Phelan

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title:  Bluffton: My Summers with Buster Author:  Matt Phelan Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 138305 Description:    Henry bonds with a young Buster Keaton over games of baseball while the latter summers locally with a troupe of vaudeville performers. Rubric Rating:   Level 3 - Laud It Why I Read It:  A growing interest in Graphic novels and a fascination with silent films. Notes:   I really liked this graphic novel.  The images are soft – softly coloured and softly focused.  This is the story of Henry Harrison and the summers that Buster Keaton and the Vaudeville troop come and stay at Bluffton.  While Henry is a fictional character Buster Keaton is not and the novel is based on his autobiography. The arrival of Buster brings excitement to Henry’s life.  They fill their summer days with baseball, pratfalls, and pranks. When Buster leaves for the show, Henry’s life returns to normal, helping his father at the har...
Read more

Cardturner by Louis Sachar

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title: Cardturner Author: Louis Sachar Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 43908 Description: When his wealthy uncle, a champion bridge player who has lost his vision, asks seventeen-year-old Alton to be a cardturner for him, Alton has no idea how much he will ultimately learn from his eccentric relative.  Includes appendix by Syd Fox with information about bridge. Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud It Why I Read It: I really enjoyed the novel Holes and this book is by the same author. Lori's Notes: Alton's rich uncle, a champion bridge player, is blind and needs a cardturner for him to play.  A fantastic story about families and relationships, it weaves together the storylines of Alton and his uncle and first loves.  It does delve a little into the paranormal/ghostly but it wasn't distracting to the overall sense of the novel.  It also touches on the idea of how relationships change and change us.  I'm not a bridge player at all and had no idea how the game was p...
Read more

Finding Reading a Challenge During a Pandemic

Reviewed by Lori
Image
I love reading.  I have always loved reading.  But reading during a pandemic has been more than a little bit challenging.   Between worries and distractions my mind is constantly somewhere else.  I've found that I can't sustain my focus for more than a chapter or two.  I pick up a book, I put it down.  Then I struggle to remember what I just read, so I have to start all over again.  I've tried new books, old favourites, audio books, and ebooks.  The result is always the same, another book added to the "to be finished" pile.  And it isn't like I don't have the time to read, I have scads of it.  But then I'm never alone and the moment I pick up a book to try again, someone and/or something needs my attention and whatever little time I had to myself has now blown away like dandelion seeds in a stiff breeze.   You'd think given the situation, with multiple lockdowns and unending time at home, I would use reading as an escape -...
Read more