Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Wonder by R.J.
Palacio
There
is something about this novel that really sits with me. I wasn’t sure what to
expect from Wonder. I had heard great
things about this novel and how moving it was so of course I was hoping this
would be a great story. I personally didn’t feel disappointed at all. Wonder is a novel about a young boy
named August Pullman who was born with a facial disfigurement that caused him
to have over twenty surgeries in his young life. He has been homeschooled his
entire life and his mom thinks now is the time for him to go to an actual
school. He’ll be starting the 5th grade in the fall at Beecher Prep
Middle School. Over the course of about a year, readers observe the different
obstacles that August has to face simply because he was born differently.
August
was such a great character. He was funny, witty and very self-aware. In his
position I would guess you would have to be. If every day you left your house
and people stared, pointed or ran from your appearance then you have to be
aware of how you appear to others. I felt for August. I wanted to know August.
I didn’t pity him because he was stronger than people could imagine. I did
however feel bad because let’s face it, children can be assholes and the way
many of the characters treated August was disgusting. Palacio did an amazing
job with developing August. From the moment I started reading Wonder I knew I would love it.
I found
the change in narratives to be a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t expecting the
narrative to change to different characters involved with August and it really
enhanced the all-around story. For the
first 87 pages you don’t really know what August looks like because he won’t
describe himself. It isn’t until his sister describes him in page 88 that you
really understand why he stands out. It isn’t until over a hundred pages in
that you even know what caused August’s appearance. It added a mysterious
element to the story. You take bits and pieces of what you are told to make a
composite until everything unfolds. Another reason I loved the narrative
changes were because I loved reading what motivated the other characters to
behave the way they did towards August. How does the neglected sister feel
about having a brother was such a disfigurement? How does August’s friends
really feel about him? What are people’s first thoughts when seeing August? How
do the parents at Beecher Prep feel about August?
If Wonder has a fault it’s that it is
slightly unbelievable. Or maybe I am just an extreme pessimist and that some
people never change despite how much you want them to. I won’t reveal anything
more because I don’t want to spoil anything. I really enjoyed this novel. This
is a novel that I want children to read because I feel that some children are
completely unaware of how their actions affect other people. This novel exposed
the actions of young children and how those actions can be defining of their character
in both an extremely positive and negative way. It exposed bullying and
parental entitlement which is something I wasn’t expecting but am very glad was
explored. I give this novel 4.5 out of 5 stars. It made me think. It will make
children think and it will touch you on an emotional level. This is something I
can definitely recommend to anyone.
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