“I don’t want to go to school... I’ll be the only one who looks like me.” Auggie was reluctant to go to school, but eventually he decided to go for a tour led by three students, Jack and Charlotte who were relatively good kids, and Julian who acted well-mannered around teachers but was actually a big jerk. August liked his tour enough to go back for the school year. His first day was not terrible, but it wasn’t exactly good either. How would you like getting ignored by everyone on your first day of school? Not even ignored, almost avoided. But he was used to the quick glances people would try to steal, people not wanting to bump into him or even talk to him. As the school year went on, things just got worse. People were bullying him; his so called friends were talking behind his back but all August could do was ignore them, which wasn’t easy when it was almost all the time. If you like touching, real life stories, Wonder would be a good book for you.
The way R.J. Palacio changed the point of view in the story to get other peoples’ perspectives was fantastic. It gave you an understanding of how other characters saw August. The conflict and theme go well for anybody, not just people with a facial disease. Everyone has problems in school and people have to deal with bullies so the theme fit in well and everyone can relate to it. Auggie always thought, and wanted, to be normal but that’s the problem. People at school make him feel like he’s not. There is even a ‘war’ at school because Jack is friends with August and only a couple kids join Jacks side. In the book, they talk about other people conflicts and you really see how much Auggie affects everyone else, in a good and bad way. It no longer makes you Wonder what it is like to have a visual deformity.
I really enjoyed reading Wonder and I think anyone could enjoy the heart-warming story just as much as I did. It is a quick read and easy to get into. Just give it a try and I can believe that you will love it.
--Reviewed by Erica
Do you remember how you felt on your first day of school? You were probably a little nervous and scared. This is exactly how August Pullman felt, only he was different from everyone else. In R.J. Palacio’s book, Wonder, fifth grader August “Auggie” Pullman was diagnosed with Mandibulofacial Dysostosis, a rare disease that affects the growth of craniofacial structures. He has been homeschooled his whole life and has finally built up the guts to face middle school at Breecher Prep for the first time.
ReplyDeleteLittle Auggie is absolutely petrified about going to school, especially because it’s middle school. In the book he says, “Everyone will stare at me! … I’ll be the only kid that looks like me!” He is very reluctant but his mom finally drags him to the school to meet the principal and get a tour of Breecher Prep. He meets a few of his future classmates who give him a tour and he starts to feel a little bit better about the first day. Auggie does struggle a little bit on his first day, but it gets even worse in the weeks that follow. Although he makes a few good friends, he gets made fun of constantly and has a hard time not letting the bullies’ nasty words get to him. He even gets so rattled to the point where he wants to drop out. Read this book to discover more of the struggles Auggie overcomes and all of the feats he accomplishes by using his unbelievable courage.
I really liked the way that R.J. Palacio organized the structure of the Wonder by changing who the narrator was within the book. It was a really unique and creative way to share everyone’s perspective and was interesting to hear from each person’s side of the story. Not only do you get to hear how Auggie feels about his condition, but also what life is like for his sister, Via, who is known as “that girl with the deformed brother” instead of being known for starring in the school play. At one point in the story, she even refuses to tell her parents about the play that she’s in, only because she doesn’t want Auggie to come and take all the attention away from her. By organizing the book this, you really got to understand the characters’ emotions and received a good understanding of who they truly were and how they truly felt.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was inspiring, yet heartwarming, and was very difficult to put down. It makes you truly realize how lucky we are, and that you should never judge people on their appearances. If you like sweet, uplifting books then you’re in for a treat.