Wonder

August Pullman is just like any other 10-year-old boys. He loves playing Xbox, riding his bike and eating lots of ice cream - except there's something different about him. August was born with a facial disfigurement. He knows he is always going to be stared at, he knows there are going to be double takes in the street and he knows people are going to want to ask questions. However, the most humbling thing about August is he doesn't let that affect him. After all, isn't it good to be different when everybody else is the same?

August has always felt like a bit of an outsider compared to his peers; he's undergone countless operations and has been home-schooled all his life. Needless to say, when he and his family make the decision for him to start 5th grade in public school, he wasn’t thrilled at first.

What I really loved about Wonder was August's attitude towards life. His ability to cope, to be genuinely happy and to make a comedy out of his situation is humbling for anyone to read, especially when he is at the tender age of 10. August faced many mixed reactions when starting school. There were lots of supportive people and an equal number of not-so-supportive people, but he never let that stop him. Like anybody, August had some rough days - but with the support of his loving family, August thrived and R.J. Palacio has created a role model for adults and children alike.

I also loved how the story was told from different perspectives of the different children in August's class. You can see how the other children perceived his disfigurement - some never mentioned the issue, others had burning questions which they were not sure how to ask.

This is unquestionably one of the most profound and beautifully written books I have read in a long time: the narrative will make you laugh and cry. A real tear-jerker for me was when August said “I wish every day could be Halloween. We could all wear masks all the time. Then we could walk around and get to know each other before we got to see what we looked like under the masks."

The thoughts and ideas in this book challenge your perception of today's society. There is so much focus on body-image and peer pressure in the media, by reading this you get a chance to take a step back and re-evaluate your own worries about body image by listening to someone who deals with the daily stares and crude remarks from the public.

This book is recommended to all children an young adults and should definitely be studied in schools. There are countless teaching points that we can learn from. Palacio has written a truly brilliant book which I'm sure will stand the test of time and has the potential to be adapted into many things.

By R.J. Palacio