Book Review – Wonder… by R.J. Palacio…

This book is WONDERFUL!

i thoroughly enjoyed getting to know August and his family (his parents and sister) and learning about how difficult life can be and what strange assumptions we have about a person who is different from the accepted “normal”.

August has a condition which is one in a billion… there is no one else quite like him… and unfortunately for him, his condition leaves him with a face that people stare at, turn away from and make fun of.

Having been home-schooled for all his life, he could hide from people if he chose to. But NOW he is going to a regular school with loads of other kids! At age 10, that is a huge challenge!

As i follow his journey through the school year, it is heart-breaking to see some of the terrible attitudes of some children and even worse to realise they get it from their parents. However, as in every story there are nice characters too. Characters who make me smile and feel that the world isn’t so bad after all.

The best part of it is watching August discover even though there will always be people who will be mean to him just because of a condition he is born with, there will also be people who will be kind and stand up for a friend.

And it isn’t just August’s journey we get to follow, we also get to follow along with his sister, some of his friends from school and even his sister’s boyfriend and best friend.

This multi-perspective way of story-telling gives such a well-rounded look into the life of a boy who is indeed a wonder!

This quote is my favourite in the whole book (there are also many others i like too):

If you want to know kindness in practical ways, have a read. If you would like your children to have an insight into kindness in action and how to treat people who are different, then have them read this book or read it to them.

syc

PS: i have also reviewed another book (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) about a person who is different intellectually – see here.