Wonder

Whatever you have planned for today, forget it!  Go out and buy Wonder by R. J. Palacio, and read it.  Today.  Avoid all interruptions if possible, because once you start this incredible book, you won't be able to stop.

Wonder is the story of Auggie Pullman.  He would be just like any other boy about to enter the 5th grade except for one major difference:  Auggie was born with extreme facial abnormalities.  He has been home schooled up to now, but his parents have decided that it is time for him to go to the private school just down the street from their New York townhouse, and Auggie is terrified.  You see, people who don't know him tend to gasp at surprise when they see him, or even run away in fear.  Now imagine going into a school full of middle school kids with a face like that.  It's bad enough for average, regular, "normal" kids, but everyone is about to find out that Auggie is NOT your average kid.

Wonder is written from the perspective of several different characters, each lovingly developed.  We hear from Auggie, his sister Olivia, her friend Miranda.  We learn how Auggie's health has shaped all of their lives, and how it has defined them for good and for bad.  Palacio has created characters that speak to the reader's soul, and in the end it's not just a story she has given us, but a question she is asking us: "How kind are you?"

I believe that R. J. Palacio has created a classic.  Wonder is a book that everyone who can read, should. It should definitely be on the curriculum of every fifth grade in the country, and probably should be read again in the ninth grade.  Maybe even every few years after that just as a reminder that "Everyone born of God overcometh the world." Now, hurry up and read it, and let me know what you think!

Mary Kay