brwonder

Title: Wonder
Author: R.J. Palacio
Genre: YA, Fiction, Contemporary
First published: February 14th 2012
Finished reading: July 9th 2015
Pages: 315
Rating 5

“Courage. Kindness. Friendship. Character. These are the qualities that define us as human beings, and propel us, on occasion, to greatness.”

myrambles1review

Wow, just wow. This sure is a wonderful book, except for maybe the somewhat cheesy ending. Still, I couldn’t bring myself giving Wonder any less than the full five stars… I’ve had this one on my radar for a while now, and I’m glad I finally decided to read it. R.J. Palacio was able to create both wonderful characters and give us valuable lessons about life… And show that the only thing that really does matter is what is on the inside. The main character in Wonder is August, a boy who was born with serious birth defects and he doesn’t exactly have a normal face. People judge him for it and some kids are even afraid… And August has never been to school; until now. The prose is brilliant and I really loved August, Via and Summer as a character. Kids can be cruel, but you can see how their opinion slowly changes as they get to learn the ‘real’ August. Highly recommended if you enjoy reading contemporary fiction!

shortsummary1review

August isn’t exactly an ordinary ten-year-old. He is on the inside, but because of his birth defects his face is as abnormal as it can get. His parents and sister try to protect him from the cruel world outside and he has never been to school… Until now. August desperately wants to be normal, but the other kids don’t know how to react to him. Some are even afraid… Kids can be cruel, but with the help of some people with really big hearts August will try to convince his classmates that he is just like them. Will they let him into their lives in the end?

finalthoughtsreview

Wonder is such a beautiful read! Sure, it’s sad at times, but unfortunately the initial reactions of his classmates are quite accurate in the real world as well. More and more people are judged by their appearance, but what really counts is what kind of person you are on the inside… R.J. Palacio shows this perfectly in her novel. The end is a bit cheesy, but the prose is beautiful and I really enjoyed the characters. The story is told from the point-of-view of August and those closest to him, giving you various perspectives on what happens during his first schoolyear. Definitely recommended!