Whether you are a bully or have been bullied: WONDER by R.J Palacio Book REVIEW!

by coldbloodedbooks

Don’t judge a boy by his face, don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

I want to express myself, but I can’t. Wonder brings out this emotional side of me that no other book has done recently, not only is it beautifully written for those in middle grade, but it comes with so much courage and overcoming of fear, you can’t help but want to hold August, and Summer, and Jack, and Via, and August’s parents, and even Mr. Toshman.

The story is about a boy name August Pullman ( We will know him as Auggie ) and he lives with his mom, dad and his sister named Olivia (We will know her as Via), as well as their senior dog named daisy. He’s been home school his whole lifetime until he begins 5th grade. Auggie has some enetic condition which resulted in his face to looking deformed with his eyes an inch below where they should normally be, his skin looks like it’s melting, he eats like a tortoise because has a very big and over proportional jaw, and he has cauliflower ears, if he even has any. He gets looked at when he walks through his neighborhood, and the first reaction you get when you see of August is a frighting one, and you can’t help but push your children away (And yes some parents are that heartless). His parents have been over protective over their son, and have been home schooling him, keeping him at a close distance so that no one hurts him, but Auggie knows that he isn’t a normal boy, even though he really wants to be.

Once 5th grade comes around and Auggie isn’t visiting surgical doctors (or the doctors in general) and middle school is about to start his parents decide to enroll him in a very good school, especially since he won’t be the only new kid. Auggie is scared to go to school, he knows people will stare at him, and he’s worried no one will want to be his friend. Meanwhile Olivia will be starting high school in a new school as well.

The best part of this book that it’s told in different perspectives, and you come to love everyone of the characters and hate others ( none of the bad characters have perspectives in the book). I loved this book because I can relate to Auggie, I was a small child going through a number of surgeries, constantly getting bullied maybe not for my physical being, but for who I was. Maybe I was bullied for my physical being but who knows, I was never told. I thought that Auggie was lucky to have so many people around him, even if he could count them on his fingers. This book teaches children, respect, friendship, and courage. You start to notice that in Auggie’s world, the people who are in it also face some challenges.

You notice that Summer and Jack who befriend August have difficulties standing up to the rest of middle school for August and themselves. Especially when the kids in this school decide to start up a trend called “The Plague” in where anyone who touches August has cooties and must wash their hands in 30 seconds before they catch it. Theirs also parts in which Jack and Summer are bribed by offering spots in the popular group if they ditch August, and Jack and Summer must refused not only to be part of the cool kids, but also to be liked by the student body in general.

You also see the problems Olivia faces, having to share her parents with her little brother who always needs more attention. In Olivia’s world, everything and everyone has always been there for August, but no one has ever been there for her. She’s starting High School, and she also wants a regular life, she doesn’t want to be known for her face deformed brother, you can say Olivia’s point of view sort of starts out selfish, but I understand that a kid needs his parents around, and it’s kind of hard to get their attention when your brothers problems are always a little bit more “bigger” then your own. You also get to know Olivia’s boyfriend point of view, which I thought was rather sweet, and her old best friend, Miranda who was always a friend of the families.

I would love to go into more detail, but I don’t really want to ruin this book for you. It’s great, and if you have children or anyone that really matters with situations in which they feel different and unloved, pick this book up and understand them, let them know their is someone out there. That in order to be normal you don’t have to look a certain way or be of a certain status, and you really need to do is have a big heart.