Wonder by Farah Thoufeek

 

Wonder is a book by R.J Palacio. It’s about a boy named Auggie Pullman, who’s about to go to fifth grade after being home-schooled his whole life. He’s worried about how he’ll fit in with everyone at school…. especially when he looks so different from everyone else. Auggie has had 27 surgeries to correct facial anomalies he was born with, but he still has a face that has earned him such cruel nicknames as Freak, Freddy Krueger, Gross-out and Lizard face. Though “his features look like they’ve been melted, like the drippings on a candle” and he’s used to people averting their eyes when they see him, he’s an engaging boy who feels pretty ordinary inside. He’s smart, funny, kind and brave. Palacio divides the novel into eight parts, interspersing Auggie’s first-person narrative with the voices of family members and classmates, wisely expanding the story beyond Auggie’s viewpoint and demonstrating that Auggie’s arrival at school doesn’t test only him, it affects everyone in the community. Auggie may be finding his place in the world, but that world must find a way to make room for him, too. He has an overprotective teenage sister and two loving parents. This book is very engaging and funny too, I’d recommend it to everyone and it’s a wonderful read. It shows us the harsh reality of the world around us that’s often hushed in most books. It shows us how Auggie copes with the various reactions to his unusual appearance and also shows us how he deals with middle school drama. It’s a very inspiring and uplifting story.