A review by librarybonanza
Wonder by R.J. Palacio

5.0

Age: 4th-middle school

A fantastic, multifaceted tale of Auggie, a 5th grade boy with severe facial abnormalities. Palacio has a spectacular way of giving dimension and providing unique voices to all the characters that describe their real and special interactions with Auggie, giving Auggie the most authentic voice of all.

Spoiler

I thought the ending was phenomenal with the principal's speech on kindness and Auggie winning the school medal. But, what really struck me was when Auggie says, "It's like people you see sometimes, and you can't imagine what it would be like to be that person, whether it's somebody in a wheelchair or somebody who can't talk. Only, I know that I'm that person to other people, maybe to every single person in that whole auditorium. To me, though, I'm just me. An ordinary kid. But hey, if they want to give me a medal for being me, that's okay. I'll take it. I didn't destroy a Death Star or anything like that, but I did just get through the fifth grade. And that's not easy, even if you're not me." Most books end with the bullied child being glorified for just being themself. They endure a unique life experience based on how they look or how they behave but, in the case of Auggie, he wants to be seen alongside everyone else.

Palacio has woven a marvelous tale for kids just becoming aware of bullying, and exclusion because it ends light-hearted with everyone in school on Auggie's side (a good model) but it feels believable. The multiple perspectives format keeps the book moving along and gives everyone their fair representation.