Wonder (Wonder, #1) in YA and Beyond

Mar 20, 2014 Dre rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2014, favorites, contemporary, middle-grade, realistic-fiction

Kinder than is necessary. Because it’s not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed. Why I love that line, that concept, is that it reminds me that we carry with us, as human beings, not just the capacity to be kind, but the very choice of kindness.

There was a boy whose name was August. He thought himself as ordinary, but his family thought him special. And I agree. He was born with a genetic anomaly that made him look unnatural. People are always shocked when they first see him.

Kinder than is necessary. Because it’s not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed. Why I love that line, that concept, is that it reminds me that we carry with us, as human beings, not just the capacity to be kind, but the very choice of kindness.

There was a boy whose name was August. He thought himself as ordinary, but his family thought him special. And I agree. He was born with a genetic anomaly that made him look unnatural. People are always shocked when they first see him. Some scream. Some run away. August is used to it, and he has learned to pretend that it doesn't bother him.

When I started reading this book, I couldn't stop reading it. I couldn't put it down. The way the different perspectives in the book talks to you were so engaging. They express how they see August. One of my favorite perspectives was Via's. There was a moment in her perspective that made me want to cry because she expressed how much she sees her brother as normal, but there was one time that she felt the opposite.

Some things that I love about the book :

- His family is an amazing support system. Anyone who walks in August's shoes needs a strong family to back him up, and I loved that about his parents and his sister, Via.
- Mr. Tushman, the director of Beecher Prep, was key to August's entry to school. He made sure that he felt welcome.
- His friends, Jack and Summer. Summer was so kind to him from the beginning, then eventually, they became really good friends. Jack stood up for him, even if he's small.

The narrations in this book is very raw and heartwarming. I love the friendships that were built all throughout the book. This is a really good story for children of all ages, including my age and older. The author tackled how it feels like to be bullied, and how to deal with it. We learn how to empathize and sympathize, and it's a great feeling to choose to be kinder.

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.

If you are on a reading slump and would like to try something awesome, then try this book. You won't be disappointed! ...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Becky rated it really liked it

Shelves: library, junior

I think this is a great book for folks ages 8+ to read. The gist is to go above and beyond in being kind to others. It's targeted towards middle schoolers and so it's not as intense as it could have been. I mean, the author could have made many of the chapters extremely heart wrenching, but I think they chose to keep it a little more light so that younger folks could read it without getting lost. This was fine for me since I think I will ask my children to read it. The only potentially tricky pa ...more

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Nov 24, 2015 Caedy Eries rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, library, social-issues, 2015-challenge, kindle

Title: Wonder
Author: R.J. Palacio
Format: Paperback
Pages: 315
Date(s) Read: November 20-23, 2015
Rating: 4

Summary:
August Pullman is not your ordinary ten-year-old. Ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run from them on the playground. Auggie was born with a terrible facial defect. He's been homeschooled for his whole life, and for the first time he is being sent to a real school. He wants to be accepted, but will he be?

Review:

Wonder is one of those books that will resonate with anyone tha ...more

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Sep 10, 2012 s e n t i m e n t a l i t i e s olittlebear rated it it was amazing

I read this in one sitting, in part because it isn't a huge book but mostly because it is a beautiful one. I rather thinking it circulated the theme of friendship and kindness rather than being different and the hardships that come with. Although the chapters are told from different perspectives each and every one was brilliantly done. No negatives for this. ...more

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Jul 30, 2013 Jilane rated it it was amazing

As an English teacher, I can see so many applications for this book in class. This is a book about accepting people for who they are, not for looks alone. It is also about accepting what cannot be changed in your life. Great read.

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