I posted last week's reviews as a book rating with my explanation underneath. I didn't understand the group discussion. Oops
Wonder follows the journey of a 5th grade boy who is entering a school for the first time in his life. He has previously been home-schooled due genetic complications that have led to his face appearing much different than those of his peers. Readers of this beautifully told story get the chance to see the world through not only this young boy's eyes but also through the eyes of those other children who have the privilege of being a part of his world. Palacio so sweetly grapples with the struggles of being in an outsider in a world you so badly want to be a part of.
After reading this story, I am convinced that in 10-20 years we will be discussing Wonder as one a crucial, canonical text of YA literature. The relationships between friends and family in this story so easily relate to middle school students because Palacio includes such common activities that the intended readers of this story are experiencing in their own lives. This is definitely a book I would like to include in my own classroom as a way for students to start to recognize that the differences among them are a thing to cherish not a thing to alienate others from. It could be interesting to pair this read with a book like The Giver that deals with the problems associated from attempting to create a sense of sameness compared to the problems dealt with in Wonder based mostly upon differences in physical appearances.
Wonder follows the journey of a 5th grade boy who is entering a school for the first time in his life. He has previously been home-schooled due genetic complications that have led to his face appearing much different than those of his peers. Readers of this beautifully told story get the chance to see the world through not only this young boy's eyes but also through the eyes of those other children who have the privilege of being a part of his world. Palacio so sweetly grapples with the struggles of being in an outsider in a world you so badly want to be a part of.
After reading this story, I am convinced that in 10-20 years we will be discussing Wonder as one a crucial, canonical text of YA literature. The relationships between friends and family in this story so easily relate to middle school students because Palacio includes such common activities that the intended readers of this story are experiencing in their own lives. This is definitely a book I would like to include in my own classroom as a way for students to start to recognize that the differences among them are a thing to cherish not a thing to alienate others from. It could be interesting to pair this read with a book like The Giver that deals with the problems associated from attempting to create a sense of sameness compared to the problems dealt with in Wonder based mostly upon differences in physical appearances.