A Heartfelt Review of the book, Wonder, by R.J. Palacio

Wonder is a WONDER

     Wonder is a profoundly touching children's book written by R.J. Palacio and first published in 2012. Unfortunately, I only discovered the book last year when I looked for a book to gift my granddaughter, Ember. I wanted something memorable that taught a lesson about tolerance and being a good friend.

    I borrowed the book online from the Columbus Municipal Library and the "Libby" app. If you're not familiar with Libby, it's a universal library application so that people can set up their library card online and borrow from their library's digital collaborative. To get started, simply download Libby, find your library and enter your name and card number and possibly a pin, I'm not sure about that.

     After reading Wonder, I knew it was the book to send my granddaughter. In her first attempt, R. J. Palacio has done a great job in creating a Wonder universe where not all folks are as accepting as others. The main character is Auggie Pullman, "an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face". Auggie's mother has home-schooled him his whole life so far, but she decides the time is right to send him to public school at Beecher Prep. Let's just say that people do notice Auggie on his first day of school, and he has a tough time making new friends. A few students are able to get past Auggie's face and see that he is a great kid and normal in every way. Others choose to treat Auggie unfairly and make his first days at Beecher a living hell. 

      Auggie, with encouragement from his dad, mom and sister, Via, takes the bad with the good until his best friend at school, Will, under pressure from others, says some things about Auggie he really doesn't mean. Auggie, realizing that even friends can't always be trusted, decides he never wants to return to school. The rest of the book describes how Auggie, with immense courage, remains true to himself and wins over many hearts in the process.

     I love how the book tackles the subject of being different with dignity. Yes, you realize that Auggie is not the same as other students-even to the point where some young children are frightened by his face. But you are always rooting for Auggie, always cheering him on and wanting him to succeed at Beecher. 

     My granddaughter? It took several weeks before she was able to lay aside the babysitter series and pick up Wonder, but she has read it twice through at last count and loves the new movie based on the book. Of course, I don't imagine that at nine years old, she has gleaned every bit of wisdom from the book, but I'm sure the truth will resonate when the situation arises. That's what good books do. They show many sides of an issue, but display the characters so fully, the reader knows which behaviors to mirror and which ones to avoid.