Weekend Read! Wonder by R.J. Palacio

17-05-2013

 Wonder by R.J. Palacio

‘I know the names they call me.  I’ve been in enough playgrounds to know kids can be mean.  I know, I know, I know.’
 

The adage ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ holds a useful message.  It means we should not hold beliefs based on appearance alone.  It means appearances can be deceiving.  In many ways to describe August Pullman is to describe an ordinary ten year old boy; he does all the things ordinary boys do.  But unlike most, Auggie has been born with a rare genetic disorder which means his face is badly disfigured.  

Auggie has been home–schooled and steadfastly sheltered by his family all his life.  Kept apart from his peers, the full repercussions of being different are still unknown to him.  It is only when he decides to join mainstream school in 5th grade that Auggie truly meets the outside world, and the outside world meets him.   Wonder is the story of that year.    

Auggie’s story is fraught with all the difficulties of being different and wanting to be accepted.  While reading Wonder I found myself taken with not only Auggie and his endearing personality but also with his family, friends and teachers.  They journey with him just as we journey with our loved ones, through thick and thin.  They are what can make a real difference.

‘Doesn’t that make the universe one giant lottery, then?  You purchase a ticket when you are born, and it’s all just random whether you get a good ticket or a bad ticket, it’s all just luck.’
 

Wonder is a charming, emotional read which carries a message of resilience and emphasises the importance of loving relationships.  It is a story for all ages. It might get you thinking about ‘your lot’ in life, or it might get you thinking of other people’s.  We should not judge a book by its cover.  Neither should we judge a boy by his face.

‘The things we do are the most important things of all.  They are more important than what we say or what we look like.  The things we do outlast our mortality.’
 

 Helen

Reserve your copy at Libraries NI here

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