Sunday 6 July 2014

Review: Wonder by R.J Palacio

'My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.' Auggie wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things - eating ice cream, playing on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside. But ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids aren't stared at wherever they go. Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all? 

I've sent this book so many times in bookshops and on blogs, but have never picked it up, until I saw it in then library and thought I may as well. I certainly don't regret it! 

This book was so moving and relatable, I loved it. However it showed how harsh reality could be, but in the simplistic, pure way that children see the world. I think this is what I liked so much. It was just the truth, so personally I didn't feel too weighed down by the book. I can see how mother would be very upset but this book,but personally I found to real. (don't fear, I cried!)

I've never been in any situation similar to August, but I still the found all of the characters extremely realistic. When I was reading about the different characters (which were very well developed may I add)I kept on thinking. 'Oh, they're like so and so' or 'Wow, don't I know them?!' Even with August, his personality was so real, I can image it was quite hard for the author to develop august and his acceptance of his face abnormality. And also with Jack, he was just like so many ten year old I've encountered. At first he seems nice, but later we discover he can be a but harsh. However he doesn't realise the severity of what he's doing, and is just struggling to fit in, like so many others his age. 

This leads me to my favourite feature of the book, the viewpoints (yes that's plural). The book was narrated from  about 9 (don't hold me to that!) viewpoints of various people in Augusts life. My favourite was his sister, Via's viewpoint. She was very truthful, and I liked seeing the effect that Augusts face abnormality had on his family. She was very honest, but still humorous, and her unconditional love for him was very heart warming.

So I loved this book. Although it's a YA book, I think it 
would be suitable for middle grade+. It really has changed my perspective on others and has taught me that your inside can be so 
different from your outside. (So clique!) but that's what the book aimed to do, and it has certainly been successful.

***** (that's 5 stars for future reference) 

READ IT! That's all I have to say. 
Have you read Wonder? What did you think? 




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