"Wonder"

Author: R.J. Palacio
Awards: none
Ages: 4th- 8th Grade

Pineapple Points: 5/5
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Summary: 
August "Auggie" Pullman, the main character, is a ten year old boy who wants nothing more to fit in. Auggie was born with many deformities and had to have many surgeries to try to fix his poor face. Due to the amount of time he has spent in hospitals, Auggie has been home schooled by his mother. It is almost time for August to start fifth grade, and his parents decide that he needs to go to a real school. With hopes for August to learn more than his mother can teach him and for him to learn to face the world, August's parents sends a indecisive August to Beecher Prep. August meets two good friends; Summer and Jack Will. Despite the principle's best intentions to save Auggie from bullying, he still went through a lot. Kids would avoid touching him because "he had the plague" and he was even betrayed by his new friend, Jack. During the novel we have a few characters become narrators and it helps the reader see how having August in their lives effects them. His sister feels neglected, Jack feels like a jerk for hurting August and rekindles their relationship, and Summer can see past August's deformities. In one event, Auggie's classmates go on a nature field trip. Jack and August are in the woods and some older kids decided that they were going to beat up on August because of his looks. August's peers step in to help beat off the bullies and protect him. In this pivotal moment Auggie is now accepted by his peers and see August for who he really is. At the end of the novel, Beecher Prep has an award ceremony and the Henry Ward Beecher medal that recognizes greatness was bestowed upon Auggie. Once an isolated boy with a fear to face the world, Auggie is finally recognized for his character and not his face.

Evaluation:
I LOVED this book. I sat on the porch swing, wrapped up in a quilt, grabbed some hot tea, and finished this novel in one day. I would recommend this book to anyone of all ages. I would hope to use this in a classroom to teach a lesson about being kind to people despite their personal circumstances. I think that grades 4-8th grade would be most appropriate for this novel. This would be a great book to introduce to the class at the beginning of the year to introduce the level of morality and civility that they, as students, are going to be held to.