Wonder

Wonder

By R. J. Palacio

1862 ratings 4024 reviews 2745 followers
Interest LevelReading LevelReading A-ZATOSWord Count
Grades 4 - 7Grades K - 1Guided Reading: V n/a73053

Over 6 million people have read the #1 New York Times bestseller WONDER and have fallen in love with Auggie Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face. 

The book that inspired the Choose Kind movement.

I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.

August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER, now a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.

"Wonder is the best kids' book of the year," said Emily Bazelon, senior editor at Slate.com and author of Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy. In a world where bullying among young people is an epidemic, this is a refreshing new narrative full of heart and hope. R.J. Palacio has called her debut novel “a meditation on kindness” —indeed, every reader will come away with a greater appreciation for the simple courage of friendship. Auggie is a hero to root for, a diamond in the rough who proves that you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.

Publisher: Galaxy
ISBN-13: 9781471350504
ISBN-10: 1471350509
Published on 8/5/2013
Binding: Paperback

Book Reviews (3823)

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It was long but good. i was shipping him and summer

great book! The movie was better but the book was so good

I love this book so much! It is the best and so good! You should definitely read it for sure! Thank you!

This is an amazing book! It talks about a boy, who has a weird looking face, learns what do he do in school! He made many friends, but met some bullies. I recommend it to 7 to 18 years old to read.

it was nice, i watched some of the movie. There is a part two and im reading it right now.

A boy named August Pullman was born with a facial deformity. He has always been homeschooled, but his parents have decided to put him in public school. They take him to meet the principal of the private school where he’ll be attending and they’re introduced to some kids in his grade. One boy, Jack Will, is nice, but another one, Julian, is rude. Auggie settles into his new school and makes a few friends. He also gets teased by other kids, but he feels like it’s just something that happens in middle school. Eventually, the teasing stops after everyone gets used to Auggie’s face. On Halloween, Auggie overhears Jack saying that if he looked like Auggie, he would kill himself. However, Jack is unaware of this because Auggie was wearing a costume at the time. The story switches to Via, Auggie’s older sister. She starts middle school at the same time that Auggie begins high school. Unlike her brother, she doesn’t get much attention from their parents and is often pushed aside in favor of him. Grans was the only person who put her first before she died. Via is struggling with her social life since she no longer has any friends. Her mother seems more concerned about Auggie’s day than hers. Via feels neglected and becomes a loner at school. She joins another group of kids who are not as good as the old ones but also not as bad either. On Halloween, Auggie comes home early claiming to be sick and refuses to go trick-or-treating with his sister. He reveals that he was bullied by Jack last year on Halloween which caused him to get sent away for a month to summer camp for therapy and counseling sessions after the incident occurred again this year. Via convinces him that he must move past such dilemmas so that bullies won’t affect his future happiness and success at school because there will always be mean people around even if you don’t want them there; they exist like germs floating around us all the time waiting to infect someone else’s existence when given an opportunity through our actions towards them (bullying). Summer is Auggie’s new friend. She doesn’t want to hang out with him because Mr. Tushman told her to, but she wants to be his friend anyway. They become friends right away and their families get along as well. Summer eventually realizes that Jack was the one who hurt Auggie by saying something mean about him at school, so she tells Jack what he said, but not before giving him a clue: “Bleeding Scream.” The following section is told from Jack’s perspective. He remembers when Mr. Tushman first asked him to be friends with Auggie, and he was surprised by how different Auggie looked in comparison to other students at the private school they attended, especially since his family did not have a lot of money. Jack is sorry that he got caught up in the social dynamics of his grade. He wants to be friends with Auggie, but Julian tells him that it’s not worth it. Jack gets angry and punches Julian in the face, which starts a series of apology letters involving Mr. Tushman and Jack, as well as Jack and Auggie. Eventually, they make up again after winter break, but when they return to school there is a war against them because most of their classmates are on Julian's side. The story then switches to Via’s boyfriend, Justin. He has just met Auggie and is amazed at how perfect the Pullman family seems in comparison to his own broken-up family. Since he enjoys spending time with them, he also gets cast as a lead in their school play, Our Town. Via’s old friend Miranda gets the female lead role while she will be an understudy for her role. Overall, this was an incredible book! The author did an outstanding job! You should read it (and watch the movie).

This book is so heartwarming, and I love it for that. It really does show tons of character development for all the characters. The movie is amazing too!

Auggie Pullman is many things, but he's not beautiful. He knows that himself. He sees what people do when they see him, he hears all the comments about his appearance. But one thing Auggie is wrong about is that he doesn't have friends. Summer, and Miranda always stay by his side, no matter what happens, through thick and thin. Follow Auggie's journey to realizing who he really is. Heartwarming.

I loved this book when I read it for the first time! The movie is also great! 👍❤️

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