Book Review: Wonder by R J Palacio (NO SPOILERS)

Title: Wonder

Author: R J Palacio

Goodreads Summary: My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.

August Pullman wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things. He eats ice cream. He plays on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside.

But Auggie is far from ordinary. Ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids don't get stared at wherever they go.

Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the cruelty of the outside world. 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?

Rating: 5/5 stars

Review:

(I’m keeping this spoiler free because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone)

This book was gorgeous. So, so gorgeous. I tried to not find out too much about the novel before I went in but I did start with high expectations – something I really don’t like doing – because I had just heard so many good things about this novel. But I was still not disappointed in it at all. The prose was really lovely and the story was just as beautiful as it was important. I would recommend this book to anyone, no matter their age or background, because I think it is both something that people should be aware of as well as the fact that it is told in a style that can be appreciated by the masses. This is a novel that will tear your heart out, but not also from heartache but also because sometimes it was just really wonderful and touching. I turned the last page with tears streaking down my face.

If I was to give one critique about the book, it would be the fact that I felt like the multiple perspectives, at times, were a bit useless and something off-putting. The reader is first introduced to the story through the eyes of the main character – Auggie – and just as I was beginning to really get into his story, it changed point-of-view. I felt really jarred from it and didn’t quite want to let his story go yet. Despite this, I did find that it really helped the story at some points, giving the story more depth by added more voices to tell it. Basically, it was good and it wasn’t. Sometimes, I felt like it really added to the story. Other times, I felt like the perspectives were useless and/or boring and didn’t need to be included. I do think that if you can, get your hands on the copy with the added Julian chapter. I found that I strangely loved it.

All in all, I absolutely adored this book so, so much and I need you all to read it. I feel like this should be a book that should be used in schools because of its easy prose and the fact that it explores bullying. One of the easiest 5 star ratings I’ve given.

Have any of you read Wonder by R J Palacio as well? What were your thoughts? Love it, hate it? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,

Jess, xxx