Book Review: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

This week I read a wonderful book that Aunt Shelli suggested I borrow from her.

She's been my source of reading material lately, and I'd already grabbed two other books when she said, "Have you read Wonder?" When I said no, she just went, "You need to read Wonder."

So I grabbed it. Along with Book 2 of The Maze Runner. Which I also read this week. Which I won't bother writing a review for because it was just as disappointing as the first book.

I'm gonna finish the series just on the microscopic chance that James Dashner explains everything in the most brilliant way possible and makes me look back on the first two books with fondness instead of loathing.

(But really, even if you save the big resolution to the mystery for the very end, the other books shouldn't be so crazy hard to get through. I've read great mystery series that didn't resolve until many books later, but they at least had lovable characters, a clear antagonist in the meantime [lightning is scary but it's just lightning--not an actual villain who I can actually hate], and at least some kind of conflict resolution [finishing a test isn't really conflict. It's survival, but there can be much more conflict in a survivalist setting than just surviving. See LOST for example. The mysteries in that series are actually never resolved, but the relationship between Jack and Sawyer was WAY interesting. The Others were WAY interesting. Stuff happened. I was satisfied even without an actual conclusion.] Anyways, we're not here to talk about The Maze Runner. Yet.)

But Wonder was a great read. I'm so glad Shelli recommended it to me, because she was right. I did need to read that. It gave me a boost of faith in humanity.

Here's the synopsis:

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. 

I didn't read this synopsis before I plunged into the book, so I was immediately sucked in by the first few pages, where August is describing what it's been like to grow up as the ugliest kid in the neighborhood.

Immediately your heart goes out to him. On the one hand, this makes you sympathize because you know what it feels to think you're rejected by kids around you (at least, I do). But on the other hand, it makes you say, "Wow, I am so grateful for how easy my childhood actually was compared to this kid's."

This was R.J. Palacio's very first published book, and it's brilliantly done. Even as she jumps around between narrators, her style is very dialogue-heavy. Usually I don't like that, but her dialogue is so realistic. People say "um" and ramble when they're nervous, but it never feels forced or long-winded. It actually adds to the setting and characters very well.

August does a lot of the setting up the story, but later the point of view jumps around between secondary characters. Their narratives overlap a bit to show what was going on with them during events that other narrators describe (usually revealing key elements of the plot that others were oblivious to), and then goes on to tell more of the overall story.

The story covers the first year of August's experience at a "real" school (he'd been homeschooled until that point, for his own protection). I was worried that it was going to be a non-stop heartbreaking read. It certainly starts out heartbreaking, and even when things get better for August, sad things keep happening out of the blue. But in the end, August has grown so much, and the people around him are changed forever because of his quiet strength. It's a beautiful ending.

Even though this is marked as a "kids book," I think every adult should read it, too. It makes you think about how you treat others--especially how quickly you judge others on appearance alone. It takes you on an emotional roller coaster, making you feel happy for August's triumphs and sad for his trials. It shows how, even though August's peers are just as bad as the adults in the beginning, they later demonstrate the Christlike love and friendship that we all should have.

So now that you've scratched The Maze Runner off of your list of great books to read this summer, you can replace it with Wonder, and I guarantee you'll enjoy it.