Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

August (Auggie) Pullman
was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a
mainstream school—until now. He’s about to start 5th grade at Beecher
Prep, and if you’ve ever been the new kid then you know how hard that
can be. The thing is Auggie’s just an ordinary kid, with an
extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he’s
just like them, despite appearances?

R. J. Palacio has written a
spare, warm, uplifting story that will have readers laughing one minute
and wiping away tears the next. With wonderfully realistic family
interactions (flawed, but loving), lively school scenes, and short
chapters, Wonder is accessible to readers of all levels.

I have to admit that I put off reading Wonder, even though I’d heard such wonderful things about it. I worried that it might be too painful to read about some of the things that happen to Auggie, especially if I loved his character as much as I suspected I would. I got even more
fearful that this would be a tough read when I started reading and
immediately fell in love with Auggie’s sweet MG voice. I read it in a day.


And reading Wonder was sometimes painful–set the book down, close your eyes, and take a deep breath before continuing to read painful–but that, if anything, only enhanced the reading experience. Wonder‘s central message–choose kindness–is important for readers of all ages to hear. The multiple POV structure really builds on that message by creating so much empathy for all of the characters. This is a book that contains moments of heart-crushing sadness and disappointment, but many more of uplifting love and courage.

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