Wonder Paperback – 1 January 2013

Before starting this book, I had heard so many great things about it. I never heard anything bad about this, so obviously my expectations were high about this. And yes, it didn’t disappoint me. In fact, it was way too good for my imagination. There are some stories which touch you deeply, and surely it was one of them.This is a story about 11 years old August Pullman who doesn’t have a normal face. He has a rare medical facial deformity, which he refers to as “mandibulofacial dysostosis“, more commonly known as Treacher Collins syndrome and a cleft palate. After his birth, he went through multiple operations on his face to look like what he was now. He was homeschooled by his mother until fifth grade. The story starts when his parents decide to send him to a private school called Beecher Prep. The story revolves around what difficulties Auggie (August) faces int he school, how everyone treated him, how he made friends there.His Principal arranged some students to be friends with him. Although they were scared of him at the beginning, they eventually started liking him, except for one boy Julian. There were a few children whom he could have called his friends. Rest of the students treated him like he had any kind of plague and they will be infected even if he touched them. At first, Auggie didn’t like the school, he was devastated, but his parents and sister were always there for him and encouraged him and he started liking the school.The story further progresses telling various turn of events which eventually make Auggie everyone’s favourite. He was successful in making people believe that he is perfectly normal, just his face is different.It was a fast paced story. There were small chapters and the story quickly progressed. It was not dragging one. The main thing that I liked most about this book was that there was not a single PoV of just August, rather there were 6 different POVs. Surely, it sounds a way more, but when you keep reading through each person’s chapters, you don’t feel it. Rather you would feel as if it was necessary to write the story from the perspective of all those characters. The persons having their individual PoV includes Via (August’s sister), Miranda (Via’s old friend), Justin (Via’s boyfriend), Jack and Summer (Auggie’s new friends at Beecher Prep). The added bonus in my copy was Julian’s chapters (Auggie’s classmate who didn’t like him at all).The writing was simple and up to the mark. R.J. Palacio knew that what she was writing and what she had to present. Each character was shown flawed at first and then it was little sympathetic. I really liked how she portrayed Via’s thoughts. It’s true that it was most difficult for Via to handle his deformed brother and facing everyone’s reaction when they see him. But she also loves him a lot. Palacio perfectly managed both the conflicts. Similar conflicts were showed for Summer, Jack and Justin.Julian’s PoV was an added bonus as I said earlier. It was very interesting to see how he changed from a bad boy to a good one and how his grandmother played an important part in that transformation. I really love the story that his grandmother told him.Palacio portrayed the kids really well – how they talk, what they think, how mean they can be, how brave they can be, what friends and friendship mean to them. She really “gets” to their feelings.There was also a part where bullying was highlighted. It shows how it can have different impacts on students lives especially of those ages.Points I liked1) The way the story is told from everyone’s point of view and not just from August’s.2) How not just August’s life has been mentioned, but other people’s life too like Justin.3) That story didn’t stop when changing from one person’s pov to another one’s, rather it was progressive.Things I didn’t like / wished would have been different1) I was disappointed by my copy. There were lots of editing errors and the whole Justin chapter was wrongly structured (though it was not the fault of the story 😛 )2) I wished to read a few pages from Isabel and Nate’s point of view too (August’s parents).I felt that this book was real. I felt the emotions of each person, that how difficult it was to handle that kind of kid. When you finish reading it, you feel good. It’s heartwarming. It is a tear jerker. For me, it was the point when Julian’s grandmother told her story to him. It really moved me. And it had a perfect message:"WHEN GIVEN THE CHOICE BETWEEN BEING RIGHT OR BEING KIND, CHOOSE KIND."Many of us don’t read middle-grade books. But I really feel that this is an important read, not just for middle grade readers but for all the ages. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!I can happily say that it’s one of my favourites now. It left me thinking about the story for many days and made we think that how we treat others often.This is soon going to be a feature film and I can’t wait to see the movie.Would Recommend To1) Middle grade readers2) Readers who don’t mind to shed a few tears 😛3) Book readers who like to read about some different topics4) Those who like to read realistic fiction.

Very rarely do you read a book about a kiddo and fall in love with the kid. Very rarely does a book come out which captures a child's emotions so beautifully and yet is so meaningful a piece of work for every adult. Very rarely can you smile and cry for a character in a book. Very rarely you actually see the character as you read the book. What works beautifully for this 'Wonder':1) Everyone's point of view is explored - 99.9% of the books look at a story from only one person's point of view. But here we are. A simplistic story explained through every character's point of view.2) No Fancy hard to understand philosophical stuff and yet a work so deep3) A book which you wish never ends..A book you wish has a sequel..I want to certainly meet Auggie when he grows up :)4) A book which not just touches upon disability from the point of view of the person who is disabled but also from how his friends, family feel deep within.Being a writer myself and that too having written a book on differently-abled people myself (Because Life Is A Gift) , Auggie is totally totally relatable to me and is a combination of all my characters.I especially loved Julian's character. So so real...My Fav Lines :Do all the good you can,By all the means you can,In all the ways you can,In all the places you can,At all the times you can,To all the people you can,As long as you can..Everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their life because we all overcome the world - AuggieAlways try to be a little kinder than in necessaryYou can't blend in when you were born to stand out.I can't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.

“I actually like how doctors talk. I like the sound of science”Wonder follows a ten year old August who was born with a genetic condition which resulted into facial deformity. So, due to this he faces a lot of problems on daily basis and has been home- schooled. The society is not very understanding, of course. If when August goes in a park the children scream and run away as soon as they lay their eyes on his face. August, however, has made peace with this fact. His sister, on the other hand, becomes furious when people judge him or sneak peeks at him. Then, his parents decide to send August to school. Initially, it's difficult for him but at the end of the year, he leaves the school with great memories and friends.Wonder is, without doubt, a wonderful book. The author did a detailed study for this book as all the parts were written beautifully. It is also written from the perspective of different characters, including August himself, his friends and his sister. She (the writer) has actually justified every character in the book, even the bad guy, Julian. I actually felt as if Julian’s mother is the Umbridge of Wonder (if you know what I mean).August’s character was written in a way that sometimes you'd feel sorry for him because of all the things he has to go through. The only thing that will always bug me is that how can children be so rude at the age of just ten years? Like, seriously, how?But all in all, it was a spectacular experience. You might want to pick this book if you're looking for sarcasm and humour and something that can move you.

At first, I was a little worried whether this would wreak emotional havoc. But no! If you wanna buy some book, consider buying this know. Palacio narrates the story so naturally, that even though the vocabulary is not hard, it is equally heart touching.