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Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Apr. 23rd, 2012 10:58 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
Don’t judge a boy by his face.
Wonder is the funny, sweet and incredibly moving story of Auggie Pullman. Born with a terrible facial abnormality, this shy, bright ten-year-old has been home-schooled by his parents for his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the stares and cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, Auggie is being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. 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, underneath it all? Through the voices of Auggie, his big sister Via, and his new friends Jack and Summer, Wonder follows Auggie's journey through his first year at Beecher Prep.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
R. J. Palacio’s middle grade novel is a funny, touching but at times schmaltzy look at what it means to live with a serious facial disfigurement. For a book that revolves around the theme of how people with disfigurements are still normal underneath it all gets lost in a Hollywoodised ending straight out of Cornsville and I did feel that she missed a trick by not getting giving a voice to the kid who bullies Auggie, choosing instead to show him and his parents as isolated and ridiculous characters. That said, this book has some powerful, moving and very funny moments and I would recommend it to children and adults as something they should read.
WONDER was released in the UK on 1st March 2012. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
Wonder is the funny, sweet and incredibly moving story of Auggie Pullman. Born with a terrible facial abnormality, this shy, bright ten-year-old has been home-schooled by his parents for his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the stares and cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, Auggie is being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. 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, underneath it all? Through the voices of Auggie, his big sister Via, and his new friends Jack and Summer, Wonder follows Auggie's journey through his first year at Beecher Prep.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
R. J. Palacio’s middle grade novel is a funny, touching but at times schmaltzy look at what it means to live with a serious facial disfigurement. For a book that revolves around the theme of how people with disfigurements are still normal underneath it all gets lost in a Hollywoodised ending straight out of Cornsville and I did feel that she missed a trick by not getting giving a voice to the kid who bullies Auggie, choosing instead to show him and his parents as isolated and ridiculous characters. That said, this book has some powerful, moving and very funny moments and I would recommend it to children and adults as something they should read.
WONDER was released in the UK on 1st March 2012. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
