5 out of 5 stars

I give this book more stars than it took me hours to read it. I want to re-read it again, and probably even faster. It’s lovely and perfect. It will have your heart all over the floor, happy and sloppy and sad and smiling.

Goodreads: Wonder, by RJ Palacio

The story of August Pullman is glorious, tragic, honest and so, so, so normal. He’s a young boy with a serious facial disfigurement, the result of chromosomal chance. Sickly as a youngster, he’s been home schooled until the 5th grade, when his parents decide it’s time he try regular school.

He has an older sister named Via, and dog named Daisy, a few friends, and an unfailing positivity. The challenges are endless: people don’t know how to react, kids can be mean, physical ailments still plague him. But Auggie never lets it get him down. Sure, he worries or feels sad, but the slings and arrows of his outrageous fortune never truly penetrate his beautiful heart. In one scene, a teacher tells his class that when faced with choices, they should always “choose kind.” Auggie knows that he, himself, is a situation. And he has already chosen kindness.

Please read this book. It’ll take you a few hours at most, and leave you as satisfied as if you’ve spent years in Auggie’s world.