It’s no feel-good story, but you’ll feel good about reading ‘Wonder’

    This fifth, and final, installment of the 2019 Resolution Reads is about the first book R.J. Palacio wrote, “Wonder.” It has a striking cover that I’ve seen on several book lists in the last few years. In fact, at the 2017 Friends of the Library Book Bonanza, I bought a copy for myself. And it sat on my bookshelf until I finally got around to reading it this week. Like each of the other books I’ve reviewed this month, Heginbotham Library has a copy of “Wonder” in circulation, so interested readers can check it out there.
    The story is about a 10-year-old kid named August — Auggie to those that are close to him. He doesn’t look like other kids. Throughout the book, he’s described as being “deformed” and having a “craniofacial anomaly.” To the reader, on the very first page of the book, he says, “I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.”
    The book covers Auggie’s fifth-grade year, and it’s the first time he’s attended a school. Up until that point, he’d been home-schooled by his mother because of the medical procedures he frequently underwent. His parents, understandably, have concerns about the middle school peers he will have for the first time. Auggie’s not too sure about them himself.
    “Wonder” begins from Auggie’s point of view, but subsequent parts are told from the points of view of his older sister, his friends and his sister’s friends. Though none of the parts feature his parents’ or other adults’ points of view, Palacio seamlessly provides insight into their perspectives by simply describing what the children see. I don’t know if a younger reader would pick up on some of those things, but as an adult reading this book, it was interesting to see those moments.  
    Each character’s perspective is presented in such a real way, too. Palacio doesn’t skirt around the fact that being different is hard, which isn’t too surprising, but she’s also brutally honest about the difficulties of being the “normal” sibling. The challenges friends face are impressively developed, too. In addition to dealing with the expected bullies, they also navigate Auggie’s own insecurities and the impact they have on the people around him.

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