"My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse."
Wonder follows the story of 10-year-old August 'Auggie' Pullman in a world where he feels totally ordinary, but only on the inside. Born with a terrible face deformity that sends children screaming in the playground, Auggie tries his best to settle into his new life at school. After being home-schooled by his parents in every effort to protect him from the cruelty of the outside world, Auggie's journey is far from easy. With some children taking a liking to him instantly and others shunning him, all Auggie wants is to be accepted by his classmates and live life as a care free little boy.
Curiosity is what first drew my attention to this book. Too often I've picked up books that have grabbed my attention and then quickly put them back down after reading the blurb because I've become either disinterested or fearful that I won't enjoy it, an assumption of which is based off a paragraph or two on the back. Wonder, however, has little to nothing in terms of obvious attraction to readers with only a short sentence on the back and a simple image on the front. Strangely, I loved that as it made delving into the book intriguing. I had no idea what it was about, the genre or even the recommended reading age. It's a tactic that more publishers need to incorporate as oppose to plastering "fans of The Hunger Games will love this" on every book.
Despite my lack of knowledge on the book however, I did expect it to have quite a serious tone and for it to seriously pull on my heartstrings. And, whilst there were some heartbreaking moments through dialogue like "we're kind of like Beauty and the Beast", I found it was actually an inspiring, cheerful, funny and heart warming read.
Too often in the past I've been irked by first-person narratives as I'm very much a fan of knowing what's happening outside of a protagonist's thoughts and actions, so I loved the division Palacio created in this book. Through switching the character perspective at different times throughout I could gain an understanding of their own thoughts towards Auggie, not his assumptions, and what's going on in their own lives. This isn't a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat with cliffhangers that force you onto the next chapter. This is a remarkable story about life that is shown through relatable characters who are all completely different and dealing with everyday problems.
Auggie is very much a character I adore where, from the get go, you're made aware of his facial deformity. From the traumas he's had to deal with as a result, I expected to only really feel a sense of pity for him, yet I ended up feeling quite the opposite. With a happy and only occasionally doubtful outlook on life, I found Auggie unbelievably hilarious and thoughtful, with the kind of personality I looked for in a friend when I was his age. It was also nice to see Auggie himself having a giggle over and poking fun at his "deformities", which is what I love about his character. He's just a little boy who wants to be able to have fun and not worry about what other people think, and I hope it inspires other people to do the same. His ability to overcome things and the relationships he develops with his family and friends are so admirable and warming to read that they had me thinking back to my primary school days, so this book was also pretty nostalgic for me.
On the other hand I also found myself despising some characters and there's nothing better than picking up a book that gives me different responses and attachments to each character; it's refreshing and exciting. An example would be Julian's mother and Julian himself, who turns out to be quite the bully, showing the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. However, I felt as if there was a reason for why Julian is the way he is, and although it bothered me that it wasn't explained in this story, I look forward to eventually getting my hands on The Julian Chapter to find out.
There were so many elements of this book that were quite educational too, in the sense of how we should treat and perceive others. Although a really old lesson and quite a cliché response, Wonder is a book I needed when I was a child because it's so easy for children to forget or not understand how what they say and do can hurt others, so it's fantastic to see that such a book exists now and that it's easy for anyone to understand and read regardless of their age.
Overall, this book is one that'll charge at you with a plethora of different emotions and responses through the journey of one little boy who is just after acceptance and happiness. It's a book you'll be begging your friends and family to read, whilst also encouraging yourself to read it again and again.
I give R.J. Palacio and Wonder 
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