R. J. Palacio: Wonder (AudiobookFormat, 2017)
[sound recording] /, 12 pages
English language
Published Jan. 1, 2017
August Pullman was born with a facial deformity that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. He's about to enter fifth grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid, then you know how hard that can be. 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, despite appearances? Wonder, now a #1 New York Times bestseller, begins from Auggie's point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community's struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance. R. J. Palacio has crafted an uplifting novel full of wonderfully realistic family interactions, lively school scenes, and writing that shines with spare emotional power.
What the heck? The best part of the book I read before this one -We Were Liars- was the notion/inspirational quote of 'be a little kinder than you have to be' and this book is chock full of inspirational quotes, mantras and then culminates with the principals speech asking everyone to be a little kinder.
