|
You Gotta Read This!
|
|
2/4/2020 0 Comments Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Title: Wonder
Author: R.J. Palacio Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf (Penguin Random House) (February 2012) ISBN: 978-0375869020 Genre: Realistic Fiction Recommended Age Level: 8-12 Awards / Recognitions:
Professional Summary and Review: Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2011 After being homeschooled for years, Auggie Pullman is about to start fifth grade, but he's worried: How will he fit into middle-school life when he looks so different from everyone else? Auggie has had 27 surgeries to correct facial anomalies he was born with, but he still has a face that has earned him such cruel nicknames as Freak, Freddy Krueger, Gross-out and Lizard face. Though "his features look like they've been melted, like the drippings on a candle" and he's used to people averting their eyes when they see him, he's an engaging boy who feels pretty ordinary inside. He's smart, funny, kind and brave, but his father says that having Auggie attend Beecher Prep would be like sending "a lamb to the slaughter." Palacio divides the novel into eight parts, interspersing Auggie's first-person narrative with the voices of family members and classmates, wisely expanding the story beyond Auggie's viewpoint and demonstrating that Auggie's arrival at school doesn't test only him, it affects everyone in the community. Auggie may be finding his place in the world, but that world must find a way to make room for him, too. A memorable story of kindness, courage and wonder. Personal Review: The true power in a book like this is its ability to teach kids meaningful life lessons. In this book specifically, readers will see first-hand how painful words and actions can be, even those that aren’t intended to cause harm. Wonder offers kids a lesson in empathy, challenging the idea of what is normal, and encouraging them to be kind in all situations. Even though I’m much older than the target demographic, I was easily swept up in the compelling story of Auggie and his struggles with starting middle school with kids his own age for the first time. As a librarian, I would feel confident recommending this to elementary-aged readers because, not only is it well-written and a good story, it has a lot of lessons to teach them. Books like this one are important as we strive to broaden children’s world view and expose them to narratives unlike their own everyday experiences. Wonder successfully navigates a story very dissimilar to most kids’ stories and does so with humor, love and nuance. Readalikes: (Summaries from GoodReads) Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper (2010): Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom - the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she's determined to let everyone know it - somehow. A Monster Like Me by Wendy S. Swore (2019): Sophie is a monster expert. Thanks to her Big Book of Monsters and her vivid imagination, Sophie can identify the monsters in her school and neighborhood. Clearly, the bullies are trolls and goblins. Her nice neighbor must be a good witch, and Sophie’s new best friend is obviously a fairy. But what about Sophie? She’s convinced she is definitely a monster because of the “monster mark” on her face. At least that’s what she calls it. The doctors call it a blood tumor. Sophie tries to hide it but it covers almost half her face. And if she’s a monster on the outside, then she must be a monster on the inside, too. Being the new kid at school is hard. Being called a monster is even harder. Sophie knows that it’s only a matter of time before the other kids, the doctors, and even her mom figure it out. And then her mom will probably leave — just like her dad did. Because who would want to live with a real monster? Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine (2010): In Caitlin’s world, everything is black or white. Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. That’s the stuff Caitlin’s older brother, Devon, has always explained. But now Devon’s dead and Dad is no help at all. Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger’s, she doesn’t know how. When she reads the definition of closure, she realizes that is what she needs. In her search for it, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white—the world is full of colors—messy and beautiful.
Below is the official trailer to the 2017 movie, which is a fairly faithful retelling of the original book.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
