Image Source
Title: Wonder
Author: R. J. Palacio
Publisher: RHUK; Latest edition (3 January 2013)
Genre: Fiction/Children & Young Adult
Price: Rs. 360 on Amazon
Pages: 320
When people all over my Facebook and Goodreads timeline were going ga-ga over this book, I read the blurb of it. It seemed a way too emotional and poignant read. I decided to stay away from it for a while as I was not in a very good headspace myself. But once I saw the trailer of the movie, I knew that I must read it. When the husband gifted me this book among others for new years, I knew this had to be the first book that I read in 2018. This book needs no introduction or a review to sell, but I must talk about it as this book may have changed my life in a way that I never thought it could.
August Pullman is born with a medical condition that has caused him to have many surgeries. His face is terribly deformed due to this and not everyone has a kind word for him. He has been home-schooled by his mother until now, but now his parents want him to experience the real world and go to a normal school, Beecher Prep. August is not at all happy with this and in his own head, he will never be ready to face the world. On the first day of his fifth grade at school, in-spite of not wanting to draw any attention to himself, he finds people staring at him, pointing at him and talking about him. When a kid named Julian antagonizes him for his appearance, August is determined never to get back to school. However, school seems bearable thanks to his other friends Jack and Summer who stand by him through everything. Well, almost.
'Wonder' is the story of August Pullman and his experience in a normal school. I am not going to delve deep into the story as most of us are aware of it by now. A kid with a disorder in a school, what do you expect, right? But no! This story is anything but ordinary. Once you start it, it is impossible to put the book down. The story moves quick and page after page you are left with tears in your eyes as well as a smile on your face. The story flows through the point of view of the students, but mostly it is August. He talks about how he feels about being around normal people and how they look at him. Jack's POV is interesting too. But the best POV was that of Via, August's sister. She talks about how it is to live in a family with a child like August. She talks about how August claims all the attention from their parents and how she finally comes around it. I also loved the character of Miranda a lot. The love and concern she shows for August is so endearing.
Mr. Tom Browne, August's first teacher in fifth grade, makes precepts for the class to ponder about and this basically dictates the course of the book. I have bookmarked every precept of his and I know this will help me as a person in the days to come. This book had a huge influence on me and helped inspire my recent post on kindness. Since I bought a latest version of the book, it had additional chapters with the "villain", Julian's POV. It is so nice to get into the mind of a child and know why he/she behaved a certain way. The book also shows how parents knowingly or unknowingly influence the minds of their children. Children learn so much from their parents, even without the latter realizing it.
Nate and Isabel Pullman, August's parents are hands down the best parents in the world! While the book had only the POVs of the children from the school, I would have loved to see Isabel's POV too. How is it to be the mother of a son who unintentionally "scares" people? How is it to be able to stay strong for a child being punished for no fault of his? How is it to love a child for what he is while ignoring what he is to the outer world? It would make another fascinating and a heartfelt read.
I would love to give this book 500 stars if I could, but I would say this. 'Wonder' should be made mandatory reading in primary schools. It teaches one about friendship, acceptance, family, love and yes, kindness. The storytelling is brilliant and the concept, excellent. Palacio wrote this book after an incident where she and her three-year-old son were waiting to buy ice-cream and her son saw a girl with facial birth defects and started crying. It wouldn't have been a pleasant experience, but the fact that it got her thinking about it is quite something. 'Wonder' is a true wonder in every sense and while we might not show it, we all do have an August Pullman inside of us. It is time we embrace him and all the other August Pullmans with all our heart.
Verdict: My first book of the year and I know it is going to be the BEST book of 2018.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
Original link
Title: Wonder
Author: R. J. Palacio
Publisher: RHUK; Latest edition (3 January 2013)
Genre: Fiction/Children & Young Adult
Price: Rs. 360 on Amazon
Pages: 320
When people all over my Facebook and Goodreads timeline were going ga-ga over this book, I read the blurb of it. It seemed a way too emotional and poignant read. I decided to stay away from it for a while as I was not in a very good headspace myself. But once I saw the trailer of the movie, I knew that I must read it. When the husband gifted me this book among others for new years, I knew this had to be the first book that I read in 2018. This book needs no introduction or a review to sell, but I must talk about it as this book may have changed my life in a way that I never thought it could.
August Pullman is born with a medical condition that has caused him to have many surgeries. His face is terribly deformed due to this and not everyone has a kind word for him. He has been home-schooled by his mother until now, but now his parents want him to experience the real world and go to a normal school, Beecher Prep. August is not at all happy with this and in his own head, he will never be ready to face the world. On the first day of his fifth grade at school, in-spite of not wanting to draw any attention to himself, he finds people staring at him, pointing at him and talking about him. When a kid named Julian antagonizes him for his appearance, August is determined never to get back to school. However, school seems bearable thanks to his other friends Jack and Summer who stand by him through everything. Well, almost.
'Wonder' is the story of August Pullman and his experience in a normal school. I am not going to delve deep into the story as most of us are aware of it by now. A kid with a disorder in a school, what do you expect, right? But no! This story is anything but ordinary. Once you start it, it is impossible to put the book down. The story moves quick and page after page you are left with tears in your eyes as well as a smile on your face. The story flows through the point of view of the students, but mostly it is August. He talks about how he feels about being around normal people and how they look at him. Jack's POV is interesting too. But the best POV was that of Via, August's sister. She talks about how it is to live in a family with a child like August. She talks about how August claims all the attention from their parents and how she finally comes around it. I also loved the character of Miranda a lot. The love and concern she shows for August is so endearing.
Mr. Tom Browne, August's first teacher in fifth grade, makes precepts for the class to ponder about and this basically dictates the course of the book. I have bookmarked every precept of his and I know this will help me as a person in the days to come. This book had a huge influence on me and helped inspire my recent post on kindness. Since I bought a latest version of the book, it had additional chapters with the "villain", Julian's POV. It is so nice to get into the mind of a child and know why he/she behaved a certain way. The book also shows how parents knowingly or unknowingly influence the minds of their children. Children learn so much from their parents, even without the latter realizing it.
Nate and Isabel Pullman, August's parents are hands down the best parents in the world! While the book had only the POVs of the children from the school, I would have loved to see Isabel's POV too. How is it to be the mother of a son who unintentionally "scares" people? How is it to be able to stay strong for a child being punished for no fault of his? How is it to love a child for what he is while ignoring what he is to the outer world? It would make another fascinating and a heartfelt read.
I would love to give this book 500 stars if I could, but I would say this. 'Wonder' should be made mandatory reading in primary schools. It teaches one about friendship, acceptance, family, love and yes, kindness. The storytelling is brilliant and the concept, excellent. Palacio wrote this book after an incident where she and her three-year-old son were waiting to buy ice-cream and her son saw a girl with facial birth defects and started crying. It wouldn't have been a pleasant experience, but the fact that it got her thinking about it is quite something. 'Wonder' is a true wonder in every sense and while we might not show it, we all do have an August Pullman inside of us. It is time we embrace him and all the other August Pullmans with all our heart.
Verdict: My first book of the year and I know it is going to be the BEST book of 2018.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
Original link