Mugg-Young Adult -Week 13 Annotation
Author: R. J. Palacia
Title: Wonder
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: January 1, 2012
Number of Pages: 315
Geographical Setting: New York
Time Period: Contemporary
Series (If applicable): N/A
Appeal: 3 terms that best describe this book: compelling, happy, page-turner
Subject Headings: juvenile fiction, middle school, gentle good vs bad, uplifing, differing perspectives, siblings, being different, empathy
Plot Summary:
We get to know Auggie (August) your typical 10 year
old in this novel. Augie knows he is
different from the other kids. He doesn’t
just think it. He knows it. His mother has told him the story many times
of the day he was born. He has a cleft palate and what is called a cranio-deformity. That’s why so
many people look at him so oddly and react so compulsively. We’ve all experienced name calling in middle
school. Most of us also know when the
bullying happens. So, too, Auggie learns
about the ins and out of friendship in middle school. He finds out about the whys of someone being
popular. Most of all, we get to know
Augie. “I wasn’t even sure why I was
getting this medal, really. No, that’s
not true. I knew shy. It’s like people you see sometimes, and you
can’t imagine what it would be like to be that person, whether it’s somebody in
a wheelchair or somebody who can’t talk.
Only, I know that I am that person to other people, maybe to every
single person in the whole auditorium.
To me, though, I’m just me. An
ordinary kid.” There is also this from the author, “August Pullman wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary
things. He eats ice cream. He plays on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside. But Auggie is far from ordinary. Ordinary
kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary
kids don't get stared at wherever they go.” This is a book to read to your children and grandchildren.
Similar Authors and Works (why are they similar?):
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| Dork Diaries |
 |
| How To Outrun a Crocodile |
 |
| Einstein |
3 Relevant Fiction Works and Authors:
Sources of Information for Read A-Likes: IMCPL.org (Novelist), myMCPL.org (Novelist), Goodreads.com (middle school novels)
I loved this book and recommend it to youth and adults.I had my then eleven year old daughter read it and we both fell in love with Auggie and his family!
ReplyDeleteHi Laurie ~ thanks for the input - I really loved this book~
ReplyDeleteThis book has been recommended to me several times, but your annotation is the first time that I've actually wanted to read it!
ReplyDelete“I wasn’t even sure why I was getting this medal, really. No, that’s not true. I knew shy. It’s like people you see sometimes, and you can’t imagine what it would be like to be that person, whether it’s somebody in a wheelchair or somebody who can’t talk. Only, I know that I am that person to other people, maybe to every single person in the whole auditorium. To me, though, I’m just me. An ordinary kid.”
I have to preface this by saying that I'm a cryer, and this made me cry!!! I recognize that I'm guilty of those feelings toward others, and I love that we get his honest perspective on the situation. This has now moved to the top of my list!
Thanks for the comment Jessica ~ I know I am recommending to my grandchildren ~ I've been collecting a little library for them - I am hoping they will run it this summer
ReplyDelete