August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER, now a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, 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.
My thoughts:
I read this one aloud with G. We both loved Auggie and his family and we were heart-broken by their tragedies and cried alongside their triumphs. It's a beautiful novel about love, acceptance, and loyalty.
Palacio allows us to see the points-of-view of the different people in Auggie's life. We get to see how they feel and why. Also, not everyone is redeemable right away. Which helped to make the book feel more realistic. Things happen and we don't know why and that's OK.
Thoughts about the book vs. the movie:
We finished up the book and the next week we headed out to see the movie. I loved seeing Auggie's story visually. The little boy underneath that makeup did a superb job.
They had to cut a few parts out which I really enjoyed in the book. And one of the characters changed/was different at the end of the movie which I didn't like as much.
Overall, they did a great job adapting the movie. But the book still wins out for me over the movie.
But please go read and see both. It's a poignant and beautiful story that all should read and see.
I haven't seen the movie yet, but I will. This is definitely a book for anyone and everyone.
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