Wonder by R.J. Palacio

This story is about courage, kindness, friendship, and character, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. August Pullman was born with a rare, genetic disease that left his face badly deformed. As he said on the first page, "I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse." He's undergone twenty-seven surgeries since he was born and has been home-schooled by his mother. His parents think fifth grade is a good time for him to start public schools. He's teased and ignored by most of the students; they even said classmates would get the plague if they touched him. August and his few friends persevere through the educational and social difficulties of school, and August ends up a winner in the end.

This is an emotional book, and I felt very sorry for August. The author retold part of the plot from various points of view, so it was interesting to see what others were thinking. Some of their thoughts were quite surprising. I was wondering where the plot would lead, but it actually came to a climax during the fifth grade overnight trip. It was fun to see a person with August's character come out on top.

Lexile level from lexile.com 790