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heatheralsip's review against another edition
5.0
This was an excellent story! It addressed the social dynamics of school kids based on their parents' viewpoints, as well as fitting in and standing out in that environment.
ladybrik's review against another edition
5.0
Oh this book, this beautiful book. I was browsing through my library's e-book shelves when I came across it. It's the fictional story of a 10 year old kid's journey through fifth grade - his first year at a real school - after having been born with a facial deformity. I wasn't sure if I'd like it; generally I get really upset over little kid bullying, but surprisingly this story was uplifting. It's told from his perspective, as well as the perspective of his friends and his sister. It's beautifully written, and I admit to crying through much of the book. It was very moving, and the end was perfect, absolutely perfect.
Even though it was fiction, it still made me hug my boy a little bit tighter and it reminded me to be thankful and grateful and all of the other "fuls" we sometimes forget.
Also, a super easy read. I read it over two of my son's nap times.
Even though it was fiction, it still made me hug my boy a little bit tighter and it reminded me to be thankful and grateful and all of the other "fuls" we sometimes forget.
Also, a super easy read. I read it over two of my son's nap times.
essiekr's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
sespahbodi's review against another edition
5.0
This may be one of the best books I have ever read. Every adult and every child should read this book. Trust me, you'll wish you'd dropped everything and devoured this in 2 hours.
pinebluffchick's review against another edition
2.0
It’s a YA book. What can I say? Middle school kids are mean to those who are different.
rebecca_oneil's review against another edition
4.0
Auggie Pullman is starting school for the first time -- as a fifth grader (which is middle school, in this book). This is a big deal for a kid who's been homeschooled his whole life due to severe facial deformities and many surgeries. The book chronicles his fifth-grade year and how it changes him, his family, his classmates, and his community.
More than writing sensitively about a difference or disability (which it does well, a la [b:Out of My Mind|6609765|Out of My Mind|Sharon M. Draper|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275674397s/6609765.jpg|6803732]), or showing the effects on family members ([b:Rules|222458|Rules|Cynthia Lord|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328868621s/222458.jpg|1139031]), this story became magical to me the first time it changed point of view. You hear overlapping versions of events to reveal the reasons that characters act as they do; or, as the school principal says, "there are almost always more than two sides to every story."
It was strangely thrilling to read a story with so many modern details (Bone, Star Wars, the Cheese Touch, KidzBop, UglyDolls, iPods, cell phones), but I wonder if these will date the book too quickly. (As an aside, when a character uses her phone to call her mom from the bathroom for a ride home from a bad party, saying 'don't ring the bell, just text and I'll come out,' I spent several minutes thinking about this and how getting out so gracefully would have been impossible pre-cell phones.) I loved Auggie's strong, loving, functional family. So many kids' books are about dealing with one's crappy family that this was refreshing. Also, the depiction of bullying in middle school seemed dead-on. This, plus the short chapters, unique format, unusual protagonist, and (perhaps slightly too) happy ending, make this a "tolerance" book with actual high kid appeal -- a hard balance to strike, for sure.
Favorite quotes:
"I don't know if the three of us found each other because we were so alike in so many ways, or that because we found each other, we've become so alike in so many ways."
"My mother is the kind of person who has a happy face for the rest of the world but not a lot left over for me."
"'Shall we make a new rule of life...always try to be a little kinder than is necessary?'" --J.M. Barrie
More than writing sensitively about a difference or disability (which it does well, a la [b:Out of My Mind|6609765|Out of My Mind|Sharon M. Draper|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275674397s/6609765.jpg|6803732]), or showing the effects on family members ([b:Rules|222458|Rules|Cynthia Lord|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328868621s/222458.jpg|1139031]), this story became magical to me the first time it changed point of view. You hear overlapping versions of events to reveal the reasons that characters act as they do; or, as the school principal says, "there are almost always more than two sides to every story."
It was strangely thrilling to read a story with so many modern details (Bone, Star Wars, the Cheese Touch, KidzBop, UglyDolls, iPods, cell phones), but I wonder if these will date the book too quickly. (As an aside, when a character uses her phone to call her mom from the bathroom for a ride home from a bad party, saying 'don't ring the bell, just text and I'll come out,' I spent several minutes thinking about this and how getting out so gracefully would have been impossible pre-cell phones.) I loved Auggie's strong, loving, functional family. So many kids' books are about dealing with one's crappy family that this was refreshing. Also, the depiction of bullying in middle school seemed dead-on. This, plus the short chapters, unique format, unusual protagonist, and (perhaps slightly too) happy ending, make this a "tolerance" book with actual high kid appeal -- a hard balance to strike, for sure.
Favorite quotes:
"I don't know if the three of us found each other because we were so alike in so many ways, or that because we found each other, we've become so alike in so many ways."
"My mother is the kind of person who has a happy face for the rest of the world but not a lot left over for me."
"'Shall we make a new rule of life...always try to be a little kinder than is necessary?'" --J.M. Barrie
rlwertheimer's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic! A must-read for all parents and all kids. And everyone! #choosekind
ankyslibrary's review against another edition
5.0
Wonder was absolutely beautiful. It was one of the realest book I've ever read. I could feel Auggie so truly, I felt as if he was my little brother in real life.
The story itself was wonderful. And I'm finding it hard to write a review because it was just that good! I mean, I can't fathom criticizing a single moment from the book, much less the whole thing.
So I guess you can imagine that I'm a fan already, and I'll let you know that I've just borrowed all the other novellas from the Wonder series as well as the movie.
So now I'll stop writing this, insist you to read this absolutely amazing book and take my leave to go watch the movie!
The story itself was wonderful. And I'm finding it hard to write a review because it was just that good! I mean, I can't fathom criticizing a single moment from the book, much less the whole thing.
So I guess you can imagine that I'm a fan already, and I'll let you know that I've just borrowed all the other novellas from the Wonder series as well as the movie.
So now I'll stop writing this, insist you to read this absolutely amazing book and take my leave to go watch the movie!