R.J. Palacio, thank you, for writing Wonder. I read to p. 46, stopped, and wrote this.
When I'm reading a book,
A book I know that
Has been read by friends,
It's like we are all looking up
At the same bright star in the sky
At exactly the same time.
The publisher's description:August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?
It took some time to talk myself into reading this book. I don't go easily into some subjects. I didn't think I could get through it, but so many people raved about the humanity contained within its pages, that I gave it a try. Then I stopped. Then I started again and had it finished within a few days. I have been raving about it ever since.
Everyone knows that I cry at...well, just about anything. So for me to cry wouldn't exactly be newsworthy. But it was when in the book that surprised me...the English class with the amazing teacher...it was the precepts that got to me. I had actually flipped to the back to see her picture when I noticed the appendix...and breaking my rule of 'never read ahead', I read them...ALL of them. Then I asked my husband to please read up to p. 46. He did and said, "I'll read the rest of it after you do. But you should have read the next page, especially the last sentence." Then he started to read it out loud and I quickly yelled at him to stop. So I just grabbed it from him and read p. 47. And that's where I was as of 2:52 p.m. April 22, Earth Day, 2012.
Monday night we had a visit from our grandson so I had to stop reading and didn't finish the book before bedtime. Woke up at 3:30, tried to get back to sleep and then realized I could get up and finish Wonder. So, of course, I did. Sobbed, and sobbed...and sobbed some more. But it was a good cry. I was glad that I had time to recover before school started, though. Fantastic. Touching. Funny. Sad. Real. Simply amazing!
It's now one of my favorite books I've ever read. To take a subject like this, where few of us have encountered someone like Auggie, it's hard not to think, "how is she going to pull this off?" But she does...and with such grace. Another one of those books where I think everyone on earth should read.
Hurray for Wonder, may it continue getting its well deserved praise! 5 Stars!
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