Raquel Jaramillo

Chris Bancells

Palacio, R.J. (2012). Wonder. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Contemporary Realistic

Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award Nominee (2013-2014)

Print

Selection tools consulted: School Library Journal, WorldCat, Maryland Association of School Librarians Black-Eyed Susan Award Nominee list (2013-2014).



Review:

Alienation is not a new theme in literature, much less so in YA fiction. The story of August Pullman, however, is as refreshing as it is familiar. Auggie (as his friends and family call him) was born with a startling cocktail of disorders that left his face so deformed it makes small children cry. As August himself puts it, "whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse" (p.3). His uniqueness is purely physical, but it brings with it a whole host of social consequences, especially when August starts middle school. Having been homeschooled his whole life, Auggie's mom, dad, and sister, Via, were able to protect him. Now, the reality of the world, of school life in upper Manhattan is a reality for Auggie too. Bullies and friends, betrayals and ambiguities, Auggie navigates them all with a genuineness that endears him to the reader. Wonder is a novel about middle school which, in its spare prose, avoids feeling juvenile. The narration passes between the main character and five others who orbit him to greater or lesser degrees. Interestingly, all the narrators are children; no adults give a perspective on August. Despite this variety of perspectives, the story remains tightly told, never straying too far from Auggie's evolution. The ending to somewhat too pat, but is also as uplifting as the book deserves. Although Palacio doesn't run from the realities of bullying, she never lets her characters descend so far into the darkness that they can't return safely (though not unchanged). In the end, the book is a hopeful message to the bullied and those who love them. Highly recommended.
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