More recently, she asked me to read Wonder by R.J. Palacio (2012). This, I am pleased to say, went much better. Wonder is the story of Auggie, a ten year old with severe facial deformaties, as he integrates into middle school. It is told from several points of view, a narrative technique I adore, and is wonderful. It is not schlocky or sappy or suffused with pity. It is full of pop culture references that the kids adore. It is pretty nearly perfect.
And in these troubled times, it has a really great message: always try to be a little kinder than necessary. This comes from J.M. Barrie’s Little White Bird, seems to me to be pretty good words to live by.
Who would like this book? Wonder is aimed at middle grade readers, but i didn’t find it too juvenille or twee. It has great anti-bully messages and is taught in a lot of schools. All the kids in my daughter’s class who I’ve talked to liked the book, so that’s a thumbs up from ten year olds. It is set to come out as a movie in April. I don’t know how it will translate to screen, but then we all know that the book is always better anyways.
52 books or bust 
My daughter read this last year and really liked it – so a thumbs up from a (then) 14-year-old, as well!
Agree, this is a book for all ages. I read it before my kids did and on finishing, went straight to their school and said “You need a class set of this book” (which they got!).
Awesome! It’s sometimes hard to find a book that’s a good story with a great message that kids respond to.
If the premise of the book and the character with deformities puts me in mind of a novel by one of my favourite Canadian authors, Wayne Johnston. This one is definitely for adults, though. I highly recommend The Son of a Certain Woman by Wayne Johnston: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17262157?source=ebfg_tw
My daughter read this a few years ago in here grade 4 class I think? Glad to see it’s being taught in the schools!
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