Wonder

Title: Wonder

Genre: Bluebonnet

Author: R.J Palacio

Awards: 2012 NAPPA Gold Award -Tweens and Teens

              2014 Beehive Award Fiction

Age Group: 8-13 years old

Teacher Evaluation: As a teacher, I would use this book to go over comprehension and response skills to text. I believe that the story of Wonder could be relatable to certain students in many different ways and it also allows room for the student to think about. This book has various messages throughout the story I believe are important to have students reflect on. I think this book would be best incorporated into a 4^th or 5th-grade classroom although I can see it being used in any grade from 3^rd to 7^th grade. I just think that the book would be best for students within the same age-group/ grade-level as the characters in the story. An activity that could be used in the classroom would be to have students find a connection to the story and write about it. This would help students comprehend and reflect on what they are reading. I also think this book would be great to do class discussions with.  

Summary: Wonder is a book about a boy named August (Auggie) Pullman who was born with a facial deformity and how he has affected the lives of the people around him. Although the book is told from several perspectives of the people in Auggie’s life, the main focus of the book is Auggie’s fifth-grade year. Auggie has always been homeschooled and as it would be for any kid, the transition is hard. However, because of Auggie’s facial deformity, his is met with more challenges than normal. Almost all of the kids at Auggie’s new school are not nice to him and many will not even speak to him. As the book continues Auggie makes genuine friends that see beyond what’s on the outside. Many other students at Auggie’s school who were once very mean to him because of his facial deformity come to Auggie’s defense when older kids from another school pick on Auggie while on a trip. From this point on, Auggie is no longer treated like he was at the beginning of the book. At the end of the book, Auggie attends an award/graduation ceremony for his grade and wins the award for being someone who has lifted others. At the end of the book, the children who once ignored or bullied Auggie have come to realize how brave, kind, and funny he is.