The cover has a child with one eye. I wondered if the book was about a blind kid.
Name: Wonder
Author: R. J. Palacio
Format: Hardcopy
Number of pages: 315
Availability: Amazon (Buy the paperback here)
Rating: 4/5
Once I read the book, I did not wonder who or what ‘wonder’ was anymore. I knew exactly why the author titled her book, WONDER!
The language was good and easy to understand. An interesting word from this book was precept. I wonder if I should make one for each month of this year. Or am I just adding to the already long list of things to do?
This story is about how the life of a 10-year-old, with certain multi-facial abnormalities, changes during middle school. It was a wonder to see how that child navigated the year with so much maturity.
*It is a simple story about parents, children and middle school.
*It shows us how parents’ teamwork and involvement in their children’s lives make a huge difference in the child’s ability to handle themselves outside the comfort of their homes.
*It shows us how siblings love and protect each other no matter what.
*It reminds us parents that our little ones who have become older siblings also need our time every single day. Even if the younger one needs more attention.
*It shows how callous parents bring up children just like them.
*It gives us hope that goodness and empathy still exist in this world.
*It shows us how we can go astray due to peer pressure.
*It reminds us that kindness and bravery are important traits to possess right from childhood.
*It teaches us how we can attract good people by having a positive mindset.
*It makes us wonder if our ‘normal-faced’ children have such levels of maturity at this age.
Nothing needed improvement as such but I got distracted with a couple of things.
*I wondered why there was a constant repetition of ‘me and Jack’ instead of ‘Jack and I’. Perhaps, with the former, the author was trying to make the conversation more realistic from a 10-year-old’s view. But I think the latter could encourage young readers to speak English the right way.
*Also, I wondered why Justin’s narrative was written with small letters, even the starting letters of his sentences and proper nouns. Again, maybe the author was trying to show us how teenagers spoke or how limited his vocabulary was, but the right way would allow young readers to learn to frame their sentences correctly, don’t you think?
After all, we learn a lot by reading.
It was a bit difficult for me to dive into the book, given that it wasn’t a murder mystery or thriller, but I decided to go with an open mind (as my daughter’s school suggested we buy this book for our kids to read during the holidays). And, it did sell a million copies worldwide. Once I read it, I realized it was a wonderful story of how when you stand up for yourself, despite your fallbacks, people will eventually treat you well. This book is great for children though it would resonate with the young as well as the old.
Then, I wondered about the movie (Wonder, 2017, starring Julia Roberts) and decided to watch it soon with my kids because the story does send a lovely message out into the world.
Let me know your thoughts if you have read this book.
This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.
28 Comments
I liked your constant references to wonder in the review!
Your review is intriguing and I am wondering how the author expressed the word wonder. Yes, we wonder how each child can teach us valuable lessons of life in an evocative manner.
I knew about the movie,but haven’t watched it yet. Your book review is intriguing and i. Think i should read first and then proceed with watching
This sounds like an interesting book to buy for my kids. And once we have read the book, I will search for the movie 🙂
I loved reading Wonder and it is still one of my favourite books for all the reasons you stated. It is about family and friendship and so inspiring to the core! I remember writing a book review soon after finishing the book and I was quite overwhelmed.
I totally agree that we learn from reading, and hence the grammar needs to be on point. I have also realised that literature doesn’t necessarily follow the conventional rules of grammar. Always value your critical point of view.
Hey, I watched Movie. And I love that. Now I am curious to read this book.
I watched the movie and absolutely loved it! Now I wonder if the book will be just as good or even better. Looks like I need to read it to find out. Thanks for your review, it’s convinced me to give the book a try!
I’ve wanted to see the movie for a while now but this is the first book review I’m reading. Guess I’ll go for the book before the movie. Sounds interesting.
I haven’t read this book but have seen the Julia Roberts movie. Though it sounds interesting most likely will give this book a miss. Thanks to you got a gist of what it is about
Wonder was such an eye-opening read for me too! It beautifully captures kindness, resilience, and family bonds. I love how it reminds us to nurture empathy in our children. Great review!
Indeed you nailed on this review. You are showing your skills in every area of writing, be it travel stories, book review, movies, product review besides photography and videography. You are supremly talented. I loved the essence of the plot of this story but now the question is… The book or the movie… let me think 🙂
I have read Wonder too, and your review perfectly sums up what makes the book so special. The way it portrays kindness, resilience, and family bonds is truly heartwarming. I can’t remember if I’ve watched this movie or not. 🤔
How’s the movie Cindy? Might just opt for that coz adding another book to my TBR at the moment seems so stress-inducing. However I do like the plot and the takeaways seem wonderful so don’t mind watching the movie.
I haven’t watched it yet. Will get to it soon!
I have been seeing this book for a long time all over the book scene, bookshops and social media alike. But never thought about picking it up. But it seems to be a good story from your review. Might give it a go.
I haven’t read the book. I haven’t watched the movie too. But both are on my list. Like a true book lover, I’ll read the book before watching the movie, thanks to your lovely book review!
Like you, I like English in books to be written with correct grammar. Yet, I’ve read books, especially those with child protagonists, written in extremely “informal” or conversational manner. I can’t decide whether it is right or wrong. I somehow feel that if such things do not hinder reading pleasure, it’s okay although I also worry about teaching reading children correct English syntax and grammar.
I watched the movie and it a brilliant. I read the book before that, but the movie stayed with me more than the book. The movie is not just for kids but also for adults because a great part of life changes for the adults too, when their kids go through so much. Parents are stressed in their own way, watching helplessly as their kids undergo so much.
I have to watch it still!
I wonder how many wonders are there in the world 🙂 I think I would give the book a pass and watch the movie instead. If writers start writing wrong English and wrong letter framing, then God save the language. As it is chat has killed our writing styles.
I also have an issue when the Queen’s language is fiddled with. I find authors tend to add native language words and frame sentences for speakers rather than readers, especially for children between the ages of 3-10. It doesn’t appeal to me though.
I have not watched the film. If the book is for young readers, the correct usage of language would have been better. Because indication of tonalities may not be perceived by them like adults.
That was a lovely review! Wonder is one of those books that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading, and I completely agree that it teaches empathy in the most beautiful way. Auggie’s journey is so touching, and Palacio’s writing makes you feel every emotion deeply. I liked how you highlighted the impact of kindness—something the world definitely needs more of.
I like what you did with the word ‘wonder” in your review!
All said and done, I do like the message the book sends into the world and I hopefully will be able to overlook the echoes of “Me and Jack” in the pages . Thanks for this review!
Haha, thanks, Preeti. Tried something new.
I haven’t read the book but loved the movie. It’s so sensitive and inspiring. While reading your review, I kept wondering if the movie was an adaptation, and your last line confirmed it. You’re absolutely right—proper language usage is crucial, especially when the book has a broad audience of young readers.
Using language correctly will definitely help young readers. But maybe writers prefer authenticity.
That’s what I was thinking.