My son loves books and it is not uncommon for him to have a stack that he is reading all at once. My husband and I have found that one of the best ways to connect with him is through books, because he loves reading so much! I wanted to share with you, one in particular that my son and I just finished reading together because it impacted us so much and fostered so many great conversations. So here’s my Wonder book review…
We just finished this book called “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio. It is not a new book, it’s been out for a few years, but we are just hitting the appropriate age for my son to read it. The book is about a boy entering 5th grade named August Pullman who describes himself this way, “I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.” Because of multiple surgeries and illnesses, he has not been able to attend school, but his parents decide to he is ready attend school at Beecher Prep in 5th grade. The uniqueness of this book is that you hear about August’s 5th grade year from his perspective as well as from many of his peers and his sister. Each section is told from a different person’s perspective which allows you to see this whole story from many angles.
It’s a beautiful genuine look inside August’s mind & heart as a kid that has always been considered different. It’s a hard authentic look inside the minds & hearts of his family & his peers at Beecher Prep as they struggle with peer pressure in school, and having empathy and compassion for others. All in all, it’s such a wonderful redeeming story that I think all kids should read as they head into middle and high school years where this internal battle gets even more difficult.
Reading it together or letting your kid read it on their own is a personal decision, either way I think it’s a great book for parents and kids to process together, so I suggest you both read it. If your child is on the younger side (8-11 years old), I would suggest you read it together as some of the things that happen are just pure “meanness” and I found with my son, he was sad or hurt by what was happening to Auggie and needed to process it with me. Older kids might want to read it on their own and then talk through it with you later. As I read this with my son, he opened up to me about things he is seeing at school and it led to many wonderful conversations that I’m so thankful for.
I could go on for days about how wonderful this book is and the great lessons it teaches about kindness, but I want you to read it for yourself.
Also cool fact, there is a movie based on this book coming out in early 2017 with Owen Wilson and Julia Roberts, I hope the beautifulness of this book translates well on the big screen, it deserves to be done well!
There are 3 books in the series. “Wonder”, “Auggie & Me” and “365 Days of Wonder”, they all look amazing, we are working our way through the rest of the series.
I’ll leave you with this quote from Wonder,
“If you do this, if you act just a little kinder than is necessary, someone else, somewhere, someday, may recognize in you, in every single one of you, the face of God.”
Have you read the book “Wonder”? If so I would love to hear your thoughts on this book
Comment below or contact me directly HERE.
Christy
Founder of The Praying Mom
This website was birthed out of Christy's passion to see women become intentional in their lives. She is passionate about helping moms discover their purpose in their homes, churches, communities & world!
