Wonder

hmm...might be a 4.5, but going to leave it at 4 for now. Mostly because I thought the ending kinda fell apart there was also the whole thing with the dog, but we'll leave that alone. You know that saying, "as long as the dog/cat/goldfish/etc. lives..."? Yeah, that's me . I mean, I'm all for happy endings and rainbows and moonbeams and the like, but this felt a little too sugary. The Star Wars themes played, good guys won, the kid who avoided having his picture taken like it was the plague suddenly is front and center, the semi-bad guys were redeemed to became good guys and the un-redeemed (and his parents) slunk away to another school never to scowl at the kind children of Beecher Prep again. Oh and what school administrator asks a 11 year old, without either the parents present or having talked to them first, if he wants to press charges? He's 11. yeah. No.

Up to the 3 days in nature portion, I did enjoy the story. I particularly liked Olivia as narrator, talking about how she had always and would always live in Auggie's shadow and being ok with it even when she wasn't.

Resenha do blog Sincerando.com, escrita por Sarah Sindorf

“Sabe o que eu acho? A única razão de eu não ser comum é
que ninguém além de mim me enxerga dessa forma.”

August, ou Auggie, é um menino normal, gosta de sorvete, de brincar, de Star Wars, de sua cachorrinha Daisy. Uma coisa o difere dos outros garotos: sua aparência. Auggie herdou geneticamente uma doença que junto com outros problemas lhe causou uma severa deformidade facial. Ele nunca frequentou à escola e passou por várias cirurgias e tratamentos para tentar melhorar seus problemas de saúde, mas quando chega aos 10 anos e sua saúde tem uma melhora, seus pais o colocam na escola.

Começa então uma nova vida para Auggie. Ele tem até esse momento um melhor amigo que vive em outra cidade e não convive muito com as crianças da vizinhança. Terá que enfrentar várias crianças desconhecidas, professores, pais, e lidar com suas reações à sua aparência.

O livro é dividido em oito partes, três são narradas por August e as outras por outros personagens. Achei muito interessante essa divisão pois podemos avaliar uma situação pela visão de mais de um personagem, o que torna a cena mais completa e complexa. Outro ponto também é que podemos nos informar previamente de coisas que Auggie ainda não sabe ou explicações de coisas que ele soube.

A vida de Auggie é complicada, mas também carrega essa complicações para sua família. Ele mora com seus pais e sua irmã, Via, e sua doença afeta diretamente a eles também. Vemos no livro a evolução e o amadurecimento de August com a escola, mas percebemos também essa mesma mudança em seus amigos e sua família.

A história carrega assuntos pesados e dolorosos de uma forma mais leve e às vezes até divertida. Sua família é bem unida e amorosa, e Auggie tem apoio incondicional de seus pais. Via é um personagem forte, mas com suas fraquezas, normais da sua idade. Os personagens são realistas, e isso torna a trama muito mais interessante. Gostei de ver as reações de Auggie frente ao bullying e sua coragem ao lidar com os problemas do dia-a-dia e de sua deficiência. É um exemplo a se espelhar.

É um livro muito emotivo e emocionante, mas ao mesmo tempo a escrita é simples e fácil de acompanhar. Um ótimo feito para a primeira obra da escritora. Espero que ela continue a escrever e pretendo ler o próximo livro que for escrito.

Recomendo esse livro a todos. Crianças tem que ter essa noção do que o bullying pode fazer com alguém, e de como reagir a isso. Pais deveriam saber que um problema com seu filho não é o fim do mundo, e que as coisas podem ser superadas e transformadas numa situação normal. E pessoas com deficiência tem que saber que são seres humanos capazes de tudo que quiserem e merecedoras de respeito e amizade como qualquer outro.

Link da resenha: http://www.sincerando.com/2013/04/extraordinario.html

John Green wrote in the Fault in Our Stars that some books fill you with an Evangelical zeal. That you just want everyone to read them. This is one of those books. If I could afford it, I would buy every copy in sight and give it to everyone I know. This is the kind of book the makes you cry and then warms up in your chest like hot coco and swells you up with the reminder that there is beautiful things in the world. Read it when you need to be reminded about the good of humanity. Read it when you need to feel completely in love with this planet.
I know I sound over the top but I mean it completely.
I love how each character is presented in their own words. They get a chance to explain themselves and the way they view the world.
I love that the writer knew that a book doesn't need to be big or grand to be effective.
I love, love, love this book.
Read it now.

August in an ordinary 10 year old, well on the inside he is but the outside it's totally different. His face is not like an 10 year old, he has abnormalities. People stare and point, he's used to it but still feel sad when it happens.

He's been home schooled but his mom decides that it's time for him to experience the outside world and be a normal kid in his own way.

Th story is told several people's point of view August, his sister's Via, Jack, his new best friend, Via's boyfriend and his parents. You feel their pain, their concerns and some, their shame.

Touching, sweet, this book will inspire you to be kind and respectful of others.

I read this a 2nd time for the podcat; it didn't hold up well.

http://www.frowl.org/worstbestsellers/episode-97-wonder/

—

1st review 10/2012

First of all, I definitely think this would have higher appeal for kids and for teachers who want to use it in the classroom than it does for just plain adult readers. Some of the things that I think might appeal most to kids were the most boring to me. Like, Augie, the main character, is super fucking nitpicky about Star Wars character names & the like. Minutes of audio narration are dedicated to him correcting people about the difference between Boba Fett and Jango Fett. This feels accurate to the way kids talk, and would appeal to kids who are tired of grownups getting character names wrong. But as a (marginal) grownup I was like, move on already.

Anyway. It's the story of August Pullman, a kid born with severe facial deformities, who's been homeschooled through 4th grade but is about to start 5th grade at a private school. I was nervous that this would be too “afterschool-specialy” and it is, a little, but not as bad as I was dreading. Initially most of the other kids are grossed out by his face and don't give Augie a chance. Eventually, you guessed it, everyone learns that it's what's on the inside that matters.

I liked that it shifted between a lot of character's POVs–Augie, his sister, his friends, his sister's friends, etc. I would have been interested in at least one adult POV but I guess kids (the actual target audience) probably wouldn't have been. I also would have been interested to get inside the main bully, Julian's, head. It sounded kind of like his mom was horrible but we didn't get a whole lot about him.

Anyway, I especially liked having so many narrators for audiobook since there were 3 different readers who collectively did a great job bringing everyone to life. Augie's voice takes a bit to get used to–he's described as having kind of a raspy, weak voice, and that's how his parts are read.

Something this book handled well: the idea that you don't have to be an outright bully to hurt people's feelings. It's clear on the fact that kids can hurt each other's feelings with accidental reactions to things, and that's not something that gets discussed as often as actual bullying.

Something this book could have done better: many characters defend Augie by saying that even though his face is ugly, at least he's really smart. But... what if Augie had a cognitive disability? Then would it be OK to be mean to him?

Summary: This novel is told through the perspectives of several different characters. It centers on a young boy named August Pullman who has had a lot of health complications due to a cranio-facial abnormality. For his whole life, he has been homeschooled, but now, he is about to start sixth grade in a public middle school. Throughout the book, August talks about the struggles he has with fitting in at school, and his friends and family also offer their insights and feelings about their interactions with Auggie.

I would've never expected a coming of age story about fifth graders to be filled with so many truths about the joys and hardships of living - of friendships, character, love, and loss. That it's more meaningful to be someone who ‘carries up hearts' than to be “cool.” Adults need reminding of this often, too.

Eu não tinha ideia do que esperar, mas sem dúvida mesmo se tivesse, não esperaria um menino de 10 anos mais doce e maduro do que a maior parte dos meus colegas de trabalho da vida toda, e nem quero ofender ninguém. August tem uma anomalia facial, que o fez muito cedo entender que o mundo o vê (ou rapidamente desvia os olhos, na verdade, e sorri muito rápido... meu coração parou nesse momento) de um modo bem específico - e ele responde ao que tem.
O fim foi meio hollywoodiano - me lembrei do fim do filme A vida é bela, que achei desnecessariamente ‘americanizado', e olha que sou pro-American - mas vale a leitura, vale a reflexão, vale o olhar no espelho e à sua volta.

Short Review: This was an excellent middle grade book about a boy with a severe facial deformities that goes to school for the first time in 5th grade. This could be just another ‘sick kid helps us see what is important in life' book. But because it is told from a variety of viewpoints, we realize that August has life much better than some other do. it is the mix of viewpoints that really makes the book shine. Look forward to the author writing more books.

My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/wonder-by-rj-palacio/

Beautifully written. This is my first time leaving a review on Goodreads, and I want to give the author a big thumbs up for delivering such a compelling and thought provoking work. I especially love the dynamics between all these characters, peering into the perspectives of different individuals is refreshing and makes me emphasize with them. My only regret is not having read this book back in middle school.

Auggie Pullman is about to start fifth grade. It's his first day at school having been homeschooled all his life. Auggie has a severe craniofacial abnormality. As he puts it, “Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.” This is his story.

You can probably imagine the rest. Any synopsis would read like the plot of a saccharine after school special. You've got all the usual suspects. The sneering bully, the tentative best friend, the supportive family, the pretty girl who sees what everyone else can't. Ugh - I've just thrown up in my mouth a bit. I'd also argue that while several sections of the book are told from alternate viewpoints, they all read the same. Their voices are not distinct.

I loved it. Hope, friendship, love and above all, kindness. Loved the punchy chapter arcs. The frank narration and warm tone throughout. Even the outright manipulation of heartstrings (you can all but hear the swelling tones of the soundtrack in your head as you read) can't dissuade me that this was anything other than a beautiful read.

“You can't blend in, when you were born to stand out”
Oh my Gosh, buku ini sangat menyentuh. Jarang2 ak menitikkan airmata saat membaca buku tapi buku ini membuatku menitikkan airmata karena 2 alasan, karena terharu & sedih pada bagian2 tertentu.
Auggie terlahir dgn wajah yg tdk biasa, dia baru bersekolah di sekolah umu saat kls 5, karena kelainannya yg membuat Auggie menjalani berbagai macam prosedur medis dari sejak dia lahir membuatnya rdk bisa bersekolah umum, jd dia bersekolah dirumah.
Memulai sekolah menengah tdklah mudah, bahkan untuk anak normal, apalagi untuk Auggie. Awalnya byk dukanya, kecewa, marah, semua bercampur jadi satu. Disini kita disuguhkan perspektif dr Auggie, kakak Auggie Via, teman Auggie Jack & Summer, teman Via, Miranda, juga pacar Via, Justin, semuanya berputar di dumia Auggie, bagaimana penerimaan mereka thd kondisi Auggie.
Dan yg paling luar biasa menurutku adlh org tua Auggie. Biasanya ak paling ANTI sama yg namanya parenting, tapi buku ini mengajarkan aku byk hal, sangat mengharukan..

“Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right using of strength...He is the greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts.” Henry Ward Beecher is quoted and exemplified in this wonderful little book.
Again, this book should not only be required read-aloud reading for all teachers but also discussed!

Sheer perfection. This one will stay with me a lifetime, and ties for the best book I have read this year (so far) with The Fault in Our Stars. I did notice that both books have blue covers, the main characters names are similar (August and Augustus), and both are books about tough subjects with super shiny hope-filled centers that will change your life for the better when you read them.

In a perfect world, this would be required reading for all kids in grades 5-7.

A beautifully told story of a boy who faces so many challenges at school because of his appearance. He's really a cool kid but people keep him at arms length - that is until someone finally breaks from the pack and shows him some decency. Not all follow suit at once, but it goes to show that sometimes it only takes one small act of kindness to turn things around. Such a simple idea, yet such a complex concept for most.