Book Review: The Book is named Wonder, by RJ Palacio
The book is named Wonder, by RJ Palacio and it is a wonderful novel about a 5th grade boy with a facial deformity. It is written for middle school aged students, and I want you to read it to analyze it and review it to see what you think about how it teaches this topic to young children. Think about yourself at that age, and how it would have impacted you. (the book is available on Amazon from $6.23 for the paperback, $8.41 for the hardcover, it is Free as an audiobook with a free trial of Audible from Amazon, or free from your public library) Here is the link to the book on Amazon: http://www(dot)amazon(dot)com/Wonder/dp/B0078XQPBA/ref=tmm_aud_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1452103675&sr=8-1
AFTER reading the novel, answering the following questions based on your own perceptions and interpretation.
1. How would you describe Auggie as a person in the first few chapters of the book? What about the final few chapters? Has he changed significantly? Are there any experiences or episodes during the story that you think had a particular effect on him? If so, how?
2. What did you think of Via as a character? Did you empathise with her? Why do you think Via was so angry to learn that Auggie cut off his Padawan braid? Do you think Via’s own attitude towards her brother changes throughout the story?
3. Look at the emails between Mr Tushman, Julian’s parents and Jack’s parents in the chapter ‘Letters, Emails, Facebook, Texts’. Up to this point in the story we have seen how the children at Auggie’s school have reacted to him. Is Mrs Albans’ attitude towards Auggie different? What do you make of her statement that Auggie is handicapped?
4. The author has explained that she was inspired to write Wonder after an experience at a local ice cream parlour, very similar to the scene described in the chapter ‘Carvel’, where Jack sees Auggie for the first time. In this scene, Jack’s babysitter Veronica chooses to get up and quickly walk Jack and his little brother Jamie away from Auggie, rather than risk Jamie saying something rude or hurtful. What do you think you would have done, if put in that position?
5. What did you think of this novel? Was it enlightening for you as an adult? Do you think it will help impact how middle school students grow up thinking about individuals with disabilities? Do you think middle school is too late, too early, just the right time to introduce this topic?
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Question 1
In the first few chapters of the book, Auggie is a lonely child with low self-esteem. He lives in a fictional neighbourhood and because of his rare medical facial deformity, his parents have home-schooled him (Palacio 12). In the neighbourhood, other kids are fearful and unwilling to be around him. His social life is miserable since he has no friends to play or hang out with. Auggie feels he does do not belong with other kids because of his weird looks. The perceptive changes significantly, once he joins Beecher Prep. His encounter with others gives him confidence and self-acceptance. He learns to coexist with people since some of the children are friendly while others are hostile to him.
There are several episodes during the story that had a significant effect on Auggie. On the first day of school, he met Summer, who sat with him when no else would. Summer was a true friend, who never cared what other children thought of Auggie, and as a result, she made Auggie feel appreciated (Palacio 22). Another instance when Jack punches Julian for talking ill of Auggie makes him feels loved. Moreover, when Jack, Miles Noury, Henry Joplin, and Amos Conti came on Auggie’s defence when seventh-grade students from another school attacked him, he is confident in interacting with other students.
Question 2
Via is a loving and caring sister. She empathizes with her brother’s condition, and she feels sad she cannot change how he looks. She is also defensive and conscious of her brother’s welfare (Palacio 47). However, at the time he is jealous of her brother because of the attention he gets from their parents. I empathise with Via because of the way her parents have driven away from him to care for her little brother. She has no one to share her problems with since her parents are rarely there for her. Additionally, she is scolded by some of her friends because of the nature of her brother.
I think Via was angry to learn that Auggie had cut off his Padawan braid because she felt Auggie looked cute with it. The braid, according to Via, made Auggie look glamorous and she could not understand why he could go through a lot of trouble letting it grow for a long time then cut it off (Palacio 48). Via’s attitude towards his brother changes throughout the story...