Wonder is a well-put-together novel that is not afraid to discuss bullying

The novel Wonder by R.J. Palacio is a great novel for all reading levels that makes you think twice about your decisions. August, the protagonist, is born with a disease called “mandibulofacial dysostosis” which causes facial defects, making him look abnormal to everybody else. August was homeschooled by his mother until the end of grade five because he did not want to get made fun of or show his face to others. August’s family decide it would be a good idea for him to not to be homeschooled in grade 6 and go to an actual school so he can make friends and get out of his shell.  

Normally I have troubles getting into a book or coming back to it after I read first page, but that was not the case for this book, it really went into detail about the lives of August, August’s family, and friends. The whole plot of the book is very well written.There is a catch or a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter that will leave you itching to read more. It’s a real eye-opener on how much you can hurt someone by bullying or teasing them. It was a very rewarding experience to read: it made me think about the kind of person I am, who I want to be, and what I could do to help people stop getting teased or bullied.

The characters in this book all have different outlook on life and the protagonist, Olivia Pullman, August’s sister, has always stood up for him and has helped him get through all of the teasing and bullying. His parents are very supportive in staying close to August through his multiple surgeries and schoolwork. August is always happy when he comes home to see his dog Daisy–she makes him happy if he had a bad day or happier if he had a great day. Characters in this book show how good and how bad life can sometimes be.

It took me only two weeks to finish the book, and I’d say it was time well spent. All the ups, downs, cliffhangers, and hooks made it near to impossible to not go back and read some more. I highly recommend this book for both teenagers and adults (some pretty hard-to-read scenes and swearing might make it inappropriate for younger readers.) I guarantee you will fall in love with the novel as much as I did.