Wonder By R J Palacio Analysis

Libby Carr
2.9 Wonder
Author: R.J. Palacio
Novel: Wonder

Wonders tells a story of ten-year-old boy named August who is born with a rear genetic facial disorder. He has been home schooled his whole life but his parents decide its time for him to start attending middle school for his well being. The book follows August through his first year of middle school along the way us observing his struggles and high points due to his face disorder. Palacia has written the book with 8 different narrators giving us insight on August’s life and how they approached him and his every day living. I loved how Palacia had different narrators through out the Wonder, not only because it made the book more interesting, but also I was able to constantly contrast
It appealed me because it found it so interesting how other characters approached or saw a situation that would occur, I was able to contrast the different opinions. I found this technique of having different narrators most intriguing when August first came into middle school, and we he saw the word through his long hair hanging over his eyes and how everyone else only saw this deformed face. When August was the narrator he talked about how people would panic when they touched him they would rush to the nearest sink to wash them selves and August couldn’t understand why. But when the narrator switched to Jack I found out that everyone was acting like he had the plague and if you touched August and didn’t get it washed off within 10 seconds you had a disease. I actually found this part of the book rather upsetting, I think its sick that those children could treat August like that; to make him feel small and dirty, and more deformed than he really is. After reading this novel I reflected on it and thought about the key ideas that were portrayed and I noticed was the theme of kindness. There were constant reoccurring messages being directed at the children in Wonder such as “Kinder than is necessary. Because it’s not enough to kind. One should be kinder than needed” and ‘When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind”. These messages on kindness turned the novel around, at the beginning the children were really cruel and treated August disgustingly and by the end there was a loving sense of belonging for him. The way R.J. has written these quotes and the reoccurring ideas of kindness during Wonder convinced me that it isn’t a book just for children; it’s a book suitable for teenagers. It would teach valuable lessons for teenagers about treating others with kindness and the effect is had on one