The World Needs Books!

“The world needs books.” Eight-year-old Madison loves reading and thinks you should too.  This amazing advocate for books was posted on Literacy Online.

"They fuel our minds like cars and gas." Madison is a real inspiration!

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Wonder is a children's novel written by R.J. Palacio. It was first published by Knopf books in 2012 and has won the Carnegie Medal.

August Pullman has been born with a severe facial deformity which has kept him away from school until now because of operations and because his parents have wanted to protect him.  Now off to school, this is about how he and others deal - and fail to deal - with his differences.

The story is told from the point of view of August and the other people in his life.  "My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse." We get an inside into the world of the physically disabled and are made to realise that a deformity doesn't change what is on the inside.

"You can't blend in when you were born to stand out." I've seen this saying on posters and didn't realise that it came from this book.  This is a reassuring mantra for anyone who has ever felt left out.

I believe all readers from about nine years to adults will get a lot out of August's story. It is about patience, inner strength, honesty and acceptance.

Read what others say about this book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23302416-wonder

See the book trailer: