Many people of St. Louis High School can recall having to read the wholesome book, Wonder. This book deals with believing in each other and treating everyone with kindness. Wonder is the book that can really stand by the saying “Never judge a book by its cover.”

Wonder is about a young boy named August, also known as Auggie, and he is no normal fifth grader. He was born with a craniofacial abnormality, a genetic defect that caused his face to be severely deformed. August never had a normal life. His parents decided to transfer him from being home-schooled to going to a private school in hopes things will be better for Auggie. Sadly, even in this private school, August struggles with acceptance and having to face bullies. August has difficulties with keeping good reliable friends and a positive outlook when it comes to school. Even though August has a face deformation he can be relatable with his love and fascination of video games and Star Wars. 

Wonder shows the effects of being different and not having many friends. However, throughout this book, it proves the point that it is okay to be different and not meet everyone’s standards in society.

Wonder was published Feb. 14, 2012, and later made into a film in 2017. The author is R.J. Palacio, who wrote this book after she and her son sat with a girl with a severe facial deformity at an ice cream store. Her son started crying in fear of the young girl, and in order to save the young girl from feeling upset and uncomfortable, Palacio grabbed her kid. Palacio was only trying to protect the girl but also to escape her own discomfort. This experience inspired Palacio to write this wonderful book. 

Wonder is a spectacular book when it comes to teaching people no one should judge others on their appearance and life. The book points out that there is more to a person than looks or clothes. Wonder shows young viewers and even adults that a personality is better to be the one’s looks, who should not be a factor of that. 

Wonder is amazingly written by Palacio. She had a great way of writing and displaying the emotions of all characters within this book. She has a way that makes this feel real and alive. This book is relatable in many ways to any person. Palacio wrote it so beautifully that it feels as if one is a part of August’s life and his struggle to defeat society. Wonder can make anyone go from laughing at August’s jokes or to fears from the real-life horror August has to deal with. This book could be suggested to any person eight and up. Wonder is overall just a great book that will leave people with a changed point of view on how they treat others.

Kenny Baker, a student at SLHS loves this book because he knows that many people struggle day-to-day with being different. Baker stated, “Wonder is such a great book, and I think many kids could benefit from reading it because the book sends such a strong message.” Baker’s favorite character is the dog, Daisy because she brings so much joy to Auggie. 

Lydia Abbott, whose favorite character is Auggie, stated, “The thing that stuck with me the most after reading this book is the fact that not everyone is always going to be accepting of you and going to be okay with how you look or dress, but that shouldn’t matter.” Abbott loves Auggie because he is so sweet and amazing. She believes the main purpose of this book was to make the point that a person should always be nice to someone no matter who they are or what they look like.