Wonder

Who it's for

Auggie's first-person chapters give readers a clear view of what it's like to be stared at, while the switch to other narrators (Via, Summer, Jack, Justin, Miranda) shows how the same events look from other people's lives.

Feelings it meets

• Chronic Illness
• Social Conformity

What it is

R. J. Palacio's 2012 middle-grade novel follows August 'Auggie' Pullman, a ten-year-old with Treacher Collins syndrome affecting his facial appearance, who starts fifth grade at Beecher Prep after years of homeschooling. The story tracks his social struggles and friendships over the school year, including bullying by a classmate, Julian, and a painful Halloween moment when he overhears his friend Jack mocking him.

Where to find it

In print (Knopf) and in libraries (Libby/Hoopla); audiobook available. Film adaptation (2017).

Before you start

Heads up: A cruel suicide remark and a dog's death.

Age: Ages 9+

“Hope” is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all –Emily Dickinson, “Hope is the thing with feathers” (poem 314)