Konnichiwa Hivers! Ridgette's in the house! So for today, I'm going to ask you something again: are there times that you felt really different from others? Does feeling that way bothers you? Well, for me, it kind of bothers me. I'm a secretive person, so usually I don't really like to express my emotions that easily. I tend to hide them through other masks of emotions, but that doesn't mean that I'm immune to anxiety about being different.
So for today, I'm going to share a book review of a novel that tells the life of an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face. Having an unconventional face prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until his fifth grade. Being a new kid in school is hard, but with his extraordinary face, his situation seems like torture. Can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite his peculiar appearance?
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
Wonder was one of the books that I used to eschew before because the cover and novel previews didn't really hit me off. I mean, I'm not really into this kind of genre, so it really took years for me to notice it again. You see, this book was not mine before, but after the time my auntie and her girlfriend broke up, she thankfully left her books at my auntie's house. After some time, my auntie decided to give the books to us because she doesn't want to see her stuff anymore. So we gladly accepted it because me and my sister were really fond of books, and upon arranging those books on our shelves, I noticed this book. I tried to read again its preview and its first few chapters, and after some time I somehow discovered how beautiful the story was.
It isn't about a typical kid who confidently faces the challenges in his life; rather, his character somehow resonated with me because, like him, I'm always afraid of anything new, anything that challenges the things that I've used to. I hate changes and new people because most of the new people I meet never like me. His story was inspiringly genuine, and I'm thankful that I noticed it again and read it up to the end.
About the Book
I know I'm not an ordinary ten-year-old kid. I mean, sure, I do ordinary things. I eat ice cream. I ride my bike. I play ball. I have an XBox. Stuff like that makes me ordinary. I guess. And I feel ordinary. Inside. But I know ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. I know ordinary kids don't get stared at whenever they go.
Wonder is the first novel that was written by R.J. Palacio, and it was published in 2012 by Alfred A. Knopf. The novel was all about August "Auggie" Pullman, a boy who's born with extreme facial abnormalities. He was not expected to survive after he was born because of his severe abnormalities, but thankfully he had survived. After undergoing a lot of surgeries to survive, his parents decided that it would be better for him not to attend school. He was pretty comfortable with his life being homeschooled, but a decision was bound to challenge his comfortable life. Will he endure and overcome the challenges that he will face with the decision that entailed him to step out of his comfort zone? Or will he just hide inside his shell forever to protect himself from the possible dangers of the new environment that is offered to him?
How It Started
The story started when Auggie introduced himself in an entertaining yet genuine manner. He described himself as an odd ten-year-old kid who does ordinary stuff. He's aware that he's different, and he really wishes that he had a normal face so that he could walk down the street without people scrutinizing him and then looking away. Unfortunately, he knew that he'd not be normal, and he thinks that's because no one wanted to see him that way.
With Auggie growing up, her mother was worried for his future. She knew that both of them, she and Auggie's father, would not be forever by his side. They can't always protect him from the harsh realities of life, so she decided to suggest something. She suggested enrolling him in a private middle school in Manhattan, and of course Auggie immediately disagreed with his mother's suggestion. His father was also anxious about his mother's decision, but in the end, his mother convinced both him and his dad to at least consider her suggestion.
With his mother, they met the principal of his possible new school. He also met some of his possible new classmates, both the nasty and the nice, who gave him a tour of his possible new school. Even though the tour wasn't all nice, Auggie was determined to at least try going to school. Little did he know that his experience of going to school would be much different from what he expected, for it would be both horrible and memorable.
How It Ended
Auggie's journey in the fifth grade was filled with ups and downs. Like the usual fifth grade journey, he encountered some true friends. He also had to deal with nasty bullies who live to make him feel like he's a freak, but it all changed when spring came. Every year in the spring, the fifth graders of Beechers Prep went for three days and two nights to a place called Broarwood Nature Reserve in Pennsylvania. It was kind of camping, only that they slept inside cabins with their bunk beds instead of outside in tents. It was all fun for Auggie at first because the boss of the bullies didn't attend the nature retreat, but on the second night something happened.
When the sun was starting to set, they went out to the fairgrounds to have an open-field movie viewing. Their school is not the only school attending the movie viewing because, just before the movie started, the school buses of the other schools pulled into the parking lot. Somewhere in the boring part of the movie, Jack, Auggie's friend, nudged him because he needed to pee. Naturally, there was a huge line for the toilets, so Jack decided that he'd just pee in the woods. Auggie wanted to just wait, but Jack really needed to pee, so he just followed him as Jack headed off to the row of trees. Just when they were about to leave, something happened.
They got into a fight with other kids from the other school. They tried to bully Auggie, but his classmates defended him. That incident somehow changed the way things were. Auggie somehow felt that he belonged because when he got picked because of his face; his friend and classmates defended and protected him like he's one of them. He somehow felt less different, more like he was accepted. It's something that he truly wanted; he wanted people to see him not for his face but for who he is. Auggie was never meant to be ordinary; he's extraordinary. He's a wonder.
Narrated from an alternating first-person point of view, the novel was really fun and inspiring to read. The words used by the author were simple, yet they resonated well with me because they were powerful and genuine. It isn't like the typical children's book because it undauntedly tackles the plain-spoken and harsh reality that is usually omitted in this kind of book. Wonder is about something we usually don't talk about because it's both exceptional and sad. Auggie represents the children who were born with deformities, for no matter how they tried to blend in, they always stood out.
Auggie's character was really relatable to me. Before, I couldn't really relate to his situation, but now I somehow got a good grasp on how it felt to be different and not normal. The look that other people gave you because they knew you weren't normal is something that really tears me up. Unlike Auggie, I'm still not used to ignoring the looks that they gave me, but I know that eventually I will get a good grasp on them someday. Further, Auggie taught me a lot of things; he taught me that there are things you need to try for you to grow. Staying in your comfort zone will not always guarantee your happiness and satisfaction because, most of the time, great opportunities lie among great difficulties. Being hurt is part of the process of growing, and those tough experiences that you've experienced will definitely help you become a stronger and better person.
Also, Auggie taught me the importance of what you do in your lifetime. We are mostly not remembered just because of what we say or what we look like; rather, we are remembered because of the things we do. Like what Auggie wrote:
The things we do are like monuments that people build to honor heroes after they've died. They're like pyramids that the Egyptians built to honor the pharaohs. Only instead of being made out of stone, they're made out of memories people have of you. That's why your deeds are like your monuments. Built with memories instead of with stone.
Overall, the story wasn't all about Auggie's struggle to cope with the new people and environment. It's also about him growing up and dealing with the difficulties of family life, friendships, and as well school. Different perspectives were also used in narrating, and it's fun to read how those people see Auggie from their own point of view. It was an eye-opening, funny, and entertaining story about an extraordinary boy. It is definitely a wonderful story that will surely linger in our minds as readers, and I rate it 4.8/5.
That's all for now, bookworms. See you again next time for my next book review—and take note, it's not spoiler-free!
