Wonder
FlumeAward – Wonder 
11387515
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
I would be very much in favor of putting this on the list, even though it won the Great Stone Face award last year. It is one of those books that is simple, but has many layers so that readers of all levels can enjoy it. It was my favorite read of 2013 and was our most frequently checked out ebook. It shows the complexities of relationships through multiple narrators and delivers a powerful message about acceptance–both of self and others. I vote yes!
Kathy Pearce, Oyster River High School
A great novel for anyone who has ever been stared at because they look a little different. Anyone who has had cooties, or in general was teased for something they had no control over, should read this book. Wonder is a great novel for kids to read and hopefully it will help them remember that all people have feelings. It’s a great book for adults too, because as you will see in this novel it’s not only children that can behave poorly. IT would be nice to see a book like this make the top ten.
Brittany Moore – Hall Memorial Library
I read this book because it was a Great Stone Face and it was about disfigurement and homeschooling. Did I like it? Eh, kinda. The premise was good and I enjoyed that it displayed different relationships and all of their complexities. He ended up accepting himself when others accepted him. It felt like the book was building up to a conclusion of selflessness and understanding by the 5th grader, however, it ended with him just as selfish as before. His family never stopped sacrificing for him, and he always asked for more. That bothered me. To conclude, it’s for 3-7th graders. For that reason alone, I think it should not be accepted for the Flume award. Maybe moved to the Isinglass?
-Aubrey, Goodwin Library
January 28, 2014 —
There were several parts of this story that I’ll never forget because of the various important themes throughout the pages which will allow readers to ponder and discuss, such as empathy and understanding towards others and knowing that it’s never a good choice to judge a book by it’s cover. I think that the author made an interesting choice by choosing different narrators because we get to see different points of view relating to Auggie. However, I liked when August was the narrator the most because he was most uplifting. He could explain a situation where somebody treated him as abnormal and he had an incredible way of turning a negative situation into a valuable and important way of approaching life, and that is to become wiser by dusting yourself off and moving forward.
We do see another side of August where he sort of acts like a baby for the fifth grade towards his family, but that is because his parents seem to coddle him due to the fact that they know he is truly a wonder for just as he is and doesn’t want to make him feel like he is any different from other kids his age, whether or not he gets smirks and bizarre looks from them.
On another note, I enjoyed the beginning of the story which talks about farting, Mr. Tushman, and Ms. Butt and I think middle school-ers would get a kick out of this, also! August’s dad is hilarious and such a great dad to August, he lightens the mood several time throughout the book. Even Via is a strong character and though August doesn’t like that she sticks up for him because it draws attention to him I do think if I was her I’d do the same thing! Yes, it is protecting him and August is strong enough to handle it on his own, but somebody’s got to speak up sometimes! Justin was my least favorite character, Via’s boyfriend, and I would have liked if it was taken from maybe one or two narrators, but none more, certainly not Justin’s. Otherwise, great book and certainly an important one to include on the "final 10" nominee list!
-Natalie, Rodgers Memorial Library
I am an emotional reader which is why this book gets 5 stars. Each character in this story was important to me. This is a book for tweens, but any person of any age can read and enjoy it. I will definitely be choosing this for the September book discussion for grades 5-8. Anyone starting a new school or anyone that feels ‘different’ from the norm will have a lot to say about this powerful little book. My ‘issue’ — is this ‘old’ enough for the Flume list? This will be a great discussion for our meeting.
~Kathy Watson, Kimball Library (Atkinson)