Wonder by R.J. Palacio

I loved this story!!! Auggie (August) Pullman will be attending school for the first time in his troubled life as a fifth grader at Beecher Prep.  Auggie has had twenty-seven surgeries to help correct abnormalities to his face with which he was born.  Until the age of ten, he has been home schooled by his mother.

Auggie’s principal arranges to have fellow students meet him before the start of the school year to show him around his new school.  Auggie is a very sensitive kid.  He sees the students’ shocked reaction to his face.  He is not sure if he can make it at school.

Two kids emerge as his friend--Summer and Jack.  One boy, however, clearly makes his life so miserable he wants to never return to school.  Julian is one nasty 5^th grader!

The joy in this book is Auggie’s relationship with his very loving and caring parents, his precious dog daisy, and his older sister Olivia (Via).  The emotional growth he experiences through facing the very difficult struggle which is his life is the measure of courage.