The novel Wonder by R.J. Palacio is one of the most beautiful stories created whether you are in middle school or in college. This book teaches you a variety of life lessons ranging from helping  you to become a better human being to accepting who you truly are.

Palacio was inspired to write this novel when her and her son were getting ice cream one day. In line, her son saw a girl with facial defects and he started to cry. Palacio tried to remove her son from the situation to not make it worse. She thought she could teach people worthwhile lessons through her experience. Palacio also came up with the title because of Natalie Merchant’s song, “Wonder.” She used some of the song lyrics to write the story.

Throughout the story, Palacio writes from the different points of view of a variety of people. This helps give a better understanding how other people feel and how the story all comes together. The main character, August Pullman, was born with a facial deformity. August’s classmates find it hard to look past his face. Within this book, you can feel the heartfelt story about a young boy overcoming adversity. This book can teach you many things whether you are a child or an adult.

Palacio’s novel is about friendship, self-confidence, and learning how to deal with whatever life gives you. It is not what happens to you, but it is how you react that matters. To a view a trailer for the book, click here.

*The movie Wonder just came out this year. You can watch the trailer here.