Meet Addy-An American Girl: By Connie Porter

        On a summer night in 1964, nine-year-old Addy Walker awakes in the night to over hear her parents whispering about a secret plan they have been developing for some time--escaping slavery. Addy and her family, Momma, Daddy, big brother Sam, and baby sister Esther live on a plantation owned by Master Stevens, where they work in the fields and serve their master in the house. Momma and Daddy have planned for the family to run away along the rail tracks to a known safe house, where they will be helped to Philadelphia, to freedom.  However, before Addy's family can make their escape, something terrible happens. Daddy and Sam are sold to another master, at another plantation and the family is split up. This leaves Addy and her mother forced to take the terrifying risk of escaping by themselves to Philadelphia, in hopes the family will be reunited eventually. Addy and Momma over come great challenges such as crossing a raging river and dodging Confederate soldiers, before they finally reach the safe house.
         This historical fiction book tells the story of a slave family's struggle to escape to freedom during the Civil War. Connie Porter's portrayal of the era is very authentic, describing the plantation setting, the camaraderie amongst the slaves, and the hatred shown by the "overseers" at the plantation. The writing style used during the dialogue between the African American characters helps to make the text further believable through the use of the deep Southern accents we expect of these characters. Based off the "A Peek Into The Past"section, the historical content of the story was very well researched to ensure accuracy of information. The characterization of the Walker family is perfectly depicted for the time period, allowing readers to see the strength of family ties between slaves in the South.
         I would recommend this book for students in grades 3-6, with the consideration that there are a few vivid descriptions of the poor treatment of slaves by their masters that may need to be discussed further. This book would be a powerful addition to a study of slavery and the Civil War in that it describes slavery and escape to freedom from the perspective of a nine-year-old girl. Young readers will be able to relate to Addy's love for her family and desire to just be a kid, while gaining a greater understanding about the challenges African Americans faced in becoming free people.



Picture Source: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/meet-add

Ballots for Belva-A True Story of a Woman's Race for the Presidency: By Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

            In 1884, the only people allowed to vote in United States' elections were men. However, this did not stop Belva Lockwood wanting to do something about this unfairness. Belva realized that while it was not legal for her to vote, it was legal for others to give her their votes, so she decided to run for president of the United States of America, and miraculously, she received votes!
         Belva had spent her entire life trying to move the mountains that stood between her and her dreams. She went to law school, becoming the first woman to practice law in federal courts and the first to argue a case before the Supreme Court of the United States. She was a well respected lobbyist, public speaker, and women's rights activist. Despite these previously held, well respected roles, Belva Lockwood's presidential campaign was riddled with challenges. But despite the lack of financial support and large number of critics she faced, Belva never hesitated in her commitment to equality for all. She was determined to earn the respect-and votes- of her fellow citizens.
        While Belva did not win the presidency, author Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen does a fabulous job with this little-known but richly deserving subject. The use of narrative to tell the story of Belva Lockwood allows the reader to see Belva as a real person, as opposed to someone from long, long ago who has no relatable qualities. This book uses a linear storyline of Belva's life, from childhood, to adulthood, to law school, and then running for president that organizes the information in a very easy to follow and understandable manner. Full bleed, color illustrations by Courtney A. Martin are both visually appealing and content enriching, letting the reader feel as though they have stepped back in time and are standing right alongside Belva on her journey. The author further enhances the educational purposed of this text through the addition of an "Author's Note" that gives more information about Belva's mission, a glossary with words related to voting and women's rights, a timeline of women's suffrage in the United States, and a bibliography of selected sources the reader could visit for further information. These many informational additions help to take the educational value of this book to the next level, giving readers a chance to go beyond just the knowledge taught in the text.
     This book would be best used in grades 2 through 6. The language, if certain words are discussed (i.e.-suffrage, ballot, etc.), is simple enough for younger readers, yet educationally valuable enough for upper-elementary aged students. This informational picture book would be a great read aloud addition to a study of equal rights, women's rights, or the process of running for president. Belva's story serves as an inspiration that reminds modern-day readers how far we have come since Belva's time, and shows us the way to keep fighting for equality of all people, on all levels.

Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/Ballots-Belva-Story-Womans-Presidency/dp/1419716271

Police Patrol: By Katherine K. Winkleman

          As my little brother prepares to head off to Old Dominion University to study criminal justice in just under a month, I could not have chosen a more appropriate informational picture book to review. Police Patrol, by Katherine Winkleman offers the reader an educational and intriguing tour into the world of police work. Beginning with the police car cruising down a neighborhood street on the first end paper, each page spread introduces a new division of law enforcement. Cartoon-style illustrations by John Winkleman show each law enforcement division discussed in action, providing tons of details for the reader, and including informational labels for diagrams of an officer's uniform, inside a police station and more. Readers will get to learn about everything from undercover detectives to highway patrols, scuba units to bomb squads, and the Miranda warning to fingerprinting suspects. This book teaches young readers the official lingo used by law enforcement, from "perp" to radio codes like 10-4, 10-10 and much more. They'll also learn tips about how to stay safe anywhere, how to make a 911 call for help, all while developing a deeper understanding and appreciation for the hardworking people that keep us all safe.
          Informational picture book, Police Patrol, is brimming with knowledge about the world of law enforcement. Author Katherine Winkleman and her husband, illustrator John Winkleman, consulted over 100 police officers while researching for this book, make them excellent sources of information on this topic. Each subject explored contains a big blue heading that allows the reader to know exactly what is begin discussed and helps to create an organizational flow to the different pieces of law enforcement and the detailed images that accompany them. These illustrations are a crucial component of this book in that they provide so much information, not explained in the text. It is almost as if the pictures serve as a magnifying glass into the role of law enforcement, providing an in-depth view of its different purposes.
      Children grades K through 3 (ages 4-8) will love getting the inside scoop about law enforcement and learning about how police officers serve as community leaders in many diverse ways. Each brightly colored image serves as a miniature story in itself, jam-packed with details and information to enhance the text. This book would be great to use with younger children who are studying community leaders, but would also be useful to upper-elementary school students who could further contextualize the material being taught. I really appreciate the positive light that this book places on police officers and law enforcement, highlighting the huge role they play in making our communities safe. Police Patrol is a wonderful addition to any lower-elementary classroom library, or lesson about community leaders, teaching the reader everything they could ever want to know about law enforcement.

Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/Police-Patrol-Katherine-K-Winkleman/dp/0802784534

Jason Rat-a-tat: By Colby Rodowsky

      In Jason Rat-a-tat, by Colby Rodowsky, we are introduced to Jason Miller's family who is always on the go running from one sporting even to the other. Unlike his sports loving family, Jason is not much for playing sports, and spends much of his time on the sidelines lying down watching the clouds drift by. Jason is just not happy in his sports-filled world, he'd much rather be tap-tap-taping a stick on the lid of a trash can or shake-shake-shaking a can filled with bottle caps. However, it is not until a weeklong visit from Jason's granddad that anyone notices Jason's attraction to anything and everything that goes rat-a-tat.
       Granddad decides to take matters into his own hands and buys all three of his grandchildren "unpresents", or presents not actually given for a special occasion. Sports lovers, Andrew and Emily, each get new bicycle accessories packaged in small and medium boxes, but Jason's gift comes in a much larger package. He reaches into the flaps of the big box, with his eyes closed, and feels something flat and round. "IT'S A DRUM," he yells. Jason's granddad, having realized his grandson's true passion was keeping beats and rhythms, buys him a snare drum and signs him up for lessons with the local band director, Sam. Ecstatic about having an activity schedule to hang next to his siblings', Jason's drumming skills improve rapidly and he joins the school band as a percussionist. In a moment of self revelation, the story of Jason ends with him finding his own unique identity; "I play the drum," he says pointing at his new Applewood Elementary School Band shirt.
       Rodowsky's Jason Rat-a-tat tells a rather simple, yet relatable story about a young man who finds his own niche, after struggling to fit into the one his family had chosen for him. The details provided about the setting and plot of the book allow young readers to find a high level of believability and relate-ability, as they make comparisons from their own lives to Jason's feelings of not fitting in.  While the story does not contain high levels of action, vivid characterization lets the reader become emotionally invested in Jason's challenge to find his own identity. Pencil sketches, by Beth Peck, enhance the scenes, allowing the reader create a clearer image of Jason's life.
      This realistic fiction novel would be a good read for readers just beginning chapter books. The reading level of this book would be most likely appropriate for students grades 2-4, but personally I believe the story does not contain enough plot action to hold the interest of the older or more advanced students in this range. The story of Jason reminds readers how important finding your passion is, and how critical that passion can be in developing a sense of self-identity.

Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0374336717/ref=rdr_ext_tmb

Little Shark: By Anne Rockwell

       In light of all the recent news coverage involving an increased number of shark sightings in my favorite vacation spots, the Outer Banks, I found it only appropriate to review a book about these fascinating and often misunderstood creatures. Little Shark, by Anne Rockwell, tells the story of a shark born in the deep, dark depths of the ocean. Soon his whole family, including his mother and forty-nine brothers and sisters swim away, leaving Little Shark all alone. He is left alone to fend for himself against bigger sharks, who want to gobble him up. He must swim fast to dodge the bigger predators and in order to find his own food. Little Shark grows and grows, as he grows the readers get to learn all about shark anatomy, behaviors, and many other fun facts. At the end of the story Little Shark turns out to be a big blue shark, which we learn means he could grow to be twelve or thirteen feet long! The author closes the book with an "Author's Note" section that sheds some light on more information about sharks, specifically focusing on the blue shark.
     As written on the inside, back panel of the book, Anne Rockwell's son wanted to read every book about sharks he could get his hands on, thus inspiring the writing of Little Shark. This also makes Anne Rockwell a trusted authority, who is well read in the area of sharks.Anne Rockwell's writing style of using a narrative story within an informational picture book lends itself perfectly to creating a kid-friendly way to learn all about sharks. Beginning the book with the birth of a shark and allowing the reader to follow the same shark across its lifespan helps to organize the wealth of information in a way that aids understanding and creates relationships among concepts. Full bleed, color illustrations by Megan Halsey depicting various ocean scenes, different types of sharks, as well as labeled informational pieces such as shark skeletons and other details of shark anatomy help to solidify the reader's understanding of the text. They also enhance the book's content by letting the reader see the entire anatomy of a shark labeled and compared against a human skeleton, which allows the reader to connect the two related concepts.
      This informational picture book is recommended for ages 3 to 7, as it teaches all about sharks using very basic language and brightly colored, cartoon-style illustrations. This picture book would be great for children who are interested in learning about sharks or ocean life in general. I would also recommend this picture book for teachers who are teaching lessons about animals or ocean life. I enjoyed the friendly and simplistic use of illustration that helped to simplify the content and make it developmentally appropriate for the targeted age group. Little Shark does a wonderful job of shedding a positive light on the misunderstood creatures that we have found ourselves seeing portrayed as monsters on the news every other week this summer.
   
 Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/Little-Shark-Anne-Rockwell/dp/0802789552

Frindle: By Andrew Clements

            Frindle, by Andrew Clements, tells the story of Nicholas Allen, who was full of big ideas. In the third-grade he had turned the classroom into a tropical paradise complete with sand and palm trees. In the fourth-grade he spent the whole year chirping like a bird, confusing his teacher who never did figure out from where the noise was coming. But as Nick enters the fifth-grade, he faces a whole new challenge: Mrs. Granger.

           Everyone at Lincoln Elementary School knew that fifth-grade language arts teacher, Mrs. Granger, had x-ray vision, and never let anyone get anyway with anything in her classroom; surely Nick had met his match. But Nick’s big ideas could not be contained. After learning about how words are made, in a scheme to waste class time, he plotted his greatest plan ever: to invent a new word. His idea spread like wildfire, and soon every fifth-grader at Lincoln Elementary, then every student at Lincoln Elementary, then the entire USA, and then the entire world was calling a pen, a frindle.

            The creation of a new word caused quite a stir in Nick’s quiet town, and no one wished the nonsense would end sooner than Mrs. Granger, the school principal, and Nick’s parents, whose lives had been turned upside down dealing with the chaos. Soon Nick felt the same way, but the word no longer belonged to him because the entire world was using it. All that was left for the people of Westfield, Massachusetts to do was to sit back and watch the word take root.

            Andrew Clement’s realistic fiction novel, tells an imaginative tale about thinking outside the box and the power of the English language. His characterization and style of writing, draws the reader’s attention, creating a “good” vs. “bad” dynamic between Nick and Mrs. Granger that helps to heighten the excitement of the plan to make the word Frindle stick. The vivid and believable details given to describe the teachers at Lincoln Elementary and Nick’s family make the story seem as though it could have been set at any kid’s elementary school, allow young readers to relate to Nick’s life and find the story highly authentic. These younger readers find the story further credible through the inclusion of many black and white pencil drawings, by Brian Selznick, that solidify the scenes and characters created in each chapter.

            Per the publisher’s recommendation, Frindle is suggested for readers ages 8-12. I would say this is pretty accurate, as this age of reader will be able to relate to Nick’s character and the struggles he faces at Lincoln Elementary. I really enjoyed hearing about how one student created such a fuss in a small town that reminds me so much of my own hometown. This book will keep the reader guessing and wondering how far the word frindle will actually spread from the confines of Mrs. Granger’s class. Young readers will find themselves thinking about creating their own words when they see just how far frindle takes fifth-grader, Nicholas Allen.

Picture Source: www.andrewclements.com/books-frindle.html

Magic Tree House #6, Afternoon on the Amazon: By Mary Pope Osborne

      "One summer day in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, a mysterious tree house appeared in the woods. Eight-year-old Jack and his seven-year-old sister, Annie, climbed into the treehouse. They found it was filled with books."
       Mary Pope Osbourne continues the prologue to tell how Annie and Jack soon realized the tree house was magical and could take them to the places they saw in the books by pointing and wishing to go there. Jack and Annie explore and learn about pyramids, pirates, dinosaurs, ninjas, and nights. They also discover that the tree house belongs to a magical librarian named Morgan le Fay, from the time of King Arthur, and she travels through time collecting books. In the Night of the Ninjas adventure (#5), Jack and Annie learn Morgan is under a spell and need their help to be freed.
       In this adventure, Afternoon on the Amazon, Jack and Annie travel in the tree house deep into the Amazon, encountering vampire bats, killer ants, a pesky monkey, and other Amazon critters. As the journey through the Amazon unfolds, Jack consults the book about the Amazon Rainforest, which tells them information they need to maneuver the dense foliage and the many creatures. Each time Jack consults the book, the reader learns a little bit more factual information about the Amazon, such as the rainforest is in three layers: the forest canopy, the understory, and the forest floor. Jack and Annie, running from a pack of ants, raft down the Amazon, run into a snake and a crocodile, meet a monkey who flings fruit, and eventually make it back to the tree house. However, Annie fears that if they return without the mystery item they are supposed to find, Morgan le Fay will be trapped under a spell forever. That is until the pesky monkey returns throwing fruit again, helping them to see that he had been trying to help them all along. Jack and Annie use the Pennsylvania book to return safely to Frog Creek, where it's business as usual, until their next adventure!
       In terms of fantasy, the Magic Tree House books fall fairly low on the scale, being that the key element of fantasy is the children's ability to travel through time and space by simply pointing at pictures in their magic tree house, a time warp style story. While some of the adventures contain more elements of fantasy, such as the dragon in Day of the Dragon King, many of the books are fairly informational and have elements that resemble a work of historical fiction. The educational information in each book is delivered by Jack reading it from the book of the place/time they have traveled, helping keep the reader immersed in the action, but still aware of the context where Jack and Annie have found themselves.
      Afternoon on the Amazon and other Magic Tree House are intended for younger readers who are just beginning to dive into chapter books. The publisher recommends the series for ages 8-12 and grades 3-7, but students in both 1st and 2nd grade who are reading above grade level will also enjoy these books, as the content is not too advanced and grabs the reader's full attention, transporting them to another time. The Magic Tree House series is a great adventure-based independent read for young readers, just beginning in the world of chapter books.
   

The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963: By Christopher Paul Curtis

        Revisiting a book from your childhood as an adult is something too few people do, unless merely to pass along a book they loved to their son or daughter, without taking the time to reread the story themselves. My adolescent years were spent despising to read books that were in assigned in school, so thanks to my BFF, Sparknotes, the books I read for school were few and far between. Meaning, if I can sit here now, as a graduate student and remember the story told in a particular book, I must have really enjoyed it.
        I read The Watons Go to Birmingham-1963, by Christopher Paul Curtis (author of Newberry Award Winning Bud, Not Buddy) when I was a 7th grade student in Mrs. Batka's English class at Johnson-Williams Middle School. This historical fiction novel invites the reader to enter the world of ten-year-old Kenny and his hilarious Flint, Michigan family, the Weird Watsons. Kenny introduces us to Momma, Dad, little sister Joetta, and thirteen year-old brother Byron, as they all huddle together on the couch, surviving yet another Michigan winter. Big brother Byron is always getting himself into trouble, causing the main source of conflict within the book. It seems he is always picking on Kenny, being scolded by Momma and Dad, or skipping class to hangout with this best buddy, Buphead (yes, that really is his name!). However, it is not until Byron is caught playing with matches, despite the previous warnings, that they finally dub him a "juvenile delinquent". The final straw for Momma and Dad putting up with Byron's behavior comes when he gets a conk (a hair-do that turns his hair reddish, brown, straight, stuff and slick looking) against his parents' strict wishes, that they decide it would be best if he spent the summer, and possibly the school year, living in Birmingham, Alabama with Grandma Sands, Momma's mother.
         They spend a great deal of time fixing up the family car known as the Brown Bomber, and preparing it to make the trip to Alabama. After driving all day and straight through the night, the Weird Watsons finally pull into Grandma Sand's driveway and are met with big hugs and streaming tears. We learn on the trip to Birmingham that the novel's title The Watons Go to Birmingham-1963 comes from the notebook Momma used to plan out every detail of their trip, and refers to the year they traveling, 1963, during a time of great unrest in the South.
        The family plans to stay several days with Grandma Sands, before leaving her and Byron to return to Flint, Michigan; however, several days into their trip, during Sunday school, Grandma Sand's church is bombed. The Watson children, being from the North, have never encountered this level of racism, and until this point, the Civil Rights Movement in the South was just a story heard on the radio or in the newspaper. But none take the bombing harder than Kenny, who had run to the church and believed one of his family members to be dead. After the bombing the Watsons return to Michigan, taking Byron with them, realizing that this was not the time to split the family up across the country. Upon returning to Flint, Kenny can't help but remember what happened in Birmingham and Byron does his best as a big brother to try to help him make sense of it. We see a brotherly relationship grow and strengthen between Byron and Kenny, as Byron realizes he needs to grow up and help his brother, and Kenny realizes that despite the tragedies in the world, he must push forward.
        The Watons Go to Birmingham-1963 is a historical fiction novel depicting events surrounding the Civil Rights Movement in 1963. As we read the novel we see that both the plot and setting are consistent with events and details from the time period, helping to make this fiction story seem as though it could have really happened. The story is made further authentic through the use of dialogue where Curtis has Momma and Grandma Sands speaking in very genuine-sounding thick Southern Accents. This detail helps the reader to really believe that the characters were truly of the time period and raised in the deep South, using words and phrases like y'all and proper hug. The historical accuracy of the book is further solidified through the use of relevant Civil Rights Movement themes and information, including both racism and the bombing of African American churches in the South.
       In rereading this book as an adult, I found myself more emotionally invested in Kenny's feelings after the bombing than I had been as a child. Not that I didn't feel for Kenny in the 7th grade, but I'm not sure that I was able to fully connect with the real trauma and sense of confusion he feels. I think this book does a wonderful job of keeping the reader on their toes and laughing, while learning about the life of the Weird Watsons, while still teaching about a pivotal historical time period in a more serious and contextual way. As far as using this book in a classroom, I think it would make for a very strong read aloud novel. In my opinion this novel needs more to accompany it and set the context of the story than just handing it over to a young reader in which to indulge in. The Watons Go to Birmingham-1963 opens the door for further explanation and study of the Civil Rights Movement and for a comparison of how far we have come as a country in terms of being accepting toward everyone. The publisher recommends this novel to be taught with grades 4-8, but I think in order for the best possible teaching/learning experience to be had in the classroom, I would reserve it for 6th to 8th grade.

Picture Source: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/watsons-go-to-birmingham-1963-christopher-paul-curtis/1100291117?ean=9780385382946

The One and Only Ivan: By Katherine Applegate

           The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate was named the winner of the American Library Association’s 2013 Newberry Award for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. This novel tells the story of Ivan, a gorilla, who lives in the “Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade", which is conveniently located off I-95, with shows at two, four, and seven, 365 days a year. Ivan narrates his story of living in his “domain” all alone, and never getting to travel beyond its confines. Since Ivan was never taught any tricks to join in on the daily shows, he never leaves his domain and spends his free time drawing pictures.

            The cast in Ivan’s life includes: Stella the adult elephant, Ruby the newly arrived baby elephant, Bob the stray dog, several other cages animals, Mack the ringmaster, George the janitor and his artist of a daughter, Julia. Julia is the only human in Ivan’s life who seems to really show him she cares, she spends her evenings while her dad is cleaning, sitting outside Ivan’s enclosure talking to him and drawing pictures. She often gives Ivan crayons and paper through the small hole in his domain so that he too can draw pictures. Towards the middle of the book the young elephant, Ruby, joins Stella and the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade crew. Ivan and his motley bunch of friends begin to see the outside world through the eyes of Ruby, who was born in the wild. It is this insight that helps Ivan realize that the domain he always thought was good enough is unacceptable. This encourages him to use his artistic talents to reach the outside world in an effort to save Ruby from the same monotonous ill fate that has befallen him and the other animals. As a rule in children’s literature, Applegate ends Ivan’s story with the animals of the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade finding a new home in a zoo, giving us our “happily ever ending” we hoped to find.

            Because this fantasy is told in first person narrative from the mouth of a gorilla, the sentences are delivered with a short structure, almost mimicking a poetic nature. The use of simple language falls perfectly in line with Ivan’s statement that gorillas waste less words than humans do, because humans toss away words like banana peels, leaving them to rot. Ivan is an endearing character that readers of any age could easily fall in love with. He always gives humans the benefit of the doubt, is incredibly patient, and never complains. These traits, coupled with his strong family-like bond with the other animals, helps us relate to Ivan not merely as a gorilla, but as an almost-human character.
            The One and Only Ivan is also a very cool text for young readers in that it has similar elements to the popular children's story Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White strung within it that could lead to interesting class discussions and comparisons. We can begin to compare characters: Ruby, the newest arrival is Wilbur, who knows a life beyond the farm, but finds herself facing a grim further, Ivan is our Charlotte, he uses his talents to reach outside of the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade to save Ruby, Bob the wandering dog is our Templeton, the only one not stuck within the confines of captivity. The main commonality that the two books share, aside from talking animals with similar character traits, is the idea of the characters of both stories being trapped in captivity and one animal (Ivan & Charlotte) finally realizes the unfortunate future that will befall another character (Ruby & Wilbur) and seeks to reach out to the outside world (through drawing & through words spun in webs) to save their new friend. The activities and conversations that could accompany these texts if studied together are endless and could lead to a very exciting reading/language arts lesson for upper elementary grades. 

            Based off the publisher’s recommendations, The One and Only Ivan is suited for children ages 8-12; however, I think that this book could be enjoyed by this age group, as well as by middle-schoolers and adults. Because Ivan’s lighthearted sweetness it is easy to fall in love with his character, even as an older student or adult. This story would also make an excellent class read aloud as the sentences are structured as to flow smoothly when read both out loud and in your head. I highly recommend The One and Only Ivan as an animal tale for all ages (8+) and as an addition to the library of any upper-elementary or middle school classroom.

Picture Source: http://ritalovestowrite.com/category/fiction/

Wonder: By R.J. Palacio

        10-year-old August Pullman, aka Auggie, was born with several genetic abnormalities that have lead him through 27 surgeries. But despite his bravery, his facial disfiguration leaves Auggie dreaming of being nothing more than ordinary. Auggie, who has been home schooled his whole life, spends everyday dealing with people doing “that look-away thing”—afraid to look at him or see him as the average kid he wants so desperately to be.

      August and his family have not had it easy. His big sister Via is very protective and gets angry when people stare at her brother. Auggie’s parents want the world for their son, but cannot agree whether sending him to public school is the right way to give this to him. They finally decide on sending August to middle school at Beecher Prep, which is very scary for August, but they convince him to give the school a chance.

      Juvenile realistic fiction novel, Wonder, sheds light on a brutal reality that is often over looked: a child who wants to be nothing more than ordinary, but can’t simply because of the way he looks. But despite the heartbreaking circumstances that have befallen our main character, Palacio gives the reader a fall back to the situation: Auggie’s hilarious and caring family. It is the close bond with his parents and sister that serves as Auggie’s foundation for facing the challenges at his new school. We see Auggie rises above the challenge of fitting in presented by his deformity and that the sense of love from his family helps him to flourish in his new school, make the honor-roll, make friends, and be the average kid he has always wanted to be. Auggie's story leaves us refreshed and inspired, helping us to remember the good things in life and that being ordinary is sometimes the most extraordinary thing of all. 

      Palacio approaches the story in a very straight-to-the-point manner that really helps heighten the reader's interest in Auggie's story, making it appealing to a wider audience, with varying reading interests. As a young reader Auggie is highly relatable because despite the challenges he has to overcome because of his looks, he is just an ordinary 10-year-old kid. Throughout the story Auggie experiences normal 10-year-old challenges and drama, which helps bring forth key issues of identity and how we treat others. As an adult reading this book there were places where I couldn’t help but be sad for Auggie’s situation; however, with diversity in schools becoming more and more the norm, your typical child reading this book will see Auggie as someone who is relatable to peers they encounter at school everyday, just ordinary kids. I highly recommend this courageous and engaging novel for young readers ages 9-12 as Auggie’s story has a lot to offer in terms of quality reading, relate-ability, and concepts of diversity.  

Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/Wonder-R-J-Palacio/dp/0375869026