Hi y’all!

Happy Thursday I hope you have a great weekend planned. We are loving the coziness of Christmastime and are enjoying our first snow day of the season!

Today I am here with a review of Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories by R. J. Palacio. I really enjoyed being back in the Wonder universe and getting to know some of the side characters from the original story.

Book Summary: “WONDER tells the story of Auggie Pullman: an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face, whose first year at school changed the lives and the perspectives of everyone around him.

AUGGIE & ME is a new side to the WONDER story: three new chapters from three different characters – bully Julian, oldest friend Christopher and classmate Charlotte – giving an insight into how Auggie has touched their own lives. Thought-provoking, surprising, infuriating, heartbreaking and heartwarming, AUGGIE & ME is a must-read for the thousands of readers who loved WONDER.”

Each of these chapters felt like a complete story. We get to know the characters well. And I enjoyed getting a few glimpses of Auggie in each of them. I think these stories add to Auggie’s story as we see the different ways people interact with him. While most of us want to be as friendly as Jack Will or as compassionate and loving as Auggie’s family, it would also be hard. It was helpful for me to get inside the shoes of other people in Auggie’s life.

• I had read Julian’s chapter before. But wow! To see everything from his perspective was so interesting. I was surprised by why he acted like he did and to feel some compassion for him. Julian isn’t just a bad kid. But he was scared and that affected everything he did. It was sascinating to see how he felt about Auggie and why he did things and how he changed. I absolutely loved his grandmother. Her perspective and experiences were profound and important. I love how her sharing helps Julian see how he can change for the better in the future too.
• I was surprised by how interesting Christopher’s story was and how different from Auggie’s. To see his perspective on being Auggie’s friend from birth and how hard that is. He and Auggie have a genuine friendship but Auggie naturally is in the spotlight for other people. I was surprised how much of his struggle made sense. Not just as Auggie’s friend but in any friendship. It can be so easy to not be a good friend or to focus just on yourself. I loved his family’s story arch as well.
• Charlotte’s story was so fun! It was cool to see what was happening with the girls at school while the boys were having their obvious wars and things. I liked how they learned more about each other when they were willing to talk about it openly. Communication is so important! And I loved how Charlotte, Summer and Ximena became good friends and worked so hard on their dance together. A really fun story!

Overall, I loved the writing and settings. Palacio creates such memorable & relatable characters and situations. She teaches important lessons in genuine ways. This book is fun and also adds to the important lessons learned in Wonder.

Have you read Wonder? What did you think?
Do you have any favorite books with characters with disabilities?