Wonder by R.J. Palacio... I finished reading it shortly after starting, and all I can think to say is wow. Wow. WOW. I had seen it on the shelves at Barnes and Noble for what seems like forever, but I never picked it up. I don't know why. But after reading about it somewhere on the internet, I thought: Hey, I should give this a shot. Then I finally purchased it.

It was so emotional. There were a couple times I had to close the book and take a couple breaths, tell my mom who sat in the same room as me how WONDERFUL Wonder is, before jumping back into it. I loved the point-of-view shifts, how you could see the story through the eyes of several key characters. The center character, August, was my favorite and I just wanted to give him a huge hug because of his sweet, innocent voice. I felt like I was there with them all, just as much part of the story as anyone else.

It's about August Pullman, who, thanks to a gene no one in his family knew existed, was born with a facial "deformity" (though no one likes that word in the story). He once hid it with a space helmet, and has since been home-schooled by his mother, but now it's time to try going to Beecher Prep for his fifth grade. A quote from this masterpiece: "I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse." For that reason, he's nervous, but there are students at Beecher Prep that might just look past what's on his outside.

Read it. Read it now! I don't care what book you're currently immersed in. This one deserves its spotlight. 

About the Author

Ashton Widdison was born in St. George, Utah, October 19th of 1992. Her childhood consisted of staying up late reading Harry Potter with the family, running around with her two little brothers, tagging along with her mom wherever she went, climbing up boulders amidst all the red dirt, and off-road driving in her dad's topless, door-less 1974 Ford Bronco (that blue beast made her clothes smell of exhaust all day). The Widdison family relocated the summer before her sophomore year in high school, trading the south for the north. She graduated from high school with almost a 4.0 (would've done it too if it hadn't been for the rotten subject of Algebra 2) and proceeded to attempt a semester at Utah State University. Despite high grades and a mind that's not too shabby, she didn't sign up for classes the following semester and has since not returned to school. Now she's working at a local grocery store and working on a second novel to self-publish through lulu.com. Her first novel, Out of Orbit, was well-received by her mom and dad and a handful of other family and friends. Her brothers don't engage an recreational reading very often. Her weaknesses include self-doubt, fear, and dessert that she probably shouldn't eat, but who are you to judge, back off and let her live. Her strengths include her sense of humor and her listening ears. The middle child of her family is married with a baby, and being an aunt is pretty rad. She lives with her parents, the youngest brother, and three dogs and two cats. She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She focuses on writing Young Adult fiction. She dabbles in poetry, but her skills are limited to free verse. She can sing well in the shower, memorize lines from movies and songs, and dance like no one is watching (which doesn't guarantee she dances very well). Libra. Single. Doesn't know what long walks on the beach feel like as she's never been to a legitimate beach.