R.J. Palacio’s novel Wonder has been on the New York Times bestsellers list for more than five years. The book has surged in popularity because of the recent release of the feature film based on Wonder, which stars Langley’s own Jacob Tremblay.
Wonder is about a smart 10-year-old boy named Auggie who has been home-schooled for five years. His mother decides it would be better for her son to start Grade 5 in a local middle school and learn with children his own age. Auggie was born with facial differences and he has endured many surgeries, so his entry into public school is challenging, to say the least. Wonder is a well-written story told by several characters, including Auggie’s sister and classmates. Although Wonder is a junior novel, this book is suitable for all readers because the themes of bravery, compassion and kindness are ageless.
And if you have already read Wonder and would like to read books with similar themes, here are a few suggestions.
Jerry Spinelli’s teen novel Stargirl is a tale of a girl who stands out in a crowd. Stargirl wears long gowns, she decorates her desk with tablecloths and flowers, and she serenades her fellow students at lunch in the cafeteria. Stargirl is a spark of non-conformity in a dreary Arizona high school. The students are like robots in a community that exists because of an electronics company. At first, the students are wary and people think Stargirl has been “planted” by staff in the student body to create school spirit. But once she becomes a cheerleader and the school’s basketball team starts winning, Stargirl becomes a hero. Her popularity is short-lived when Stargirl begins to cheer for the opposing team and her limitless kindness begins to makes people suspicious.
Author Wesley King suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder as a teenager and he used his experiences to write the young adult novel OCDaniel. Thirteen-year-old Daniel struggles with behaviours that cause him to feel like he is going crazy. Daniel feels powerless and exhausted by his obsession with numbers and repetitive actions — he does not know he has a mental illness. Sara is an outcast who befriends Daniel and she asks him to help her solve a mystery about her father. Sara is the first person who recognizes that Daniel has an anxiety disorder, and she offers him information about OCD.
Sharon Draper’s novel Out of My Mind shatters preconceptions about people with physical challenges. The story is about Melody, an 11-year-old girl who has cerebral palsy. She is in a wheelchair and is unable to talk or write. At school, Melody is in an less-than-stimulating classroom with other special needs children. Nobody knows how smart Melody is until she receives a computer that allows her to communicate her thoughts to others. Her family and teachers learn that Melody has a brilliant mind, and she enters a Grade 5 class. Melody joins her school’s quiz team and, with her help, the team makes it to the national finals. Through Melody’s story, the reader learns about the many difficulties that people with physical challenges face every day.
Ann M. Martin’s Rain Reign is a novel about an 11-year-old girl named Rose, who is on the autism spectrum and she loves words, numbers and rules. At school, her classmates tease Rose about her love of homonyms and her insistence that everyone diligently follow school rules. Rose’s father brings home a stray that Rose names Rain and she develops a strong bond with the dog. During an intense storm, Rain goes missing, and Rose must confront the limit of her comfort levels. Rose narrates the story, which gives the reader insight into the world of a child living with autism.
Rules by Cynthia Lord examines a 12-year-old girl’s relationships with her brother and a new friend. Catherine’s brother David has autism and Catherine creates rules that help David to understand his world. Catherine loves her brother but she sometimes thinks of his behaviour as embarrassing and longs for a “normal” life. Catherine is also frustrated that David receives most of her parents’ attention. Catherine meets and befriends Jason, a non-verbal boy in a wheelchair who communicates by pointing at pictures. She helps Jason to communicate more effectively by drawing representations of some words that are age-appropriate for him, such as “whatever!” This story examines differences with sensitivity and humour.
Please visit your local library and ask staff to recommend more titles that concern individual differences and acceptance.
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published on Wednesdays. Lori Nick works at Port Coquitlam’s Terry Fox Library.
