Wonder

I just finished reading Wonder by RJ Palacio. Wow. It took me right back to middle school. Which isn't really a good thing considering I blocked the majority of middle school memories from my mind. Middle school was really hard in the way of social relationships. I lost and gained some friends in middle school. It's where I received my first B in a class, and probably my first C. Although, that actually might have been high school physics. :/  I don't really remember many other things, just little snippets like the uncomfortable attention I received when I wore my first fitted jeans and shirt to school (did they think I looked good or were they laughing at me?) , or the glass eye of the computer science teacher, or dissecting clams in ninth grade (you can't see anything, its all just - clam).

Anyway, my middle school was probably just like many other middle schools in the country, at least in the way kids interacted and the feelings we all were having. Wonder is about a kid who looks very different. It's about the typical middle school students such a kid might encounter, and the struggles that will inevitably follow. Mostly, its about kindness. It was a great reminder to just be kind, just accept, just befriend someone who might really need a friend. I plan on reading it to my daughter when she's a little older, probably before the dreaded middle school begins. Also I can't wait to see the movie! You should read it too. Everyone should, really.