I read
Wonder back in 2012 and loved it (read my
review). In it we learn about what 5th grade at Beecher Prep is like for August Pullman, a boy who has undergone countless surgeries due to his birth defects. I have reread it twice, and it has touched me each time. Auggie's voice captivated me, and it was fascinating reading what his year was like for a few other important characters.
I was excited to see
Auggie and Me: Three Wonder Stories by R.J. Palacio
. I knew I had to read it and find out what was going on with some of the other characters I hadn't heard from yet. In
Wonder we see his classmates through Auggie's eyes, and now we get to hear from the bully, Julian, his old best friend, Christopher, and Charlotte, who he met when he toured the school. Each story fills in gaps and shows us that there really are two sides to every story. We start with Julian, and it's no surprise that we get some insight behind his mean treatment of Auggie. We also get to see shortly past the end of their 5th grade year. Christopher has know Auggie since birth, and we find out what it was like being friends with someone who needed to have so many surgeries and how their friendship changed over the years. Lastly, Charlotte sheds light on other drama and social occurrences that were happening throughout the year that we didn't know about from Auggie.
Auggie and Me is perfect for readers who enjoyed
Wonder and wanted more. It's an interesting addition to Auggie's story because we don't learn much more about his life after 5th grade, except for the summer months, which Julian tells us about. Instead we learn that there is often more going on than what we see on the surface. In any situation we may think we have all the facts, but someone else may show us information that makes us think differently. I can't say reading this book made me think Julian is an awesome boy, because I still think he's mean. I do understand him better, and I do have hope that he will be different in the future. There is something very special about diving back into a favorite story, and I recommend this journey for anyone who wants to have a little more time with Auggie and friends. This is an excellent book for kids and adults who want to see what a story is like from another point of view. I would recommend this book to readers in third grade and up. You will finish the book feeling like you have more pieces of the puzzle. Definitely read
Wonder first if you haven't already!
Back when we reviewed
Wonder we were lucky enough to
interview R.J. Palacio. To find out more about the story behind the story check out what she had to say.
Has anyone else read
Wonder or
Auggie and Me? We'd love to hear your thoughts!
Happy Reading!
~L
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