Wonder

Wonder by R. J. Palacio is the story of August Pullman's fifth grade year.  August is different from the other students for a couple of reasons:  he's never been to a real school before and he has a genetic mutation that caused him to be born with a facial deformity. 

This is a wonderful children's book.  I'd actually recommend it for kids and adults alike.  Auggie is a character you really care about and can relate to; since everyone has felt like they didn't belong at some point or another.

The book is written from the perspective of many characters (Auggie, some of his friends, his sister, etc.), so you see how Auggie's struggles affect the lives of everyone he knows.  It is a wonderful story about kindness, cruelty, acceptance, friendship and love.  With the amount of bullying that goes on with kids today, I highly recommend kids and their parents read this book.

With or Without You

With or Without You:  A Memoir by Domenica Ruta is the story of how a young girl (raised by a very troubled women), realizes as an adult that the only way to save herself is to leave behind the one she can't seem to quit.

Oh, how I am drawn to a memoir about troubled families.  I don't know why I find them so engrossing but I do.  In this case, Ruta mostly talks about her dysfunctional relationship with her drug addicted, narcissistic and manipulative mother.

It was well written, authentic and brought up the proper emotions that the stories she was telling elicited.  Like many memoirs, it goes back and forth in time and tells stories that are painful to read.  I think what I enjoyed most about Ruta's style is how her personality really comes through.  A lot of times when I'm reading memoirs, it feels like the author is telling you about what happened but not about how it sits with them today.  I felt like the brokenness of Ruta was tangible to the last page and beyond.  Definitely a good read if you are into memoirs.

The BFG

The BFG by Roald Dahl is the story of a young girl named Sophie who is taken to the land of giants by the BFG.  There Sophie and the BFG decide to take a stand against the other giants (who are human bean eaters!) with the help of a powerful ally.

One of my SIL's recommended this read.  It's a children's book and would be a great read aloud for kids 7+.  It was a pretty quick read and I think kids would like the way the giant talks. 

It has themes of friendship, education and morality.  Since it deals with giants coming after kids while they are sleeping, I wouldn't recommend reading it to little ones before bed.  It would make a great classroom or independent read for elementary kids though.