I had heard a lot about this book and how wonderful (no pun intended) it was. So, it was with a grain of salt that I downloaded the audio to listen to. After the hype, this book had a lot to live up to.
It did.
Auggie Pullman is an exceptionally bright kid. He has been homeschooled up to now because he was born with a severe facial deformity. Now, however, as he is about to enter the fifth grade, his parents want him to try going to a real school. They bring him to Beecher Prep. This is a private school where the headmaster is very welcoming and assures Auggie and his parents that he will fit in. He is introduced to three current students: Jack, Summer, and Justin. They are to show him around the school.
And so begins Auggie's great adventure. The book follows Auggie through his year at Beecher Prep with a series of first person narratives. The story is told from several viewpoints including Auggie, his sister Via, Jack, and others. With each different point of view, we see deeper inside the various characters. It is not just Auggie with his physical deformities that needs a deeper insight and understanding.
I listened to the audio version of this book and was struck by the way the narrators, Diana Steele, Nick Podehl, and Kate Rudd, were able to make each character come to life with a distinctive voice--both literally and figuratively. It made the listening experience much richer for me.
This one is definitely destined to wind up in my classroom library. I give it my highest recommendation.
I loved this book and shared it with my Intensive Reading classes this year - even they loved it! I'd like to read the Julian chapter and the Christopher chapter and I'd especially like Mr. Browne's Book of Precepts to potentially use in class.
ReplyDeleteI've looked at the Precepts book at the store. It's on my "get it one day" list.
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