Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

This thread is open to discuss Wonder by R.J. Palacio.



Synopsis
August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER, now a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.

      ~ Buddy Style Reads ~
    Three Ways to Enjoy a Book!

At NRBC we use three styles of buddy reads. These will be indicated in the thread title as “Buddy Read”, “Relaxed Buddy Read” or “Informal Buddy Read”.

A “Buddy Read” has a discussion leader and a reading date is set to start the book. A reading schedule is posted prior to the start date and discussion questions are posted each day regarding that section of the book. More information about these types of reads is below. An example is here, showing a reading schedule here.

A “Relaxed Buddy Read” is similar to our usual “buddy reads” except there are less questions and break points. For example, a book may be split into three sections and those reading the book should pause at the end of the section to answer some discussion questions, make comments, or ask their own questions to other readers. An example is here.

An “Informal Buddy Read” doesn’t have a discussion leader and participants are asked to consider some generic questions when making comments about the book. An example is here.

A “Read and Watch Buddy Read” may be set up as any of the above, but we will also watch the movie or T.V. series - or even go to a play! - and make comparisons, discussing what has been left out or changed as well as the actors and actresses. There is a long debate of what one should do first: read the books or watch the movie? We usually read first, but it isn’t essential. Also, if you would like to join in, but don’t want to watch the movie, show, or play, but only read the books, that is fine, too. An example is here.


MORE UNDER SPOILER
(view spoiler)[

“Buddy Reads” (“BRs”) include:

• A reading schedule which can range from 50, 75, to 100 or so pages a day.

• Discussion questions posted daily by moderators and occasionally group members
   who help one of us out. If you want to be a Discussion Leader, let us know.

• If the book is really long, we'll plan a break day.

• Members do NOT have to answer every question, they are meant to stimulate
   conversations about the books AND allow us to glance back upon them when the
   sequels come out. This helps us to remember what exactly happened in the previous
   book.

• We find the buddy style of reading to be more fun than just posting one or two
   sentences about a book. We feel this is what distinguishes us as being a ‘book club’
   rather than just another GoodReads ‘group.’

• If you can NOT start the book on time, feel free to join in at a later date. They are
   set up to make it easy to do so.

• Moderators are people too, so occasionally we get sick, have to work late at our real
   jobs, or have something that keeps us from writing the questions. Please forgive us;
   we're only human and we don't get any compensation for what we do--not even
   free books!

• Discussions and questions are set up to make you think, analyze, and see things you,
   or even we, may have missed. Feel free to add your own thoughts at any time, if you
   think we've missed something.

• If you've read the book, feel free to let us know what you thought about the book.
   You can do so at the end of the buddy read, or, if you can't wait, add spoiler tags
   before you comment like:

   **************BEWARE! SPOILER FOR THE END OF THE BOOK**************

   Or insert a (view spoiler)[spoiler (hide spoiler)]. If you do NOT know how to do so, just check out our
   GoodReads 101 explanation on how to Insert a Spoiler.

• If you are looking for a reading buddy, post an inquiry in our Buddy read requests thread. Use that thread, if you want to have a repeat read of a BOM
    or buddy read, too.

• Have fun! We always do when more than one person joins in. And we look less silly
   if someone else discusses a book with us. (hide spoiler)]

res

I'm so glad that a list was posted of BR's! I've been wanting to read this one FOREVER! I'll be reading for points for Team Hermione Granger. :)

I'm in for Team Ginny Weasley. I have to wait a few days to start this unfortunately, but I'm SO excited. I've been wanting to read it for so long. I haven't seen the movie, because I want to read the book first.

How are people going with the book?

I found it interesting as I had already seen the movie that in the very beginning he doesn't describe what he looks like. This means that the movie has a bit of a different feel because obviously we can see him.

Elize wrote: "How are people going with the book?

I found it interesting as I had already seen the movie that in the very beginning he doesn't describe what he looks like. This means that the movie has a bit of..."

I have to admit I cried a couple of times when I read the book in Feb/March. I really liked the book, but why do authors have to (view spoiler)[kill off dogs/pets in general???? it always breaks my heart. I honestly was sobbing in the bathtub for a couple of minutes (hide spoiler)]

Just started this one for Team Ginny Weasley! I've been wanting to read this one for the longest time, so I'm very excited to get into this book. Can't wait to read with y'all! :)

Currently at 15%

Overall Book (thus far) - (view spoiler)[Well, I've never read Wonder, but I've heard AMAZING things about it, so I'm very excited. I can tell already that this book is going to be an emotional read. I love the way it's written from August's perspective of the world. I think the author does a wonderful job of showing what it is like to live in a sheltered world, hidden away from the outside for fear of how they will react or what they will see. It makes me incredibly sad that each time a new character is introduced, August mentions the shoes they are wearing. Nobody should ever feel forced to look at the ground as much he does, in an effort to "spare others" from their perceived ugliness. Just so sad. I'm thoroughly enjoying this so far and I'm waiting for my impending tears. Haha. (hide spoiler)]

August - (view spoiler)[What a sweet, sweet character. I love that he is very self-aware that he is different. I HATE that he is very self-aware that he is different. It makes me sad that he knows he is different and has felt as though he needs to hide his true self from the outside world to avoid being bullied or making others uncomfortable. It seems as though he has an excellent familial support system, which is wonderful, because not everyone has that. I think the way in which the author writes the story does an excellent job of portraying his nervousness at the prospect of attending a new school and meeting other children his own age, which is completely understandable. I hope that he is able to go into it with an open-mind, hoping to have a new experience and be brave within himself. (hide spoiler)].

Very excited to see what happens throughout the rest of this book!!! :D

Elize wrote: "How are people going with the book?

I found it interesting as I had already seen the movie that in the very beginning he doesn't describe what he looks like. This means that the movie has a bit of..."

I haven't seen the movie yet, though I'm dying to see it. I much prefer reading the book prior to seeing the movie, if at all possible, so I made sure to wait to read this one. Was the movie good? Did it live up to the book? I hope so! I hate getting disappointed, but I heard it got really good reviews!

Omg, only now noticed that this is a buddy read! I have been meaning to read it Forever! I wanted to watch the movie, but then wanted to read the book first and then I just got swamped with RL and forgot :( I will start in a few days I guess - need to find my buried copy :)

Oh right, forgot...Team Minerva McGonagall

Maddy wrote: "Omg, only now noticed that this is a buddy read! I have been meaning to read it Forever! I wanted to watch the movie, but then wanted to read the book first and then I just got swamped with RL and ..."

Yay!!!! Read with me! I can't wait to watch the movie, now that I'm finally getting around to reading the book. Haha.

Morgan wrote: "Maddy wrote: "Omg, only now noticed that this is a buddy read! I have been meaning to read it Forever! I wanted to watch the movie, but then wanted to read the book first and then I just got swampe..."

On it! Let's finish the book and then watch the movie so we can "ohhh" and "ahhhh" about it? :D
Do you have a reading schedule for this? I want to finish "IT" by Stephen King first, but I will definitely start this before the week ends :)

Maddy wrote: "Morgan wrote: "Maddy wrote: "Omg, only now noticed that this is a buddy read! I have been meaning to read it Forever! I wanted to watch the movie, but then wanted to read the book first and then I ..."

I'm on about 15% right now. But even if I finish before you, I'm still totally down to keep chatting about it, because so far, it's REALLY GOOD!

Morgan wrote: "Elize wrote: "How are people going with the book?

I found it interesting as I had already seen the movie that in the very beginning he doesn't describe what he looks like. This means that the movi..."

Yes I am the same! I hardly ever watch the movie first but it was free on the plane so I decided to go for it as I had finished my book I brought to read on the flight :P

I did really enjoy the movie but I always love how books provide more depth and emotion and allow you to go into each characters head. Would definitely recommend watching it after you read it :)

Elize wrote: "Morgan wrote: "Elize wrote: "How are people going with the book?

I found it interesting as I had already seen the movie that in the very beginning he doesn't describe what he looks like. This mean..."

I'm really glad I started with the book first, but I will say, due to the nature of the book, I'm kind of glad that a movie was made before I started reading it. Obviously, like I mentioned, I haven't seen the movie. However, I've seen the trailers and stuff, so I've been able to see an adaptation of what they envision Auggie to look like, which is helpful when reading the book. They describe his character very well, but it's still difficult to envision, you know? So being able to google the character and see the adaptation is helpful when reading, in my opinion.

Currently at 60%

Auggie - (view spoiler)[Gosh, his little heart just warms my soul. He is so brave and so strong. He knows that people are afraid of him, bothered by him, talking about him, etc. and yet he continues to try new things. Granted, he was very afraid to start school and see what that would look like, especially since some of his fears did come true and the children weren't all very nice. However, he has made some friends, especially Summer. He has learned that there are good people in the world who see beyond his exterior and right through to his heart. Wow. I still think that he is trying to push through the insecurities and self-created barriers of lowered self-worth, but I do believe, in time, he can find some semblance of peace and joy with his new environment and within himself. (hide spoiler)]

Summer - (view spoiler)[Now, this is an example of one sweetheart little girl. I love that she saw beyond the peer pressures of her "popular clique group" and made her own, independent choices to spend time with Auggie and build a friendship and their own quirky jokes, regardless of the rumors that others spread about the two of them. She continued to play Four Square with him, even though others told her she would catch "The Plague" by playing with him. She saw beyond his physical attributes and got to know his heart. As a middle schooler, I must say that is very impressive. That is an impressionable age and they are very susceptible to peer pressure. To know that there are still children in the world that have pure hearts and are unwilling to get sucked into the drama and gossip is inspiring. (hide spoiler)]

Jack Will - (view spoiler)[I'm really mad at Jack Will for giving in to the peer pressure and saying such awful, hurtful things about Auggie. It's hard to believe he didn't mean the things that he said, since he didn't know Auggie was standing there, you know? Unfortunately, once that trust is broken, it's so hard to regain and believe anything they say is to be truthful after that. I'm glad they were able to repair their friendship and I know that children at that age can easily give in to peer pressure, so I'm hoping that's all it was. Though, I hope for Auggie's sake, Jack doesn't hurt him again. He deserves a true friend. (hide spoiler)]

Julian - Julian is a butthead and I strongly dislike him. His parents need to teach him how to be a human being, but clearly, as Auggie's mom says, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." What happened to humanity? That is all.

I just checked this thread a couple days ago and no one had started, but now some of you are almost done. LOL I'll go ahead and start it today then.

I saw the movie but never read the book. LOL

Vicki wrote: "I just checked this thread a couple days ago and no one had started, but now some of you are almost done. LOL I'll go ahead and start it today then.

I saw the movie but never read the book. LOL"

I haven't started yet :D

Maddy wrote: "Vicki wrote: "I just checked this thread a couple days ago and no one had started, but now some of you are almost done. LOL I'll go ahead and start it today then.

I saw the movie but never read th..."

Best gif EVER!!!! LOL! I used to love this show! :D

Morgan wrote: "Maddy wrote: "Vicki wrote: "I just checked this thread a couple days ago and no one had started, but now some of you are almost done. LOL I'll go ahead and start it today then.

I saw the movie but..."

What do you mean - used to. I still love it :D

I'm just getting started as well. I have never seen the movie (I don't even remember hearing about it!)

It is a very recent movie comparatively... It has Julia Roberts in it 😄

Maddy wrote: "Morgan wrote: "Maddy wrote: "Vicki wrote: "I just checked this thread a couple days ago and no one had started, but now some of you are almost done. LOL I'll go ahead and start it today then.

I sa..."

Haha, Fuller House is pretty amazing too. :)

How is the movie Maddy? Worth all the hype? I'm really excited to watch it now that I've finally finished the book. It was a really good book. I was hoping the ending would elaborate more or ending differently, but I still think it was a really thought provoking, emotional read.

I have only seen some sneak peaks and trailers. I want to read the book first too 😊

I'm up to Summer's part of the book. It's interesting how the book is divided up into different character's POV's.

August - (view spoiler)[ you've got to admire this kid with agreeing to go to school and put himself out there. He's pretty insightful for a boy who has been so insulated. It was sad that he saw through Julian right away, and even sadder that he didn't see through Jack Will. It broke my heart when he overhead Jack's conversation with his buddies. I liked how his sister sort-of manipulated him to get back to school though! (hide spoiler)]

Via - (view spoiler)[ - I feel so bad for Olivia having to give up so much of her own childhood due to August's condition. Seeing how many times her parents overlooked her needs in favor of August, even now that he's healthier was heartbreaking. I'm glad she really does love her family, though, and (at least so far) isn't acting out! (hide spoiler)]

I love how much depth this book has. The different POV's really adds to it as I would have never considered Via's POV.

Morgan wrote: "Currently at 60%

Auggie - [spoilers removed]
Summer - [spoilers removed]
Jack Will - [spoilers removed]
Julian - Julian is a ..."

I agree with what you wrote about these characters, Morgan. Auggie was (view spoiler)[ so endearing. And I love how most of the time he thinks he's just a normal kid. (hide spoiler)]

Summer and Jack (view spoiler)[ - it was great Auggie had friends at school, but what Jack did was terrible, although not unexpected. And I agree that Summer was a remarkable girl to resist the peer pressure of middle school. (hide spoiler)]

Julian (view spoiler)[ there's always at least one Julian, isn't there? It was so sad to see where he got his intolerance from (his mom) (hide spoiler)]

Yay! I started :)

Auggie is so sweet and endearing! I am only in the beginning and he is not going to school yet, but I can already feel how they are going to try to crush him. He is too sweet for school, the bullies will pounce on him, aren't they? I love how he said (view spoiler)[ how everyone thinks he is extraordinary, while he himself believes he is quite ordinary, except for his looks. But he is such a sweet boy... (hide spoiler)]

I'm just now starting this! I've wanted to read this for aaaaages but was never motivated enough to actually pick it up... I guess this buddy read is the push I needed 😉

Judy wrote: "I'm just now starting this! I've wanted to read this for aaaaages but was never motivated enough to actually pick it up... I guess this buddy read is the push I needed 😉"

We all need a push it seems... It has been on my tbr for two years. Two years! And I am only now reading it. But at least my tbr is slooooowly decreasing :D

29%

I'm really, really enjoying this book. I love August so much, he's just precious. And now I'm really interested in the other perspectives we'll get - I didn't know it had more than Auggie's!

39%

My cry count is up to 3 by now, I'm honestly not very surprised. I'm really enjoying the writing style as well - it's so chatty and reading it just sounds like someone is telling me this story.

Maddy wrote: "Yay! I started :)

Auggie is so sweet and endearing! I am only in the beIginning and he is not going to school yet, but I can already feel how they are going to try to crush him. He is too sweet fo..."

It must have been so hard for his parents to make the decision to send him to school, knowing what he might go through.

Judy wrote: "39%

My cry count is up to 3 by now, I'm honestly not very surprised. I'm really enjoying the writing style as well - it's so chatty and reading it just sounds like someone is telling me this story."

I liked the writing style, too. At first I was a bit confused because the chapters seemed so short and sort-of random, but it really grew on me and kept me interested in the story.

I've finished and I loved this book!

Auggie was so inspirational! It was sad about the (view spoiler)[ "war" that Julian and his buddies waged on Auggie and Jack, but interesting how the other kids started getting tired of it. (hide spoiler)]

A lot happens in the last third of the book - (view spoiler)[ Daisy dying, Via getting to start in her play, the retreat, the graduation. I liked how Mr. Tushman told Auggie he knew about what had been going on during the school year, but had let the kids work it out for themselves. (hide spoiler)]

One of my favorite things about the book were Mr. Browne's Precepts. They sure are something our world could use right now!

SandyL wrote: "Maddy wrote: "Yay! I started :)

Auggie is so sweet and endearing! I am only in the beIginning and he is not going to school yet, but I can already feel how they are going to try to crush him. He ..."

I imagine it was. But I get their point - they cannot hide him at home all the time, he has to adapt to the world and get some independence, social skills and whatnot. If they keep protecting him and keeping him hidden, he wouldn't fit into society at all.

I am about 24% in
(view spoiler)[Auggie is still a sweetheart. I like how he is not all "what if I scare them, what if they think I am ugly?" and such, but just rolls with it "yeah, I am weird, so what?". Of course it still hurts in some ways, but at least he is not scared to go to school because people are going to stare at him and whisper. He knows it will happen and just ignores it, talking to people who like him and doing thing he likes. I like Summer, she was so nice to leave her gossiping flock of chickens and go cheer up a little sad boy :)
I like Jack a lot. He is joking about Auggies condition sure, but in contrast to other people, he is doing it in a fun way. It seems he can really see past all that external unattractive facade to look into his internal beauty (as cliche as it sounds). Julian needs to get red pepper in his underwear... just throwing out the idea in the open here... We all know that sleazy worm deserves it... (hide spoiler)]

Morgan wrote: "Currently at 60%

Auggie - [spoilers removed]Summer - [spoilers removed]Jack Will - [spoilers removed]Julian - Julian is a butthead and I strongly dislike him. His parents need to teach him how to ..."

Completely agree with everything! Though I think it's too late for Julian - his parents seem even worse than he is... 😖 why do some people just think it's their duty to go out of their way to be assholes... but enough of that negative stuff - I absolutely love Summer! She is so nice and chill.

79%

I love Auggie so much. In a way, he grew up so protected from the "real world", but he is still self-aware and good at reading people to figure out what's actually going on. He still has a strong tendency to overreact but oh well, I can't really judge him for that (and he still has lots of time to figure that out).

Finished! I'm so happy I read this, it was such a wonderful story that gave me so much to laugh (and cry) about.

Yay! I finished! This will sound bad, but I am glad (view spoiler)[the bad situation at the camp happened, because people actually stood up for Auggie and became kinder to him. They realized how ugly it is when looking how someone else bullies him for things he cannot affect and FINALLY saw how they look when they do the same thing. I am so happy he got the happy ending! He was such a champ about all of it! I love how he never let the bad stuff get him down and was so positive throughout the whole thing! He was amazing!
And the different points of view. I loved all of them! I loved Via's side, Summer's side, Jack's side, Miranda's side and of course Auggie's side. That was really impressive how these all different sides helped to understand them better (and I may or may not have gotten a bit teary-eyes a few times because of it). (hide spoiler)] It is a wonderful book and I really would suggest everyone read it :)

Maddy wrote: "Yay! I finished! This will sound bad, but I am glad the bad situation at the camp happened, because people actually stood up for Auggie and became kinder to him. They realized how ugly it is when l..."

I couldn't agree more, Maddy. It really (view spoiler)[gives you hope that humanity still exists. That was such a sad part of the book, but what a beautiful ending. <3 (hide spoiler)]

Morgan wrote: "Maddy wrote: "Yay! I finished! This will sound bad, but I am glad the bad situation at the camp happened, because people actually stood up for Auggie and became kinder to him. They realized how ugl..."

Yes! It was a really hopeful ending! And you know, the precept Julian sent to the teacher during the summer (view spoiler)[ "Sometimes it's good to start over" (hide spoiler)] also gave me hope that he can change and become a better person :)

Maddy wrote: "Yay! I finished! This will sound bad, but I am glad the bad situation at the camp happened, because people actually stood up for Auggie and became kinder to him. They realized how ugly it is when l..."

I completely agree as well! (And to be honest, I was expecting The Thing That Would Inevitably Happen to be much worse than what it turned out to be...)

Judy wrote: "Maddy wrote: "Yay! I finished! This will sound bad, but I am glad the bad situation at the camp happened, because people actually stood up for Auggie and became kinder to him. They realized how ugl..."

Well it was still bad, but I also thought it would be more internal, not external, if you know what I mean. But I am happy that he got a HAE :)