Young adult

Wonder by R.J. Palacio “I’m not usually drawn to YA fiction, but when a friend said this book was one of the most heartwarming reads of the year, I decided to give it a whirl,” says Patty Bontekoe, FIRST deputy editor. Auggie is a 10-year-old boy with a severe facial deformity, and after years of being homeschooled, he’s headed to public school, where he knows he’ll have to face the mean kids and rude comments his family has always tried to shield him from. Told from the point of view of Auggie, his sister and his friends, the author shows how Auggie and everyone around him deal with the challenges he faces. “I was surprised by how much this book—and its message of kindness—affected me. It was a truly uplifting story,” says Patty. “By the last page, I had fallen in love with sweet Auggie. Plus, when the movie version came out, I was first in line at the theater—it did not disappoint!” (Knopf, 2012; Hardcover $17, Kindle $10, Nook $10)