Wonder

Auggie was born disfigured as the result of a medical abnormality, forcing him to undergo numerous surgeries and often leaving him physically ill.  His face is deformed to the extent of causing extreme discomfort when around strangers. As such, he has been home-schooled his entire life.  But his parents believe it is time for him to interact with other people and enroll him in school.  Wonder is the story of Auggie's adjustment to "normal" life and the reactions of his family, friends, and schoolmates.

The book begins with Auggie's perspective and almost right off the bat he tells the reader that he isn't going to describe his appearance.  Granted, from other perspectives we get some semblance of what he looks like, but that denial of information made me immediately love this novel.  It's the story of what happens to him, not what he looks like.  While what he looks like obviously impacts what happens to him, the omission defines the focus as his journey.

A student pointed out to me that she loved that the language was simple, but that the it carried deeper meaning.  I agreed.  The innocent 5th grade perspectives, and even the older perspectives of Auggie's sister and her boyfriend, reveal deeper truths about the world in which they live.

Not that I shy away from books with long chapters, I will say that I enjoyed how Dan Brown short some of them were.  I could go grocery shopping and listen to about 10 chapters and feel incredibly accomplished.  That's one of my favorite things about audiobooks - the ability to multitask. 

This book has been added to my permanent list of quick pick books to recommend.  Go read/listen to it.  Now.