You think YOU have it tough?

Chances are your life is easier than that of Auggie, the main character in Wonder by R. J. Palacio.  Auggie was born with a number of facial deformities, and despite multiple surgeries, he still looks quite a bit different from most people.  Because of the numerous times in the hospital, he's always been taught at home, but now it's time to go to a school for the first time.  Auggie is intelligent, realistic, gentle, and just plain nice. He has a pretty good idea of how people are going to react, and his first-person narrative tells about it in a wonderfully authentic voice.  Some chapters are told by others around him, such as his sisters and friends, so the reader experiences multiple views of how Auggie affects the entire community. He's a very likable character, and even though I was bit nervous about reading this book (wouldn't it be completely depressing?), I was totally drawn in by this story and the kindness that was depicted in a number of ways.  This would be an incredible book for a group discussion.

War from both sides: who's right? who's wrong?

Lots of tough decision for characters to make in Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins.  Chiko is a quiet 15-year-old who dreams of becoming a teacher, when he is taken by force into the jungle to start training for the army of Burma (now Myanmar).  Life is brutal and miserable, but two thoughts keep him going: trying to find out about his father, who was arrested as a traitor, and the hope of once again seeing a girl whom he adores.  After Chiko is severely wounded by a land mine and on the verge of death, he's discovered by Tu Reh, a teenager on the opposing side of the war.  Tu Reh's house was destroyed by Burmese soldiers...what will he do to Chiko?  Half of the book is narrated by Chiko and half by Tu Reh, so the reader gets a fascinating glimpse into two Asian cultures and an idea of what life would be like as a child soldier.