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.