Wonder By R. J. Palacio New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2012, 320 pp. Ages 8–12.
El Deafo By Cece Bell New York: Amulet Books, 2014, 248 pp. Ages 8–12.
The War that Saved My Life By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2015, 320 pp. Ages 8–12.
Auggie Pullman, formerly homeschooled, is about to start fifth grade in a traditional classroom. This is making him nervous: Can he be accepted by his new classmates when he looks so different from everyone else? Auggie has been called a lot of names—Gross-out, Freddy Krueger, Lizard Face, and Freak—because he has a rare medical condition commonly known as Treacher Collins syndrome and a cleft palate. In Auggie’s young life, he’s already had 27 surgeries, but “His features look like they’ve been melted, like the drippings on a candle.” Even with this condition and the multiple surgeries, Auggie feels pretty normal. He’s very smart, brave, and kind. Will his classmates be able to look past the physical to get to know the person inside? Palacio’s novel is divided into eight sections that intersperse Auggie’s voice with those of his parents and classmates. As the narration jumps, readers are able to appreciate how a community reacts when confronted with something new.
This graphic novel memoir has a lot to say about growing up deaf. When Ceci was four years old, a case of meningitis caused her to become “severely to profoundly” deaf. Although she wears hearing aids and was quickly able to learn to read lips, everyday interactions in her life become challenging. When her family moves to a new town, Cece begins school in a first-grade class room that does not have separate classes for deaf children. Cece’s new hearing aids come with a microphone necklace for a teacher, and this allows Cece to hear things she shouldn’t—conversations between teachers, for example. This ability makes Cece feel like a superhero—one she calls “El Deafo.” According to Cece, “superheroes might be awesome, but they are also different. And being different feels a lot like being alone.” The reader will follow Cece as she grows and learns just what that really means. Bell tells her story beautifully through the use of anthropomorphic bunnies—a clever way to call attention to the hearing aids that are constantly in Cece’s ears and to subtly show how self-conscious she was of her ears as a child. Readers of all abilities will empathize with Cece during her trials and tribulations as she grows into a confident and funny young lady. An author’s note extends Cece’s biography and includes discussion points on Deaf culture.
Ten-year-old Ada’s world is torn apart— and opened to new possibilities—during the children’s evacuation of London in World War II. Ada was born with a clubbed foot—a condition that was untreated by her Mam and caused Ada to be imprisoned at home. Her captivity is made bearable by her younger brother Jamie; Ada cares for Jamie while Mam is absent, and his stories of the outside world encourage Ada to experience life. Ada begins to learn to walk, but her life is changed completely when World War II begins and children are evacuated from London to the English countryside. The siblings are housed with Susan, a grieving woman who is reluctant to open her home to children. For all her reluctance, Susan transforms Ada and Jamie’s lives and introduces them to a parental love that Mam did not provide. Susan helps Ada find the confidence in herself to finally live instead of merely surviving. When Mam reappears, Ada and Jamie’s world explodes— both metaphorically and literally. Bradley’s writing style is direct and honest; she creates a fully realized character in Ada. The harsh living conditions of WWII London are fantastically juxtaposed against the ignorance and abuse many children of the period suffered for physical and mental differences. Readers will be spellbound by Ada’s story.
Christopher A. Brown is Special Collections Curator of the Children’s Literature Research Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia Fall 2017 Pennsylvania Legacies
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