Tag Archives: R. J. Palacio

White Bird

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White Bird: A Wonder Story (A Graphic Novel): Palacio, R. J.: 9780525645535: Amazon.com: Books

White Bird, is a book by R.J Palacio that I read about three years ago that tells the story of a young Jewish girl called Sara Blum who lives in a small village in France. Soon the Nazi Party, which was a movement under the direction of Adolf Hitler that believed that Jewish people had no right to live in Germany, defeated France and caused France to surrender which split the country in two regions, The Occupied Zone, and the Free Zone, Sara was placed in the Free Zone. However, even living in the Free Zone, the Nazis arrive and rounded-up many Jews to bring them to camp, Sara is brought to the woods for safety and meets a boy who invites her to live with his family and him in the meantime.

This book has really captivated me, and has overall become one of my favorite graphic novel books. The drawings, illustrations, and movements created in this book really add a whole level of contrast and emotions that really capture the reader’s attention. There is one part in this book, that really grabbed my attention due to the combination of the writing and the illustrations. It is when Sara Blum has a dream of herself flying up above the woods with a flock of birds, allowing herself to express and feel the sense of freedom while flying, this parts really brings a sense of emotions to the reader.

I would really recommend reading this book, as it is a great read and is really informative. The live-action movie is currently streaming and is available to watch on Youtube, Apple TV, and Amazon. I have not yet watched it yet, but is definitely on my watch list currently. White Bird is currently available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library today!

Nostalgic Books

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It’s always fun to remember the simpler times of our childhood. Personally, literature has always been a big part of my life, and I know a lot of other people feel the same way. There is just something special about old childhood favorites. Let’s revisit some of my– and maybe yours as well– beloved books from years ago. 

  1. Percy Jackson series

Percy Jackson is such a creative and enjoyable book series! Personally, I love learning about Greek mythology and history. Reading this was so much fun for me– it was absolutely my favorite in middle school. I heard they recently made a show adaptation! I have watched the movie adaptation before, but have yet to watch the show.

  1. Dear America series

These books were so eye-opening and captivating for me. I actually cried over a few! Especially the story of the enslaved girl. If you don’t know already, these books are fictional diaries capturing the lives of girls from historical America. Most of them are very sad, but they helped me gain new perspectives and appreciation for the life I have. I think this is a very important experience every child should have. 

  1. Wonder

Most of the time, when I am forced to read books for school it is a grueling experience. With all the reports, essays, and book logs, it made reading boring. However, this one I didn’t mind. In fact– I loved this book! Similar to the Dear America books, it opened my eyes to new perspectives. It also had such a heartwarming story throughout. Weird to think that I’m around the same age as Via!

  1. The Magic Treehouse 

This was one of my favorite book series. I read these over and over again throughout elementary school. It has such a creative plot and it was written beautifully. I was always immersed in the spectacular magic, timelines, imagery, and plot of every world they explored.

  1. Junie B. Jones series

I absolutely loved these books. They have such a neat charm to them. I remember spending my recess reading Junie’s misspelled diary entries and her dramatic attitude. Remember when she locked herself in school to avoid riding the bus? 2nd-grade me couldn’t believe it!

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

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Wonder is a book about Auggie Pullman. Auggie was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome which affects bone development.  Because of this, Auggie is always the odd one out. On his first day at Beecher Prep, Auggie’s new middle school he gets a tour of the school with Jack, Julian, and some other kids. Straight away Julian is rude and mean towards Auggie, but Jack is nice. As the year progresses, the students get used to how he looks and befriend Auggie. But shortly after a rumor spreads that touching Auggie will give you the plague. This makes the kids avoid Auggie once again. Then Halloween, Auggie’s favorite holiday, comes around. Auggie decides to dress up as Bloody Scream. As he’s walking into class, he hears Jack say that if he looked like Auggie he would kill himself. Jack had no idea that Auggie heard him. Auggie stops talking to Jack, and so Jack asks Auggie’s new best friend Summer why he’s mad. Summer response is Bloody Scream. Soon Jack realizes that he had seen Auggie in a Bloody Scream costume standing at the door to the class. Jack immediately regrets what he said and apologizes to Auggie. Then one day Julian tells Jack that being friends with Auggie isn’t worth it. This makes Jack angry and so he punches Julian in the face.  Because of that incident, after winter break Julian turns all the boys in their grade against Jack and Auggie, launching some kind of war. After a while however, kids get tired of their little war and become friends with Auggie. The book ends at a three day nature retreat. One day at night Jack and Auggie go into the woods because Jack has to pee. While in the woods, Auggie and Jack run into kids from a different school. The kids make fun of Auggie until three kids from Beecher Prep that normally also make fun of Auggie stand up for him. Then later on back at the school Auggie wins an award for courage and kindness. Everyone wants to be Auggie’s friend now and he’s no longer the odd one out.

– Emilio V.

Wonder by R.J Palacio is available for checkout at the Mission Viejo Libary.