Wonder (Random House, 2012) by R.J. Palacio is a wonder of a book. It's about ten-year-old Auggie Pullman who has a facial deformity, who himself says "Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse." Due to all his surgeries he's never gone to school before, but now in fifth grade is going to go. He knows kids will stare. But what he wishes they knew was how ordinary he is inside. Takes one brave kid to face being the new kid in these circumstances.

The story begins with Auggie's viewpoint, but we also hear from his older sister Via and others in his life. The book has rightfully earned a lot of starred reviews and is so appropriate for our times. May all the kids who read it have compassion on those who are different.

I love this comment the author makes about the book in an interview: "... I love that people are responding so well. I love that they're getting that this really isn't just a book about a kid with a facial anomaly: it's a celebration of kindness. The impact of kindness. I think that's why people are so moved by parts of the book. We like to see people doing good, rising beyond our expectations to do something noble. It's not the big heroic gestures but the small moments of kindness that shape the world." Read more here.

The Hop (Disney-Hyperion, 2012) by Sharelle Byars Moranville is a fun adventure story told in two alternating viewpoints: a kid and a TOAD!

Tad, a small toad, lives in Toadville-by-Tumbledown which is in grave danger and he's been selected to save it by kissing a human girl. Ughh. (Isn't that an interesting twist?) But not just any girl--it has to be the Queen of the Hop. His trip is quite the adventure as he follows directions and ends up in . . . no, I'm not telling you where.

Taylor's favorite place is the pond next to her grandmother's, but the property has been sold and it's going to be turned into a strip mall. What can she do to save it? And then there's the complication that her grandmother, Eve, is having chemotherapy and she can't stay with her all the time anymore, especially this time when her parents go to Reno.

Of course, our two heroes have to meet and kiss, but nothing is as you expect it will be.

There are fun illustrations by Niki Daly to add to the story. (You might want to check out more of his work here.)

Love this book--it makes me smile every time I think about it.

The author in her "questions from readers" tells how she came to name the toads. On the same page, you'll find out how Sharelle came up with "night-smacky-goo." You know you want to know...

Anything But Typical (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2010) by Nora Raleigh Baskin has a main character who is "anything but typical." 12 year old Jason Blake is autistic kid living in a neurotypical world. "School doesn't always go very well," he says. Jason flaps his hands if excited, when he's going to say something, or if thinking. Others think he is weird. He knows he's supposed to look people in the eye, but he doesn't like to. Besides most people look the same to him. "I know no girl will ever like me," he says. But then PhoenixBird likes his stories on the Storyboard website. Maybe she can be his friend. But when they both get to go to the Storyboard conference, he's afraid once she sees him she won't like him anymore.

This story is well-told. It made me more understanding and sympathetic of those who have some strange uncontrollable habit. I think every kid should read this award winning novel. Look here at all the awards!

I love what Nora says on her site: "Most everything I write, whether it is a novel or an essay or a short story is very much a part of my life.. The world as I remember it... In other words..I rarely make anything up..mostly I pick and choose from things I've experienced or seen or done..and give them to my characters." Read about her other books on her website.

Words in the Dust (Arthur A. Levine Books, 2011) by Trent Reedy is an amazing story inspired by a true story of a real girl in Afghanistan. The author uses sensory details and language to make the reader see Zulaika's world and how many in that culture view us.

Here's a brief introduction:
Zulaikha is forgetting how to write the letters of the alphabet her mother taught her. Boys' call her "donkeyface," shopkeepers look at her in disgust, her father's second wife doesn't like to look at her cleft lip, and she even has difficulty eating. But when the Americans come, they offer to fix her mouth. Zulaikha knows it will change her world if the surgery works out.

You'll definitely want to go to Trent's website to see how he wrote this story "by accident" and who and what book inspired him. There you'll also get to see two other covers of the book--one for the UK and one for Germany.

The Newbery honor book Inside Out and Back Again (HarperCollins, 2011) by Thanhha Lai is written in verse snapshots. Here's a brief summary of the story:

It's 1975, 10 year old Hà, her mother and 3 older brothers must leave Saigon, Vietnam. Schools were closed a month early, the president has resigned, the communists are coming. They pack up and head for the Navy ships to escape. They end up on the island of Guam and then in Alabama.

Thanhha brings Hà and her family to life. I love the line: "It's hard to be grateful when you feel stupid because you don't know the language."

I also enjoyed the inside story on how the author wrote this award winning story. Read the article here. Read her bio here.