To me, books serve as a source of entertainment in addition to teaching me life lessons. And being an avid reader, every once in a while, I come across a book, which fills me with a sense of happiness with each word that is read and a sense of fulfilment with each chapter that is turned. It is said that good books are an escape from the chaos and mayhem of regular life, and for me, this is literally true. One such book which left a constant imprint on my mind was “Wonder” penned by RJ Palacio. Wonder follows the journey of a ten year old called August Pullman, aka, Auggie, who was born with facial deformities. Never having gone to school before, it was a truly petrifying experience when he joins Beecher Middle School, after being home schooled for the past four years. At school, August bravely deals with typical middle school drama, as well as different reactions aimed at his facial appearance. Auggie eventually ends the school year with an A+ in coping with different hurdles placed in his way. During his journey in fifth grade, he made friends, who stuck with him, no matter what, and taught me that friendship is a cement which can hold even a collapsing world together. All in all, Wonder is an excellent read, not just because it taught me how important it is to support the differently abled, but because it taught me that beauty is not about long hair or tanned skin. Beauty is something which is present inside, and radiates to the exterior of a person. It also taught me that no matter what happens, if you have your friends and family by your side, nothing is impossible. Last, but not the least, Wonder taught me to never try to blend in, when I was born to stand out. I would greatly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for some light reading, or for some binge watching, as this book has also been turned into a movie, and is available on YouTube. Buy the book here: