Book Review: Pluto: A Wonder Story by R.J. Palacio

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BOOK review

Started on: 27.April.2015
Finished on: 27.April.2015

Pluto: A Wonder Story by R.J. Palacio

Title : Pluto: A Wonder Story
Author : R.J. Palacio

Publisher : Knopf Books
Pages :  79 pages (e-book)
Year of Publication : 2015

Rating: 4/5
*for those who haven't read the book, this review may contain spoiler.
Review for Wonder by R.J. Palacio here.
Review for The Julian Chapter: A Wonder Story by R.J. Palacio here.

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"That's when I realized why they didn't hang out with us anymore. Being friends with Auggie could be hard sometimes."

Pluto is yet another novella written by R.J. Palacio as an addition to her book, Wonder. This story is written in the perspective of Christopher, August's friend since they were babies. His character doesn't show up much in the book because he moved to Bridgeport with his family. In this book, R.J. Palacio takes the reader to a day in Christopher's life; in which he had to struggle with his own problems. And we'll also see the struggle he has to go through as August's friend.

"We would spend hours playing pretend games about missions to deep space, or landing on Pluto. That became our favorite planet to travel to. Pluto was our Tatooine."

Christopher and August's mother are best friends, and Christopher is already used to seeing August face since he was a baby—so he doesn't really feel weird out about it. However, as time goes, Christopher started to realize how everyone else sees August; and then he understood that August is different, unlike the other normal kids they hung out with. Christopher was there when August had to go through surgeries. Together they were obsessed with Star Wars and having dreams of traveling to Pluto. But it wasn't always easy being August's friend. And as Christopher go through a very hard day in his life, he realized the true meaning of friendship—and that good friendship worth a little extra effort.

I love how this novella takes us to a different perspective and setting than what we've seen in Wonder or even The Julian Chapter. This story only takes place in one day, but there's a lot of flashbacks involved—so the reader will get to see the history of Christopher and August's friendship. I love Christopher's character so so much. There are several heartwarming moments that made my heart melt. Indeed Christopher is not without flaws, but that's what makes his character feel believable and real to me; because I can imagine being in his shoes and acting the same way he did. In the end, I'm really glad Christopher took the decision he thought was best—although it might be hard for him. Everything about this story felt honest, heartfelt, and it definitely stirred my emotions.

"Listen, this was a scary thing that happened today. It's natural for you to be upset. When something scary like this happens, it acts like a wake-up call, you know? It makes us reassess what's important in life. Our family. Our friends. The people we love." 

It's always nice to read something related to Wonder, especially because I can enjoy reading the beauty of R.J. Palacio's writing. I love this novella so much, because I feel like what Christopher was feeling and what he went through is very relatable. I really wanted to give him a big hug because he's an adorable kid and he's done great things—especially him being August's friend through all the good and bad for the longest time. For those of you who enjoyed and loved Wonder as much as I do, I really recommend this novella for you to read :) And lastly I'm also very excited because R.J. Palacio is going to publish another novella titled Shingaling; which is going to be from the perspective of Charlotte! I think I will never get enough of these Wonder stories :')

"Sometimes friendships are hard."

by.stefaniesugia♥ .