The Istoriaphile’s Corner

Have you ever felt like a bunch of independent things were coming together to take you in a single direction?  I have. Weird, isn’t it?   Sometime this last fall, Amazon and the New York Times started mentioning “Wonder” as one of the middle-grade books of the moment.  “Something special,” they said. Its blue-and-white cover was prominently displayed on the shelves of my local bookstore. Now, these entities know a fair amount about books but I don’t like being told what to read and bookstores always say they have something special when they want to grab more of my money. Then my sister (the teacher) insisted I had to read Wonder because of its narrative style   By the time literary agents Jaida Temperly and Danielle Barthel cited Wonder as one of the stories middle-grade writers and readers should know, I was ready to surrender.  I can resist a fair amount of hype but this felt more like directives from a superior force, pushing me toward the future.  And they were right.  Wonder is not just a book kids love reading right now, it’s one they will love to read for years. It’s a book many parents will love.  It’s an absolute wonder…