Sometimes I take my life for granted and I need a book like this to slap me with a little bit of reality. August Pullman is a young boy with several facial abnormalities (which cause people to stare, whisper, and, at times, scream) but he has such a thoughtful and rather optimistic outlook on life. However, he's headed to middle school for the first time after years of homeschooling. Yikes. Middle school is already rough for pretty much everyone and kids can be so cruel. Heck, I'm still mildly afraid of young teens (how do they KNOW exactly what I'm insecure about?!) And yet, Auggie handles the whole thing so well that I was left feeling proud and also jealous of his wisdom and sensitivity. The whole book is just so well done- sensitive without being sappy- and I really loved the writing. I also very much enjoyed that the story was told by multiple narrators, giving time to the other characters in the book. This book has a full range of emotions although (view spoiler)[the dog dying made me cry the most and I actually put the book down and said "this is just unfair." Dogs dying are just such a low blow. (hide spoiler)]. I'm now convinced that middle-grade gets all of the best types of books- touching but funny but also thoughtful on a rather grown up level. And overall, this is a happy book. With so much potential to be sad and turn into a pity party, this winds up being a very positive and upbeat read. To sum up this book: wow.