Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I couldn’t come up with a title for this post to save my life, folks; having a sick 4-year-old must be wearing on me. Still, I have girls who will be anxious to get their hands on White Bird: A Wonder Story, and so I’m pressing forward.

I was curious about R. J. Palacio’s graphic novel debut, because a)another Wonder spinoff? and b)writing a novel and creating a graphic novel require significantly different skills, but I pretty much loved Wonder AND Auggie & Me, so there wasn’t ever a question about not reading it. I finished it last night, and while I wouldn’t say her art is amazing–while freely admitting that it’s far better than anything I could ever do!–I still really enjoyed it. The story of Julian’s grandmother’s girlhood in occupied France was both poignant and ultimately hopeful, even while portraying with honesty the kind of violence characteristic of that time period in history. The mystical elements were a little different, but they didn’t overpower the realism of the story; at the end of the day, this is a solid addition to Palacio’s family of Wonder stories.

And now my 10-year-old can get her eager little hands on it.