Wonder by R. J. Palacio

Ten-year-old August has only one wish—to have a normal face that no one would notice. Born with a facial deformity, his 27 surgeries required that he be home schooled for several years. When he’s enrolled in fifth grade in a prestigious middle school, August learns the meaning of the saying “Like a lamb to the slaughter.” With the help of teachers, friends, and family, he learns to overcome adversity. This juvenile novel—which contains some profanity and several spiritual views that are not biblical—shares a compassionate, compelling window into one boy’s struggle to be accepted for who he is. Ages 10 and up. (Knopf)