Stories that have moved me

Sometimes you read a novel and when you turn the last page, you realize that the story you have just read has changed the way you see the world. 

Recently, this has happened to me twice. Both in books which are categorized as middle grade. Their settings were completely different, however, the messages they gave me were equally profound.  As I am sure you can guess from the photo images on this blog post, the novels which have inspired these thoughts are "The Giver" by Lois Lowry and "Wonder" by RJ Palacio. 

The Giver is a dystopian tale which follows a young boy called Jonas as he is given a role in this community. However, his role is different from any other and means he will never see life in the same way again. Wonder similarly follows a young boy called Auggie as he is about to start his first year at school. In contrast, this book is a contemporary and Auggie struggles to fit in as he has obvious facial deformities. 

Despite their obvious differences in settings and writing style, Wonder is far more lyrical whilst the language in the Giver is precise but simplistic, both books have been among my favourites this year and have had a lasting impact. To me, they both epitomize the idea of appreciation. Appreciation of what we see, appreciation of friends and family and appreciation of the individual and what we each have to offer. I would highly recommend these books to readers of any age as anyone would gain from reading such well thought out and emotion evoking tales. 

Let me know if you have read any of these books in the comment section below and feel free to tell me your thoughts :)