Showing results by narrator "Diana Steele"

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school - until now. He’s about to enter fifth grade at Beecher Prep, and if you’ve ever been the new kid, then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie’s just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he’s just like them, despite appearances? R. J. Palacio has crafted an uplifting novel full of wonderfully realistic family interactions, lively school scenes, and spare emotional power.

Wonder is the funny, sweet and incredibly moving story of Auggie Pullman. Born with a terrible facial abnormality, this shy, bright ten-year-old has been home-schooled by his parents for his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the stares and cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, Auggie is being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. The thing is, Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face.

Isolated and sheltered by her lonely mother, Maura's never been able to make friends. She seems to drive her classmates away - except for the odd times they pay enough attention to torture her - but she doesn't understand why. Maura considers herself to be a freak of nature, with her unusually pale skin and an aversion to the sun that renders her violently nauseous. Her belief is only worsened by the fact that almost everyone around her keeps their distance.

Arud is a third generation Norse on this strange soil, and with a grandmother who is unnatural, an anxious mother, and a missing father, his family tree is rooted in secrets. The harvest moon approaches, a single night when the ferine's binds to the Dreadlands are broken, freeing them to hunt. But when one appears beneath Arud's window, his mother rushes him off, urging him to take care of his sister whose sickness grows worse. After meeting a beautiful girl with questionable motives, Arud discovers a prophecy.

A boy born with supernatural gifts could be the long-awaited prophet; a girl with deceitful intentions will risk it all for his secret. Sean Marrok lives in the Dredge under the controlling thumb of the Regime. His magic power to foresee events gives him the edge to win a two-million-to-one bet. But at what cost?