Books: Jellicoe Road (2006) & Wonder (2013)
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Jellicoe Road, the story of Taylor Lily Markham
after being abandoned by her mother at the 7/11 bathroom in Jellicoe town when
she was 11. She was then whisked to
boarding school by Hannah, the reclusive, 30-something, perplexing lady who is
the only person Taylor has ever felt close to. Jellicoe is Marchetta’s 3rd novel.
The plot of Jellicoe is
confusing when you start reading (actually until about halfway through the 400+
page book). There are two different stories taking place. One is a novel that
Hannah, who went missing in the beginning, is writing. Hannah has been writing
the story for as long as Taylor has known her. Taylor likes to sneak bits of
the manuscript, but has never read it all in order. The other plot is following
Taylor, a confused teenager who is suddenly in charge of her whole house of
girls, and the schools representative for the territory wars.
Taylor isn’t a likable character. She is rude, anti-social, and
has no real-world skills. Not likable, but very relatable for most.
“What do you want from
me?" he asks.
What I want from every person in my life, I want to tell him.
More.” (Marchetta)
She got forced into
the role of representative for her school, and she has no idea what she’s
doing. And would it really be realistic fiction if there wasn’t
even a little bit of romance?
“If you weren't driving, I'd kiss you senseless," I tell
him.
He swerves to the side of the road and stops the car
abruptly.
"Not driving any more.” (Marchetta, 315)
The character who grows on you would be Hannah. In the
beginning, Hannah isn’t a real winner. She lives alone in the unfinished house
by the river, and just when Taylor needs her, she disappears. Jellicoe is a fairly easy book to read,
because there are a lot of diverse characters, one of whom a reader can
identify with.
The main ideas of the Jellicoe
are finding your identity, the importance of family, and discovering yourself.
Wonder R.J.
Palacio
Wonder, the story
about August Pullman, the boy born with several genetic mutations, leaving him
with a facial deformity. “His eyes are about an inch below where they should be
on his face, almost halfway down his cheeks. They slant downward into his face,
and the left one is noticeably lower than the right one. They bulge outward
because his eye cavities are too shallow to accommodate them.” (Palacio, 88) Wonder is R.J. Palacio’s debut novel.
The book begins with August (Auggie) as the narrator. Then
later on, it switches to Via, his older sister. She is struggling with the
guilt of being slightly embarrassed of Auggie at her new school, where she
isn’t just known as “the girl with the special needs brother”. The plot of the
story is interesting; Auggie tells the story, then other characters, when they
become narrator, will go back and retell the same story, from their point of
view and add something more every time. Auggie is the narrator who pushes the
story along the most.
The romance aspect is a little different in Auggies case,
since he is still in 5th grade. There are kids “dating” (what
exactly is dating in 5th grade? Sitting beside each other at lunch.)
Auggie is a funny character, and has learned to laugh at himself.
“I think we're too
young to be dating. I mean I don't see what the rush is." Summer says.
"Yeah, I agree," said August. "Which is kind
of a shame, you know what with all those babes who keep throwing themselves at
me and stuff?”
The main ideas of Wonder
are identity and trying to fit in in a new situation.
I enjoyed both Jellicoe
Road and Wonder a lot. For Jellicoe, I would give it a solid 4.5/5
stars, for confusing plot line (but it did keep me flipping pages). For Wonder, I would have to say a 4.5/5 as
well. I feel like it could be a little more exciting. It’s a good book, and it’s
not boring, but it does get a little bit repetitive. I also think it’s a little
below my reading grade level (not trying to sound snooty, there are a lot of 6th
graders reading it) but I do think it’s a quality book and I would recommend
both of them. I would recommend Jellicoe if you are a faster reader, and
Wonder if you read at a slower pace.
Helpful recommendations about the reading level/speed. I like your analysis of the characters and the story's structure in Jellicoe. Good job!
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