White Bird by R.J. Palacio

For those of you who liked the book Wonder, R. J. Palacio continues the theme of kindness in her new book White Bird.  Besides theme, the only thing White Bird has in common with the Wonder story is the character Julian. (As you may remember Julian is the main kid who bullies Auggie Pullman.)

At the beginning of the story Julian "Facetimes" his Grandmere (grandmother) who lives in France. He needs her help with a school project. From that point on, the story is narrated by Grandmere. She tells Julian the fascinating story of her survival as a Jew in Nazi-occupied France. The story also beautifully explains how Julian got his name.

I was surprised to discover that this amazing graphic novel was both written and illustrated by R. J. Palacio. The tale Grandmere tells, while fictional, is based on much research of real events that occurred in WWII France.

I recommend this book to students in 4th-6th grades. You will especially enjoy it if you have a little background knowledge about WWII and are interested in that time period. Because it is a graphic novel, I found it quick and easy to read. This was also because the story is so interesting that I had a difficult time putting it down.

Mrs. N.