“If I found a magic lamp and I could have one wish, I would wish that I had a normal face that no one ever noticed at all”

Dear diary,

Looking at the book cover you may think this is a book about ‘life’ or a boring non-fiction, so now more than ever remember the quote ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’, because this book is like one in a million. Being someone who’s not every emotional, I was in tears most of the time when reading this book; happy and sad both. It won over my heart.

August, a ten-year-old with facial deficiencies, goes to a traditional school for the first time in fifth grade, and his journey is a roller coaster. He gets bullied a lot, but he also falls in love (ps: how in the world do ten-year-olds know what love feels like?) and, towards the end, makes the purest of friendships. All these experiences strengthen him and make him realize his disproportional face doesn’t define him.

Twelve-year-old me reading this didn’t think much about it, but as I have grown, I realize how much I relate to him, and I’m sure you do too. There are days when, like August, I don’t feel like taking off my ‘astronaut helmet’, but this book taught me that hiding is never the answer, and running away isn’t going to make things better.

When given the choice between being right or being kind choose kind…

read-o-meter rating: 4.7/5

Age rating: 12+

Until next time… dear reader of my book diary:)