Fact Friday: Ugly by Robert Hoge

Ugly by Robert Hoge. 208 p. Penguin Young Readers Group, September, 2016. 9780425287750. (Own.)

Fact Friday features Ugly by Robert Hoge. Fans of the book Wonder absolutely must read this memoir. Robert Hoge greets readers on the back cover thusly, "I'm the ugliest person you've never met." He relates the story of his birth as the fifth child to his family in Australia in 1972. He was born with mangled legs and a tumor the size of a tennis ball in the middle of his face. His mother could not/ would not even look at him. Her doctors advised her to leave him at the hospital and forget about him. His four older siblings would not have that. They demanded that their baby brother be brought home and cared for. Hoge is a compelling narrator of his story.

Observant readers may feel that this feels a bit familiar. I did review this during the summer. The above review went on the morning announcements for my students.