Wonder

Auggie will start fifth grade in a week. He’s been homeschooled thus far because of all the surgeries he’s had to have. A secluded life of medical procedures is all he knows: “The bigger ones happened before I was even four years old, so I don’t remember those. But I’ve had two or three surgeries every year since then” (4). Though his mom is a children’s book illustrator, she’s stopped work to take care of him. Auggie wants to attend school because he’d like to make friends, but he wishes that he looked like other kids. He has a few friends who’ve known him since they were babies. Unfortunately, his best friend Christopher has moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Zack and Alex now hang out with a new group of friends from their school.

Auggie relates the story of how he was born, which, the way his mom tells it, always makes Via and him laugh. Two months before Auggie was born, the doctors knew something was wrong, but they didn’t anticipate just how different he would look. On the night of his delivery, there were two nurses on duty: a nice one and one that kept farting. When Auggie was born, the room went quiet, and he was whisked away by the nice nurse (with his dad following). The doctor passed out after seeing Auggie. The grumpy nurse who kept farting tried to revive the doctor. She finally farted loudly enough to wake him. The doctor told Auggie’s mom that he probably wouldn’t live through the night. Incredibly, it was the grumpy nurse who turned out to be the nicest: “And the next day, after I had lived through the night, it was that nurse who held Mom’s hand when they brought her to meet me for the first time” (7). Despite everyone preparing his mother for what he would look like, when his mother looked at him, “[…] all she could see was how pretty my eyes were” (7).

Auggie recalls the moment he found out that he’d be attending school—it was while visiting Christopher. He overhears his mother speaking to Christopher’s mom about his upcoming enrollment at Beecher Prep Middle School. When he confronts her, he senses that his father doesn’t want him to attend. Auggie doesn’t want to either, and his father tells him that he doesn’t have to attend if he truly doesn’t want to. Though his mother agrees, she also admits that it’s getting harder to homeschool him. 

On the ride home from Christopher’s, Auggie wakes up and hears his parents speaking about him starting school. His father says that it’ll be “sending him off to middle school like a lamb to the slaughter” (10). Auggie begins crying because he doesn’t want to attend school. Though fifth grade will be a new beginning for all students (the first year of middle school), none of the other kids will look like him. Auggie also feels doubly betrayed when he learns that both his parents met with the school principal the previous year without telling him. Moreover, a woman who came by the house to give him a supposed IQ test was actually testing him for admission to Beecher Prep, which his mother admits is “a white lie” (12). His dad, who always makes them laugh, diffuses the situation by joking about the principal’s name, which is Mr. Tushman; he recalls a story about a teacher he and Auggie’s mom had named Miss Butt. Via wakes up to laughter.

Auggie and his mother meet with Mr. Tushman, and Auggie discovers that he’ll not only have to take a tour of the school that very moment but that he’ll have to meet with a few kids in his grade.

Auggie meets the school secretary, Mrs. Garcia, also known as Mrs. G. She initially glances down imperceptibly—something he often catches people doing when they first see his face—but then she tacks on “a really shiny smile” (17). Mrs. G, Mr. Tushman, and his mom share a few jokes. When Mrs. G assures his mother that they’ll take good care of Auggie, he realizes that his mother is just as nervous as he is.

Auggie realizes that he’s about to meet some of his fellow classmates. He doesn’t mind little kids because “[…] they don’t say stuff to try to hurt your feelings, even though sometimes they do say stuff that hurts your feelings” (21). Big kids, however, know exactly what they’re saying. He meets Jack Will, Julian, and Charlotte, who are tasked with giving him a tour of the school grounds (they’ve all attended Beecher Prep since kindergarten). Auggie listens sullenly as Mr. Tushman instructs the students on what rooms to show him. 

The trio shows Auggie a few rooms, including homeroom, where they’ll have Ms. Petosa. They argue about whether or not Ms. Petosa will be tough, and then move on quickly to the next room without entering. When they do the same quick tour at the doors of the science lab, Jack Will tells them to let Auggie see inside. Julian moves out of the way quickly as Auggie walks by, as if afraid of being touched. Auggie then asks what homeroom is, and Charlotte explains. He also asks why Jack Will has two names, which amuses Julian, and learns that people call Jack Will by his first and last name.

Auggie is shown the auditorium. The previous year’s performance was Oliver, and Charlotte talks about her title role in the production enthusiastically. As she does so, Auggie notices Julian looking at him out the corner of his eye. Charlotte and Julian then argue about what electives Auggie might find most exciting. He admits he’ll sign up for the science elective. Julian thinks the science elective—which is the hardest one—will be too difficult for Auggie because he’s never been to school before and his mother isn’t a real teacher. He then asks Auggie if he was in a fire, which causes Charlotte to call him rude. Jack Will berates him, too, and as Auggie leaves (at Jack Will’s suggestion), he smiles at Jack Will. Auggie explains how he feels about being protected by peers: “Sometimes when I have the feeling like I’m almost crying, it can turn into an almost-laughing feeling” (29). Amazingly for Auggie, Jack Will smiles back. When Jack Will encourages him to speak, Auggie tells Julian that he mispronounced a word earlier, angering Julian and making Charlotte laugh. Julian then trips Auggie but pretends that it’s an accident.

The students return to Mr. Tushman’s office. Mrs. G, Mr. Tushman, and Auggie’s mom all ask if he enjoyed the tour, and as Charlotte offers to show him the art room (which they forgot to show him), Auggie reminds his mom that they have to pick up Via. This is somewhat of a white lie. Though Via is taking an unofficial tour as well at Faulkner High, she’s taking the train and being picked up by her father. Auggie and his mom agreed to use this, however, as a signal that he’s ready to leave. 

Auggie’s mother queries him about the tour, but he won’t tell her anything until they get home. Once home, he goes immediately to his room, where he’s comforted by the family dog, Daisy. His mom again asks him about the tour, and he finally admits that, though the kids were nice, Julian asked if he was in a fire. He likes Jack Will, though. His mother reminds him that he doesn’t have to go to school, but he says he really wants to attend.

Auggie’s understandably nervous on the first day of school: “[…] I was so nervous that the butterflies in my stomach were more like pigeons flying around my insides” (35). He recalls how his parents switched roles in their decision on his going to school after his father heard about Julian’s behavior. But Auggie is undaunted. His family walks him to school, which is only a few blocks from their house, and then his father and Via take the train to her first day of school. As Auggie says goodbye to his family, he notes that so far only a few girls have stared at him.

As Auggie makes his way to homeroom, however, more people stare at him, and when he sits in the back of the class, no one wants to sit next to him. Charlotte greets him, but Julian ignores him. Finally, Jack Will sits next to him. Ms. Petosa notices him, but her hesitation on seeing him is only noticeable to Auggie: “She had only hesitated for a millionth of a second, but I could tell the moment she saw me. Like I said: I’m used to it by now” (38). As Ms. Petosa takes attendance, the students must walk up and receive a welcome packet with their locks. When it’s Auggie’s turn, he feels everyone staring at him. A student named Henry is told to sit next to Auggie, and the boy is visibly unhappy about it. He unkindly props his backpack up so that it serves as a wall between him and Auggie. When it’s time for the students to try opening their locks, Henry is still having trouble opening his. Auggie finds it comical, as he would’ve helped Henry had he not put his backpack up between them.

Ms. Petosa informs the class that everyone will need to introduce themselves by telling the class two things about themselves.

Auggie looks up the meaning of “lamb to the slaughter,” and he thinks about this as he’s called to introduce himself to the homeroom class. Though he tells everyone that he has a sister named Via and a dog named Daisy, Julian asks him about the small braid at the base of his hair. He confirms that it’s symbolic of Padawans, which are Jedi apprentices, so the class also finds out that he likes Star Wars. When Auggie says his favorite character is Jango Fett, Julian asks him about Darth Sidious. Ms. Petosa tells them to talk about Star Wars later and returns to introductions. Auggie, however, knows that Darth Sidious has his face burned off in Star Wars, meaning that Julian is being mean to him without anyone else knowing.

Auggie darts to English without waiting to see who else is going. He again gets to sit next to Jack Will, though the other seat remains empty like before. When Mr. Browne notices him, however, he doesn’t hesitate or look down. Mr. Browne has them write down the word “precept” and queries them on its meaning. He then tells them, “Basically, a precept is anything that helps guide us when making decisions about really important things” (46). After having the class call out precepts, he gives them his September precept, which is: When Given the Choice Between Being Right or Being Kind, Choose Kind” (48). Mr. Browne then informs the class that he will give them a new precept each month, and that they will not only write about the precept but discuss in class what it means. Just by being in Mr. Browne’s class, Auggie feels that he’s going to love school. 

Via warns Auggie that lunch can be hard, and now he realizes how true this is. Everyone saves seats for their friends, even though they’re not supposed to. When he’s told he can’t sit at one table, he moves to a table farther off. Though he doesn’t see Jack Will, he notices Julian, Miles, and Henry. He also notices a group of girls talking about him. He knows he’s a messy eater. Though he’s had two cleft palette and one jaw alignment surgery, he still has a hole in the top of his mouth.

A girl named Summer Dawson asks to sit with Auggie. Her friend comes by to ask her to return to their table, and Auggie realizes that both the girl and Summer were sitting at the table of girls who were talking about him. When Summer suggests that the friend sit at Auggie’s table, the girl leaves. Summer decides that the table should be a “summer only” table, meaning anyone with a summer name can sit there. She and Auggie go through names to see who will be allowed to sit with them. By the end of lunch, they have a list of names, even though some of the names are a stretch (Jack Will is allowed because Auggie makes up the sentence: “Jack will go to the beach” (53). Despite the list, they agree that anyone can sit with them if they want to. Auggie feels that Summer’s personality is true to her name.

Auggie and his parents gauge his reaction to things based on a scale of one to 10. It all started when his mouth was wired shut due to surgery, and he had to explain how much pain he was in. Now, they use this method for everything. When his mom arrives to pick him up, she asks Auggie how he would rate his first day of school. Auggie gives it a five which shocks his mom. Though she wants to talk about his day further, Auggie doesn’t feel like talking. When Summer says goodbye to him, his mother asks about her, annoying Auggie even further. He can also see parents and students staring at him as he and his mother leave. He admits that he doesn’t know why he’s mad at his mother, but he rushes to get home.

The night of his first day at school, Auggie cuts off his Padawan-inspired braid. Though his father never liked the braid, Via is incensed that he’d cut it off on a whim. For one, he and Christopher both grew their hair out to have the braid, but Auggie doesn’t tell Christopher about his decision to cut it off. Before bed, Auggie’s father, who calls him Auggie Doggie after an old cartoon, asks him about school. He also asks if he’s mad at his mother. Auggie assures him that school was fine but asks if he can still quit whenever he wants. When his mother puts Auggie to bed, she reads him a story, and he’s happy to listen rather than have to talk about school. As his mom reads, however, Auggie begins crying. Though his mother attempts to console him with kind words, he admits to himself that “words can’t change my face” (60).

September is a tough month for Auggie. Not only does he have to deal with the newness of being in school, meaning new experiences like quizzes and never having free time to play, he still has to deal with talk behind his back. He constantly startles kids who’ve never seen him before, and no one wants to touch him. Despite this treatment, Auggie admits, “I’m not saying they were doing any of these things in a mean way, by the way” (62). He realizes just how odd it must be to see someone so different, especially for kids. It takes about a week for his regular classmates to get used to him, and about two weeks for the rest of his grade to get used to him. The rest of the school takes about a month to become accustomed to seeing him. 

Auggie and Jack Will have nearly all of the same classes, so in addition to sitting together they walk to classes together and hang out. Despite kids staring at Auggie, Jack Will pretends not to notice. One day, however, another student bumps into Auggie by accident and panics, causing both Jack Will and Auggie to laugh hysterically. In Mr. Roche’s class, they joke about his face and surgeries (Jack Will jokes that he should sue his doctor) so much that Mr. Roche must separate them.

The precept for October is: “Your Deeds Are Your Monuments” (65). Auggie writes that this means people will be judged by their actions. 

Auggie asks to have a big party for his birthday, which is on October 10. He wants to have it at a bowling alley and invite his entire class. Though his mother is hesitant, she agrees. When he asks a few weeks later about who’s coming, he’s annoyed that only a handful of people have responded. So far, only Jack Will, Summer, Reid, the two Maxes, and a tentative Tristan have replied. When he asks about Julian, his mother mentions how Julian’s mother never even replied. She says, “I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” (67). His birthday turns out to be a blast, however, with all the above-mentioned friends in attendance, plus Christopher, and many of his relatives.

Summer and Auggie discuss their Halloween costumes. Auggie’s going as Boba Fett (a character from Star Wars), and he’s elated to learn that students can wear costumes to school as long as they’re politically correct (unfortunately this means he can’t bring Boba Fett’s blaster to school). Summer mentions that her old group of friends, which includes Savanna, aren’t even dressing up because they think doing so is dorky. She then tells Auggie that she wants to be a unicorn, which he admits is pretty dorky. But Auggie thinks she should wear whatever she wants. Summer, who has been sitting with Auggie at lunch since day one, says that, “I feel like I can tell you anything” (69), which makes Auggie’s day.

Though Auggie gets out of taking his school picture because of his “aversion” (70) to having photos taken, he has to participate in the class picture, which seems to annoy the photographer Auggie imagines that he’s ruining the photo for everyone.

Auggie realizes that although his classmates are getting used to his appearance, “no one would actually touch me” (71). This is underscored in dance class when Ximena Chin has a panic attack at being paired up with him. Likewise, the following day in science class, a boy named Tristan jerks his hand away after touching Auggie’s, thus dropping everyone’s science experiments. But Tristan doesn’t care about getting in trouble; he rushes to the sink to wash his hands. Auggie theorizes that the situation is like the Cheese Touch in Diary of a Wimpy Kid—he’s the moldy cheese at Beecher Prep.

Halloween is Auggie’s favorite holiday. He can wear a costume, and no one knows what he looks like underneath. He loves feeling like just another kid. He recalls an astronaut helmet he used to love wearing everywhere, and then his various costumes from years past. This year, Auggie will be the adult version of Boba Fett (from The Empire Strikes Back). His mother made his costume from a Jango Fett costume, painting it green and embellishing it with details. Auggie knows that Julian is angry at his choice in costume because Julian is going as Jango Fett, who is Boba Fett’s father. On Halloween, however, Via is sad about something and his mother has to console her, while his father, who’s running late for work, tells Auggie to hurry and dress. Since the costume takes too much time to put on, Auggie just wears his Bleeding Scream costume from the previous year.

Auggie’s elated that he can walk around without anyone knowing who he is. A kid with the same costume as him high-fives him, something that probably wouldn’t happen if he weren’t wearing a costume. When he gets to homeroom, however, he sees Julian wearing a Darth Sidious costume (the character’s face is disfigured) and talking to two boys dressed as mummies. Auggie realizes that the trio are waiting for him to enter to see his reaction; Julian was supposed to be Jango Fett, and the boys are expecting Auggie to come as Boba Fett.

Auggie stands near the boys and overhears them talking about him. One of the boys says that he’d kill himself if he looked like Auggie. More shocking, however, is who the voice belongs to. As the voice bemoans having to hang out with him and sit next to him, Auggie says, “I knew the shrug, of course. I knew the voice. I knew I wanted to run out of the classroom right then and there. But I stood where I was and listened to Jack Will finish what he was saying” (77). Auggie finally leaves without hearing the rest and begins crying.

Despite knowing all the derogatory names that people call him, Auggie runs to the bathroom and cries. He then goes to the nurse, tells her he has a stomach ache, and is picked up by his mother. Nurse Molly warns his mom that there’s a stomach bug going around, and Auggie doesn’t tell either adult the real reason he’s crying. His parents marvel at the fact that he’s ill and will miss Halloween. Auggie feels that he won’t go to school again.