“Wonder” Summary
August Pullman is a 10 year-old boy who was born with a facial deformity. He lives with his parents, his sister Olivia, and their dog, Daisy. August, Auggie, had always been homeschooled, but after much thought and consideration, his parents decided to send him to school. At first, Auggie didn’t agree at all, and totally dismissed the idea. But then he realized that he kind of wanted to go to school. He agreed with his parents, but only on the condition that they would let him quit any time that he wanted to. In the end, he was eternally grateful for his parents for sending him to school.
In this book, there are eight main characters. Auggie is the protagonist, or main character. He has a facial deformity and his parents decided to send him to school after homeschooling him for about five years. Olivia, Via, is Auggie’s older sister and was starting high school when Auggie is starting middle school. She had a tough year. Auggie’s mom is the one who is pushing him to go to school. She is very caring and encouraging throughout the whole book. Auggie’s dad is his best friend and his ear where he can say anything. He was motivating Auggie to go to school and try it for once. He told him that Auggie could quit anytime that he wanted. Julian was bullying Auggie, calling him names and leaving mean notes in his locker. Mr. Tushman is the principal of Beecher Prep, the school that Auggie goes to. He cares about Auggie and always keeps an eye out for him. And finally Summer. She is a girl who has green eyes and tan skin. She befriends Auggie when everyone else neglects him. She is a true friend. These were the main characters in the book Wonder.
As Auggie went to his new school for the first time ever with his mom, he met three new kids. From their shoes, Julian looked like a ‘trust fund kid,’ Jack ‘a hand-me-down kid,’ and Charlotte a ‘crazy kid.’ When they went around the school, Julian was very mean to Auggie, treating him like an inferior and asking rude questions. When Auggie started attending school once it started, people gave him bad looks and act as if his deformity was contagious. Kids started a rumor that if they touch Auggie or any of his things and not wash their hands as fast as they could, they’d catch “The Plague.” Jack and Auggie soon became best friends. Not long after, Summer, a girl who looked just like her name, joined their little group. Though Auggie acted as if everything was okay, it really wasn’t. Auggie had told Jack that he would be coming in as Boba Fett from Star Wars for Halloween, but wore a Bleeding Scream costume to class at the last minute. Auggie was happy because no one recognized him under his costume. When Auggie went to class, he overheard Jack talking to Julian, badmouthing Auggie. Auggie went home and promised himself to never go back to school. Eventually, Via convinced him but he still wouldn’t talk to Jack. Not long after, Jack realized why Auggie wasn’t talking to him after Summer told him “Bleeding Scream,” as a hint. A little while later, sometime around the Science Fair, Jack punched Julian to defend Auggie. He was suspended for two days. In those two days, Julian told Auggie that he was sorry about what he had said and asked to be friends again. Auggie agreed and they both promised to be best friends forever. After that, a war broke out between Jack and Julian. There was Jack’s side, Julian’s side and there was neutral. Close to when the war started, more towards the end of the year, the whole 5th grade went to the nature retreat where Auggie and Jack bravely fought huge 7th graders with the help of Miles, Amos, and Henry. After that no one said anything about “The Plague.” These small incidents show how all schools, not just middle schools, can have mean bullies and nice kids.
The essential question with this essay is “How does the way that we treat people affect them throughout their lives?” The way that Julian treated Auggie and Jack was mean. All of those incidents will stay imprinted on their minds. Sometimes people decide to treat others the way that they were treated, like Adolf Hitler, because they were treated in a mean way. But sometimes people do the exact opposite. They decide that since they were treated harshly, they don’t want anyone else to be treated like that, and end up being amazing people. In short, the way that we treat people will affect them throughout their lives because number one, they will always remember how they were treated, and number two, it might turn them into mean and rude leaders, friends, etc. That’s why we should treat everyone, including people we don’t know, with peace and kindness, starting with a kind smile.
At the end of the book “Wonder,” Auggie had his fifth-grade graduation ceremony. He graduated with a High Honor Roll and also won the Henry Ward Beecher medal for “the student whose quiet strength has carried up the most hearts.” (Wonder). After the award ceremony, Auggie was excited to have his picture taken with his friends after a really long time. Later, Auggie’s friends went over to his house for ice cream. And so the curtain falls upon Auggie’s story and how he passed his first year of real school with great strength as he lives happily with his family and friends.