Part 9?: Julian

One question that I had after finishing Wonder was, where is the chapter on Julian? He is a pretty big character in the book, but he is one without his story being told. Julian is a bully and the author gives you great reasons to dislike him, but in the end, Julian is a child and I can't but help to believe there is reason behind his actions. 

I know most people probably have no sympathy for Julian, but something inside me does. I think I really started to feel for him when the email from his mother was placed in the book. The mother was very cold and callous toward August. She even photoshopped August's picture out of the class photo. She is an adult, she knows better. This is when I started to look at her as a villain over Julian. Julian was a child that was being molded by his narrow minded mother.  It's sad really, to think Julian might follow in his mother's footsteps. I hope this isn't the case and I hope Julian's mother realizes what she is doing to her son before it is too late.

Part 8: August

The last part of the book is filled with love, pain, courage and growth. We start out by finding out that August and his class are going on a field trip that last 3 days and 2 nights. Unlike most of the students, August has never stayed away from home expect in a hospital. He is nervous yet excited. We start to see growth from August at the very beginning of this part of the book with a act of love he does for his mother. August was going to secretly bring his bear that he slept with when he was scared with him, but decided to leave it for his mother with a note telling her she can sleep with it when she misses him. I though this was a very sweet, kindhearted gesture that August did for his mother.

The beginning of the trip was very fun for August. He was really enjoying himself and was very happy. That all changed the night of the movie. August and Jack ran into some older kids from another school that reacted very cruelly to August. The sad thing is, this is a reality for August. The students at his school were used to him now, but there is always another world of people outside of the walls of the familiar. A world that people aren't used to you and that can be cruel. The other students said some terrible things and physically attacked the boys. During the fight, Amos, Miles and Henry stepped in to defend August and Jack. This came as a shock to August since these boys had not been that kind to him throughout the year. August was left with a bloody elbow and missing hearing aids, but he was also left with knowing what it felt like to have friends stand up for him.

Later in Part 8 we find out what happened to the astronaut helmet that August used to wear at all times, his dad threw it away. I really liked this part between August and his dad. The dad didn't get  much story in the book, but he was portrayed as very kind and loving. He told August he took the helmet because he did not want August to cover his face, it made him sad. August was upset at first that his father took the helmet, but he understood and I think this brought the two closer. It was a nice moment between the two. 

The book ends with a very touching graduation. The principal gives a very moving speech about the importance of kindness. 

After the principal's speech it was time for the awards. The typical awards were given out, then a very special award was given to August. It was an award for having great strength and courage. An award for being an amazing human being. As August walked on the stage to get the award the crowd all stood in applause, August got his standing ovation. This was a very magical ending to a wonderful book. 

Part 7: Miranda

One thing I really enjoyed about this book is the fact it lets us understand each character from their point of view. We aren't just told from one person's views of why people are the way they are, we get to see inside each characters mind. Throughout the book, we see Miranda as Olivia's old friend that ditched her when she entered high school. We know she was once a nice girl, being very caring and loving to Auggie, but we don't know why the sudden changed emerged. We find out why in Miranda's part of the book. 

Miranda is going through a very difficult time of her own. Her parents divorce before high school year, leaving her lost and confused. Miranda attends camp after finding out about the divorce and makes up lies to cover her pain. One lie that she tells is she has a "deformed" brother. People take sympathy in this and the lie make her popular. She feels great guilt about this lie, but continues with it because the hurt of her parents divorce is worse. She also starts to rebel by smoking, meeting up with boys, dying her hair pink and dressing more provocatively. Miranda's changes were a result of her trying to hide from the pain she was feeling as a result of her parents divorce.

When Miranda arrived back after summer camp, she did not want to contact Olivia. She felt guilt that she lied about Auggie to the other people at the camp. Miranda also did not want to deal with her parents divorce, so she distanced herself from Olivia. She knew Via would ask her questions and she was not ready to talk. Miranda was a young teenage girl in pain and this was her way of acting out because of the pain. 

Miranda really did love Via and her family, but being around them was a constant reminder of what she lost. Miranda loved the dynamics of Via's family, but the love they shared only brought her pain right now. I think Miranda stepping down from the part in the play and letting Via go on stage was somewhat her way of apologizing to Via. Miranda looked out in the crowd and did not see any of her family or friends, but she saw Auggie. She really did love Auggie and she knew how happy it would make him and his family to see Via perform, so she stepped down. I also think that Miranda knew that stepping down would allow Via to be something she rarely is, the center of attention. I know Miranda is another character that made some mistakes, but it is a reminder that our pain can cause us to act in ways we never would. At the end of this part, it seems Miranda and Via make amends and this was very pleasing to me. 

Part 6: August

Part six brings us back to August. In this part, a lot happens. First, August gets his hearing aids. He did not want these. He did not like the way they looked and didn't want to bring more attention to himself. He is defiant to wearing them up until the moment they are placed in his ears and turned on. When August heard clearly for the first time, he no longer complained. It was a very sweet moment knowing Auggie could truly hear for the first time.

Later in the Part 6, the family comes to find out Via's secret about her upcoming play. Her mother confronts her and Via admits to her the true reason why she doesn't want her family to come, she wants to keep her new school life separate from her home life, from August. August finds out and is hurt and hides out in his bedroom. While this is going on a terrible sad thing occurs, the family dog become very sick and passes away. I have no problem admitting that I was in tears when reading the section about the dog, Daisy. Daisy was a major part of the family and everyone loved her so much. It really was a heartbreaking moment in the book. August was very connected to Daisy. Animals did not treat August differently, they loved him just as anyone else. When Daisy died, it somewhat brought the family back together. They were drifting a little bit because of the great changes the children were going through. Olivia started high school and August was now in school for the first time. Life's were being formed outside of the family for the first time. Daisy dying reminded them how important they were to each other.

There is a quote that comes later in Part 6 that I really liked that Auggie's mother said about love. The quote is below. 

I thought this was a beautiful and powerful quote. Love is not about what you see, it is about how you feel. This is so true and fits beautifully within this story. I know the mother is talking about Daisy and the grandmother, but the quote fits with so many other aspects of the story.

Part 5: Justin

I must be honest, at first the part on Justin was my least favorite of all, but after looking deeper into the chapters, it's starting the grow on me. Justin is Olivia's boyfriend. He is not a major character in the book, but his part brings a greater in site to the other characters. The thing that really stood out to me in this part is how strong Auggie's family truly is. Justin talks greatly about the family. He says they are nothing like his own, distant and somewhat cold. Auggie's family truly loved each other and it showed. He talked about how the family always said they loved each other and genuinely cared about the well being of each other. The parents were also very interested in what Justin liked, which his own family never seemed to care about. Justin believed Auggie's family was an amazing family and honored to be apart of it.

I think this part was a little different than the rest because it really wasn't an inside look it Justin, but a more elaborate look at the characters in the book. We got to see how greatly the family functioned from an outsider perspective. We also got a deeper look at some of the individual characters; Olivia, Jack/Auggie, and Miranda. 

Part 4: Jack

I was very thankful for the chapter about Jack. Jack was a good kid, but some of his choices made it appear differently. While hidden in his Halloween costume, August over heard Jack and a group of boys saying some very terrible things about him. Jack was August's best friend and it destroyed August when he heard Jack talking badly about him. 

Jack was unaware that August could hear what he was saying to Julian and the other boys. He had no clue that his words would be heard by August. Jack expressed how he was made by the principal to be friends with August and if he looked like August, he would kill himself. These truly are terrible words, but I do not believe that Jack was a terrible person. 

Sometimes in life we do things that we regret. We make choices that we normally wouldn't because of the pressures around us. Some people are stronger than others when it comes to pressure, but we all fall prey to it at some point. What Jack did was wrong and he knew it. When he found out that August overheard him he felt such guilt and remorse. Other characters in the book stood up to those pressures; such as Via and Summer, but the truth is, Jack was a 5th grade boy that made a mistake. Should he have stood up to those boys? Yes. Should he had turned and walked away instead of bashing another student? Yes. But being a young child, sometimes that is easier said than done.  

I believe this part brought a great deal of realism to the story. Jack brought a very realistic feel to the story. People make mistakes. Some kids and adults can be very cruel. I think that Jack's mistakes reminds us that you never know what you will do when you are challenged by those around you; especially when you are very young and trying to make your place in the world. Jack didn't mean what he said, he just went a long with the crowd so he wouldn't become the victim. One thing Jack does do is he learns from his mistakes and stands up to the crowd later on, leaving him to truly be one of Auggie's best friends. If we admit our mistakes and learn from them, those who truly matter will forgive us and move on. At some point in our life, we have all probably been in a similar situation and made a decision we did regret. It does not make us bad people, it makes us humans and human beings make mistakes. 

Part 3: Summer

Summer is one of the greatest friends that August has. She is the only person that approached August by her own, not by being asked by the principal. Summer's reasoning for sitting next to August the first day of school; she felt sorry for August. I liked the character of Summer. She was another strong, female character like Via. Summer was pretty and had potential to be very popular, but she chose kindness over popularity. This is really seen at the Halloween party she was invited to just to be confronted my the popular kids about why she would hang out with August.  She left the party and never looked back.

One thing I really enjoyed about Part 3 was the explanation of life after death by Summer. She believed that we visit heaven shortly to reunite with the ones we love and from there we are born into a new life. It was a combination of the heavens and reincarnation. August really appreciated this theory. The thought that he might be born again brought him happiness. Part 3 was a very short, but sweet chapter. It was a nice look into the mind of a truly caring friend of August.

Part 2: Via

In the second part of Wonder we meet Via on a personal level. This part of the book is written from Via's point of view. In my opinion, Via is one of the most realistic and strongest characters in the book. Via is a beautiful and talented girl that has been placed in the shadowes of her brother. The amazing part about Via, even though she had her moments when she wishes she could be in the spotlight, she understands how important it is that her parents main focus be on her brother. Like any one else, she struggles with this at times, but she also overcomes this struggle in a very wise way.

Via's explanation of how her life with her family is like the solar system, with August being the sun, is spot on. August is the sun and the rest of them circle around him. Via talks about how she did not need to be told that August needed to be the center of focus, that she just knew from a very early age. This has made her very independent and strong.

One of the most important relationships in the life of Via was the one with her Grandmother. Via had a special connection with her grandmother and I think this relationship was somewhat of an escape for Via. The Grandmother let Via know how important Via was. She told Via that she was the center of the universe and everything orbited around her. Via needed this. As strong as one person is, everyone needs to feel like they are the center of someone's universe at some point in their life. I think Via strength started to struggle some as she grew and her grandmother passed away.

Via goes to high school and decided she wants to go by Olivia instead of Via. She is starting to change, just like any other teenager is. She is trying to create her own identity outside of August. She talks about how at her previous school everyone knew about August and, at times, she was identified as the girl with the "deformed" brother. She no longer wanted to be identified as this. She wanted to be known as Olivia, her own person. She starts to make efforts not to have August come to her school and telling few people about him. She does not invite her family to a play she is in for fear others will see August and no longer see her as just Olivia, but August's sister. In no means was Olivia doing this to be vindictive, she felt pure guilt for this, but she wanted to experience the world on her own and possibly have the universe orbit around her for a change.

Part 1: August

The story begins with this line "I know I'm not an ordinary kid". This is August, an ordinary little boy in a not so ordinary body. In the first couple pages we discover that August has an appearance that is not like many others. August can not go anywhere without people reacting negatively about with appearance. He has been very sheltered because of this. He has been home schooled and rarely goes places outside his neighborhood. No one sees August as ordinary in any way, except maybe himself. There is a quote on the very first page by August that shows this "I think the only person in the world who realizes how ordinary I am is me".

The first part really made me think about how fixated we are on appearance. I do not think there is one person in this world that can say they are 100% satisfied with the way they look. But, why?! I teach young children and I often have students that will pick on each other because of appearance. My response is always the same. If we all look and dressed the same the world would be a very boring place. There would be no character, no difference, no individuality. We would see in black and white and no other colors would show. My students agree and understand, but a few days later we will have to have the same conversation over and over again.

When the story progresses we start to see August believing that maybe some people can see past appearance and understand the world needs difference to be beautiful. August goes to school and starts to make friends. It is very difficult at first because the entire student body is watching him. No matter what he does, people are always watching him. As the weeks went on, fewer people paid as close attention to him. He knew people still talked about him and constantly felt the eyes upon him, but he also knew people were getting use to him. He had friends and he was starting enjoy school.

The story began to change some when Halloween drew near. There is a quote from the book that really sums up how August feels about the holiday he loves so dearly "I wish every day could be Halloween. We could all wear masks all the time. Then we could walk around and get to know each other before we got to see what we looked like under the mask". This is a very true statement because we do tend to judge a book by its cover. This was a constant for August and the initial judgment was almost always negativity or pity.

On Halloween, August came to school wearing a costume with a mask and he overheard his friend saying some terrible things about him. He heard his best friend, Jack, say he was forced to be friends with August and would kill himself if he looked like him. This was heartbreaking to read. Just when August thought people were looking past his appearance and he was starting to enjoy school with his friends, he puts on a mask and a terrible truth comes out. In this moment, August found that Jack might have been the one hiding behind a mask the entire time.