Key points
Wonder was written by R.J. Palacio and published in 2012.
It tells the story of August (Auggie) Pullman, a ten-year-old boy with a severe The phrase that makes him stand out. Auggie is starting school for the first time.
His story is told from six different characters鈥 viewpoints, including his own. All the viewpoints share the same message about the importance of kindness.
Did you know?
R.J. Palacio has said that she wrote Wonder after she saw a young child with a severe facial difference when she was out with her two sons.
Palacio wondered what life might be like for that child. She wrote Wonder to encourage people to be more accepting of facial differences and to talk to people with them, rather than staring or being afraid.
Video
Watch the video to learn about the plot, characters and themes in Wonder by R.J. Palacio.
"You can't blend in when you were born to stand out." This is a quote from Wonder by RJ Palacio, which tells the story of Auggie's first year at school in New York. Auggie was born with severe facial differences.
Auggie is ten when he goes to school for the first time. He is treated differently by most of the other kids, except for two, Summer and Jack. One boy, Julian, bullies Auggie and turns a lot of the other kids against him.
When Auggie overhears Jack saying mean things about him to Julian and his gang, he is devastated. Jack's upset that he hashurt Auggie and damaged their friendship. He punches Julian and apologises to Auggie, but a war begins between him andJulian's gang.
On the school trip, Auggie and Jack find themselves in a nasty clash with some older kids from another school. Julian isn't on the trip, which leaves his gang free to make their own decisions, and they show up to defend Auggie and Jack.
As the school year ends, Auggie discovers that not only has he survived but he has thrived and made a positive impact on everyone even Julian.
Auggie is an optimistic, funny and intelligent boy, who has overcome many challenges in his life. In the book we see him mature and grow in confidence and independence.
Jack is a kid who wants to do the right thing but he also wants to fit in and sometimes he makes mistakes. He learns to be true tohimself a boy who is funny, loyal and kind.
Summer is the first friend Auggie makes at school. She is an independent thinker who is kind and compassionate.
Wonder is narrated by six different characters. Each voice brings its own perspective and lets us see things from a different pointof view. The importance of kindness is a central theme in the novel. We see the positive impact that choosing kindness can have on everyone's life.
"When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind."
The power of friendship is also an important theme. We witness friendships being made, broken and renewed.
Wonder by RJ Palacio is one of my all-time favourite books 鈥 it made me think about how we treat others and how showingkindness can transform people's lives. You need to read it!
Plot
Auggie Pullman, aged ten, lives in New York and is about to start fifth grade. This is the same as starting year six in the UK. He has never been to school before. He has a severe facial difference and he has been home-schooled because he has needed lots of operations.
Three students, Jack, Charlotte and Julian, show Auggie around his new school. Jack and Charlotte seem nice but Julian is rude. Over the first few weeks of school, Auggie and Jack become friends. Auggie also makes friends with a girl called Summer.
Everyone goes to school in fancy dress for Halloween. Jack doesn鈥檛 notice Auggie because he changed his fancy dress idea at the last minute. When another student asks Jack about Auggie, Jack says some mean things. This upsets Auggie and he decides to stop talking to Jack.
Auggie notices that the other students are avoiding him. After a while, Summer tells him that Julian has started a game called the Plague. The rules are that anyone who touches Auggie has 30 seconds to wash their hands or they will catch the Plague.
Jack and Auggie are paired up by their science teacher. After class, Julian tells Jack that he doesn鈥檛 have to work with "that freak", meaning Auggie. Jack punches Julian for this. Auggie forgives Jack for being mean at Halloween.
Julian tells lies to the students about Auggie to get everyone on his side. He tells them not to talk to Jack and Auggie and leaves abusive notes in their lockers. The students refer to this falling out as a "war".
Towards the end of the school year, the class go away on an overnight trip. Auggie is excited but nervous about being away from home overnight. During the night, Jack and Auggie run into some older students from another school in the woods. The older students call Auggie horrible names and threaten Jack when he stands up for Auggie. Some other students from Auggie鈥檚 school arrive and help Auggie and Jack escape from the bullies. Auggie gets hurt in the chaos.
As a result of the incident on the trip, the "war" is over as everyone comes together to help Auggie. At the fifth grade graduation ceremony, Auggie is presented with an award for bravery and kindness. He gets a standing ovation from all his classmates.
Activity
Characters
August
August, known as Auggie, is ten years old and has a severe The phrase . He refers to his condition as mandibulofacial dysostosis, which is also known as Treacher Collins syndrome. Auggie says he also has another unnamed syndrome, which makes his facial differences particularly unique.
Auggie has been home-schooled for his whole life because he needed lots of operations when he was younger. He feels the same as everyone else on the inside but knows that most people don鈥檛 see him that way.
Auggie is clever, funny and really likes Star Wars. Like most ten-year-olds, Auggie often wants to be treated like a grown up but sometimes wants to be looked after like a child.
Auggie's family
Auggie lives with his Mum, Dad and older sister Olivia.
Mum
Auggie鈥檚 mum, Isabel, often worries about him and can be overprotective. After she hears about Julian being mean, she isn鈥檛 sure that sending Auggie to school is the right thing to do but she knows that she needs to let Auggie have more independence.
Dad
Auggie鈥檚 dad, Nate, is more of a joker than Auggie鈥檚 mum. He is laid back but supportive. He knows that Auggie wants to be treated like more of a grown up so, for example, when Auggie asks his dad to stop calling him "Auggie Doggie", he agrees.
At the end of the book, Auggie鈥檚 dad admits that he threw away the astronaut helmet that Auggie used to wear when he was younger, because he hated the way it hid Auggie鈥檚 face.
Olivia
Olivia, known as "Via" by her family, is Auggie鈥檚 older sister. She is 15 years old and has just started high school. During the book she explains how she is having trouble finding her own identity and feels left out by her friends.
Via is private and independent. She likes being at a new school where no one knows that she is Auggie鈥檚 sister. She has a part in the high school play but she hasn鈥檛 told her family because she thinks that if Auggie comes to see the play, everyone at school will see her differently. However, she feels guilty about this too because she really loves Auggie.
Auggie's friends
Auggie's friends are called Jack Will and Summer.
Jack Will
Jack is a student at Auggie鈥檚 new school. At first, Jack is only friendly because the headteacher asked him to look after Auggie, but he soon realises that Auggie is clever and funny.
Jack becomes less popular as a result of being friends with Auggie. This is a struggle for Jack, but he eventually learns that friendship is more important than popularity and he proves to be a loyal friend to Auggie.
Summer
Summer sits with Auggie at lunch on his first day because she doesn鈥檛 want him to eat alone. She quickly discovers that Auggie is a lot of fun and they become friends. Although some of the other girls tell Summer that she would be more popular if she didn鈥檛 hang around with Auggie, she decides that their friendship is more important. Summer is honest and loyal.
Other important characters
Other important characters are Julian, Mr Browne, Mr Tushman, Miranda and Justin.
Julian
Julian pretends to be nice around adults, but he bullies many of his classmates. He starts a cruel game against Auggie called "the Plague" and gets lots of students at school to join in.
Mr Browne
Mr Browne is Auggie鈥檚 English teacher. Every month he teaches the children a new motivational quote, called a "precept", which helps them to think more carefully about their actions. At the end of the year, the children must write their own precept.
Mr Tushman
Mr Tushman is the headteacher of Auggie鈥檚 new school. At the end of the book, Mr Tushman gives Auggie an award for bravery and kindness. He makes a speech about the importance of kindness, saying that people should be "kinder than is necessary".
Miranda
Miranda was one of Via鈥檚 best friends at middle school. She started hanging out with a different group of friends when she moved to high school, making Via feel like she鈥檇 been left behind. Miranda really cares about Auggie and misses how safe she felt with Via鈥檚 family.
Justin
Justin is Via鈥檚 boyfriend and they both have parts in the school play. Justin is shy, quiet and kind. He stands up to some boys he sees being unkind to Auggie. Justin鈥檚 family aren鈥檛 very supportive of him but he feels very comfortable around the Pullman family.
Activity
Themes
Themes are the main ideas that appear repeatedly in a novel. Some of the important themes in Wonder are:
- Kindness
- Growing up
- Identity
Kindness
Auggie struggled with his health when he was younger. However, his main problems during the book are caused by other people鈥檚 unkindness.
Sometimes the unkindness is on purpose, like Julian鈥檚 bullying, and sometimes the unkindness is just thoughtlessness, like the way some people stare at Auggie when they don鈥檛 think he is looking.
Throughout the book, kindness is shown to be the right choice. For example, Summer chooses to be kind to Auggie on his first day and soon finds out that she really likes spending time with him.
What do Auggie's teachers say about kindness?
Mr Browne includes kindness in his precepts to encourage his students to think carefully about how they behave. The first precept is:
When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.
He also includes:
Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much.
At the end of the book, Mr Tushman presents Auggie with an award for kindness and bravery, and makes a speech about how kindness is a choice. He says that they should:
Be kinder than is necessary. Because it's not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed.
Growing up
Auggie is very close to his parents. When he starts school he wants to be more independent, but when things get difficult he also wants to be able to stay at home and be looked after.
It is clear that Auggie is growing up when he is packing his bag for the overnight trip. He usually sleeps with a cuddly toy called Baboo and at first he puts the toy in his bag for the trip. However, Auggie then decides to leave Baboo at home instead. This is a signal that Auggie is becoming more independent.
Identity
Many of the characters in Wonder are trying to find out who they are and how they want others to see them. Auggie knows that he is known for his The phrase but he wishes that he could be known for something else. At middle school, Via was known as Auggie鈥檚 sister but now she is at high school she has the chance to be known for something else too.
How do Auggie, Via and Jack show they are becoming more confident with their identities by the end of the book?
Auggie, Via and Jack realise that it鈥檚 important to be who they are and to spend time with people who accept them for who they are.
Auggie cuts his hair shorter by the end of the book which shows that he is no longer hiding his face.
Via invites her whole family to watch her perform in the high school play and receives a standing ovation at the end.
Jack realises that he would rather be known for being kind and loyal to his friends than be popular.
Activity
Language
Writers choose words and phrases carefully when they write. Readers can look closely at texts to think about how and why the writer made these choices.
Symbols
Two A symbol is an object, person, image or event used to represent something bigger. For example, doves are often used as a symbol of peace. that Palacio uses in Wonder are Auggie's astronaut helmet and the Plague.
1. Auggie鈥檚 astronaut helmet
Auggie says he wore this helmet almost every day for a couple of years when he was younger. This is because when he wears a mask or helmet no one can tell that he looks different. This is also why Auggie really likes Halloween.
The helmet disappeared and Auggie doesn鈥檛 know what happened to it until the end of the book when his dad admits that he threw it away. The helmet symbolised Auggie鈥檚 desire to hide. His acceptance of his dad throwing it away symbolises Auggie鈥檚 increasing confidence.
Why does Via's friend, Miranda, gives Auggie the nickname "Major Tom"?
When Auggie was younger, he liked to wear an astronaut helmet to cover his face. "Major Tom" is a character in the David Bowie song "Space Oddity". Auggie and Miranda used to sing the song together. Some lyrics from this song are also quoted at the start of Via鈥檚 section of the book:
Far above the world / Planet Earth is blue / And there鈥檚 nothing I can do.
2. The Plague
This is a cruel game started by Julian. The rules are that anyone who touches Auggie has 30 seconds to wash their hands or they will catch the Plague.
During the book, the students stop playing the Plague because they realise that it is cruel and silly. By the end, everyone is getting along and has realised that kindness is more important than popularity.
Structure
Structure refers to how written text is organised 鈥 the way the story is ordered and shaped.
Six narrators
Wonder is told by six different narrators, although the book starts and ends with Auggie鈥檚 narration. Here are the narrators in order:
- Auggie
- Via
- Summer
- Jack
- Justin
- Auggie
- Miranda
- Auggie
Each narrator tells their part of the story in A first person narrative is when the story is told from the point of view of one person using the pronoun 鈥業鈥.. This allows the reader to see different viewpoints. The book starts with Auggie鈥檚 viewpoint and then the reader gets to see how other people see Auggie. This helps the reader to think about how characters are affected by the actions of others and encourages the readers to think about how they treat others.
How does Palacio use language to create a unique narrative voice for Justin?
Palacio tells Justin's story without using capital letters. Here is an example: 鈥渙livia and i are sitting on her front stoop. she鈥檚 helping me with my lines. it鈥檚 a warm march evening.鈥 This helps to create a unique voice for Justin鈥檚 narration. It makes him seem more laid-back.
Context
The The factors surrounding a text that help us to understand it; the background events that help to explain something. in which a novel was written can sometimes reveal more about its themes, message and meaning.
Auggie's facial difference
Auggie has a severe The phrase . He refers to his condition as Mandibulofacial Dysostosis, which is also known as Treacher Collins syndrome. This is a condition which affects bone development of the eye sockets, cheekbones and jaw. It is caused by a very rare gene mutation, which means that children are born with it. Auggie says he also has another unnamed syndrome, which makes his facial differences particularly unique. He jokes:
I'm actually considered something of a medical wonder, you know.
Auggie tells the reader that when he was younger he had lots of different surgeries to help him breathe and eat more easily. Auggie鈥檚 hearing is also affected by his condition and he gets fitted for hearing aids during the book.
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