Wonder by R. J. Palacio is the story of a unique ten-year-old boy's transition from homeschooling to a private middle school, the struggle he faces to fit in, and how he grows as a person through his experiences in that first year of school. Through August we experience the pain of childhood as a child that stands out but longs to be ordinary. We commiserate with the desire for friends while understanding the undesirable attention of peers that can be cruel. In the end we celebrate Auggie's last year as his experience with his first year of middle school changes not only him but the people he is in contact with.
Palacio's characters are developed through dialogue and actions that breathe life into them. As the novel progresses, we grow to admire Auggie's loving family, full of humor and strength. They serve as an anchor for Auggie's struggles with accepting the circumstances of his physical appearance and consequently low self-confidence. Auggie's parents, Nate and Isabel, serve as supporting characters. We know through conversations with their children and other characters' descriptions of them that they are protective and loving toward their children. Auggie's older sister, Olivia, opens our eyes to the difficulties siblings can have when the other child requires so much more attention and support. Later we are introduced to students that affect Auggie's first year for good and bad. Palacio goes so far as to give us insight into these children's thoughts and families as well.
The book begins with August Pullman setting the stage for the events that will later unfold as he shares his life as it currently is. Auggie hints that his appearance is shocking to others, and even replusive, although the extent of his abnormalities are sprinkled as information throughout the book. We get a sense for how supportive and loving his family is, but also develop the feeling that Auggie is intensely lonely. Before school, he tells us his close friends are people he no longer spends significant time with and the one friend he feels closest to lives an hour away. He equates friendship with the birthday parties he's been invited to, suggesting he is still somewhat immature in thinking and that there is an importance to friendship that is shared publicly.
Before enrolling in Beecher Prep, Auggie Pullman was homeschooled by his mother, Isabel. When his parents decide that it is time for him to join other children at school Auggie, a somewhat shy child anyways, feels a hightened sense of fear at having to deal with a school of people that will inspect and judge him based on his appearance. Despite his fears, Auggie meets a couple genuine friends that grow to love his company and him for who he is. In addition, the book deals with bullying as Auggie faces one child who is malicious and determined to turn everyone in the school against him.
Perhaps one very interesting and important feature of the book is that not only do we hear from Auggie's perspective, full of upfront practical information and heart-wrenching interpretations, but we also hear from those children closest to Auggie through their own perspective on events that unfold. This feature becomes important in understanding the thought processes of the children involved with Auggie and how it affects their interactions with him. All of these voices are developed in a way that seems authentic and contributes to the overall movement of the novel.
Palacio's novel is an eye-opening perspective for children on how standing out can make us feel and how other children can react in ways that are mean or thoughtless, whether intentional or not. In addition, we see that children can all have different home lives that affect how they make decisions and perform at school and with each other. In the end we see that how strong the effect of not just being a good friend but a good person can be, whether its with an individual, a class, or even a school.
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