R. J. Palacio Wonder The main character August (Auggie) Pullman is a ten-year-old boy with severe facial abnormalities. Little kids scream when they see him. Older kids make fun of him and call him a freak. Auggie is home-schooled through grade four, but for middle school his parents decide to send him to a private school, Beecher Prep, in New York City. Wonder is the story of his fifth grade year, told partly from Auggie’s perspective, and partly from the other kids in his life — his sister Via, her oldest friend Miranda, Via’s boyfriend Justin, and Jack and Summer, Auggie’s new friends at Beecher Prep. Each narrator has a distinct, completely believable voice. Palacio writes with just the right balance of humor and pathos, making each character both flawed and sympathetic.
August has always known that he’s different. But he’s learned to long accept that people will always stare at his face, and there’s nothing he can do about it. So why not just live life the best way possible? With a loving family always by his side, although originally not at all happy about starting school, he soon starts to warm to the idea. Having been home-schooled for many years he is now more vulnerable than ever.
What I particularly love about the book is how we are able to see August through others too. Of course this is Augusts journey, but it’s interesting to see how others see him. Via, his sister, is the one I found most interesting. She’s a teenager and at that age where she is still discovering new things about herself day by day. And although she adores her brother, she’s grown up learning never to complain, to never want or expect anything from her parents. She’s always known that August is first priority since her parents are so over -protective over him, but little by little, it’s clear that she’s starting to grow a little resentful. And she hates herself for it, because she loves her family so much.