Wonder Video

Video Transcript:

The novel Wonder, written by R.J. Palacio, is a coming-of-age novel about a ten-year-old boy born with a rare physical deformity. August Pullman, or “Auggie” finds the courage to form meaningful relationships with his peers despite being rejected by many for his appearance. The story is told from not only his perspective, but from the viewpoints of his older sister, his friends, and supposed enemies. Eventually, they all grow to value Auggie in their own way.

The book begins from Auggie’s point of view. He lives with his parents, Nate and Isabel Pullman, older sister Via, and dog Daisy in New York City. He is homeschooled until the fifth grade, when his parents enroll him in Beecher Prep, a private school. At first, Auggie resists. His dad is also worried, but Auggie’s mom insists that her son will learn more in school than she can teach him.

Auggie meets the school’s principal, Mr. Tushman, and takes a secret IQ test, showing he is very bright. Auggie meets his future classmates Jack Will, Julian Albans, and Charlotte, who take him on a tour of the school. When Julian asks what happened to Auggie's face, Charlotte scolds Julian for being rude, and Jack defends Auggie as well.

Auggie’s classmates slowly grow accustomed to his unusual appearance. He becomes friends with Jack, and with a girl named Summer Dawson. Other classmates, though, avoid him after a rumor spreads that touching him will give them the plague.
On Halloween, Auggie overhears Jack telling Julian and some other boys that he only hangs out with Auggie because Mr. Tushman asked him to; in fact, he thinks he would kill himself if he looked like Auggie. Unbeknownst to the other boys, Auggie is actually sitting within earshot disguised in a Bleeding Scream costume. Auggie runs away, fakes illness, and goes home, swearing that he will never return to school again.

The story switches to Via’s perspective. She wants her family to stop sheltering Auggie so he can grow up and face the real world. Via is hurt that, on her first day of high school, her mother appears more concerned with Auggie's day than with hers.

Meanwhile, Via’s former best friends, Miranda and Ella, have stopped talking to her. When Auggie comes home early on Halloween, he reveals to Via what happened with Jack; she tells him some kids will always be mean. Also, Miranda has called Auggie to let him know she would always love him like a big sister; she also told Auggie to tell Via that she misses her.

The story switches to Summer's point of view. Since Auggie is mad at Jack, Summer becomes his best friend, and their two families get to know each other. Auggie explains to her that he has a condition called mandibulofacial dysostosis, though a lot of other factors caused him to be a "medical wonder." When Jack asks Summer why Auggie is mad at him, she gives him one clue: "Bleeding Scream."

The story shifts to Jack's perspective as he reflects back on Mr. Tushman’s early request that he befriend the new student. He also remembers seeing Auggie when they were both much younger and being disconcerted by Auggie's face. He is torn, as he wants to both be friends with Auggie and accepted by popular kids like Julian, but he feels terrible that Auggie overheard his unkind words on Halloween. When Julian refers to Auggie as a “freak,” Jack punches him in the face.

Their conflict sets off a series of apology letters involving Jack, Mr. Tushman, and Julian. Jack and Auggie become friends again, but Julian has turned most of the other boys against them. A “war” has begun.

The perspective then switches to Via's new boyfriend, Justin, who accepts Auggie and makes Via feel important and valued. Since his own parents are divorced, Justin also enjoys spending time with the Pullman family.

Soon, Justin is cast as the male lead in the school play, Our Town. Via's old friend Miranda gets cast as the female lead, with Via as the understudy. Justin gets to know Miranda and learns how close she was with Auggie since he was a baby. Annoyed that Via did not tell him about Miranda, Justin confronts Via about her past friendship. Via claims that Miranda is no longer the person she once was.

The narrative then switches back to Auggie’s point of view. The "war" between Julian and Jack at school has died down, but one day, Auggie realizes that Via has been hiding her involvement in the school play from him. The Pullman family gets in a big fight. Via does not want Auggie to attend; she does not want to be known once again as the girl with the deformed brother. During the fight, though, the Pullmans' dog Daisy is extremely sick. She must be put to sleep and the family is devastated.

Via forgets the fight, and they all go to the school play to see Justin. They are shocked to discover that Miranda fell sick right before the show. In her absence, Via performs the lead role beautifully.

Miranda tells her story next. During the previous summer, Miranda told lies at camp pretending she had a deformed little brother in order to become popular. Miranda has been avoiding Via since, but secretly misses her.

On the opening night of the play, Miranda has no one there to watch her perform. After seeing the Pullman family in the audience, she fakes an illness so that Via can go onstage instead. This ploy allows Via and Miranda to patch up their friendship.

The final section of the novel switches back to Auggie’s point of view. On a retreat with their fifth grade class, Jack and Auggie go into the woods and encounter older kids from another school, who make fun of Auggie and try to hurt him. Luckily, three of the boys from Beecher Prep who are usually mean to Auggie—Henry, Miles, and Amos—come to Auggie's rescue.

After the confrontation, Auggie’s peers rally behind him and he feels the warmth of their friendship. The Pullmans get a new puppy, and Auggie learns from Mr. Tushman that Julian will not come back to Beecher Prep the following year. At graduation, Auggie wins a special award for courage and kindness. The novel ends with his mother whispering in his ear, calling him a "wonder."