Wonder: Extraordinary, but No One There to See (Ch 96) - The Walk Home (Ch 123)

[Prof. Amy Lupin]

The remaining chapters (chapters 96-123) of Wonder will be discussed in this thread, as well as the overall book itself.

How would you describe Auggie as a person in the first few chapters of the book? What about the final few chapters? Has he changed significantly? Are there any experiences or episodes during the story that you think had a particular effect on him? If so, how?

Please remember to include spoiler tags where necessary.

[Shiloh Adlar]

At the beginning of the book, August says that he's okay with who he is, that he's used to it, but he still tries to cover his face at his new school. In fact, he doesn't even want to go in the beginning. But as the book continues, he really begins to come out of his shell or really I guess, take off the "helmet" that he is wearing and let his personality shine through. I think having Summer sit with him at lunch simply because she wanted to was a big deal for August but then also when they're on the camping trip and the boys defend him instead of picking on him like the other kids started doing. Amos actually attacked Eddie to stand up for August and I think that was a pivotal point to where he realized that he was making a difference and that it didn't matter what he looked like, he made a difference.

The graduation ceremony only solidifies this fact when he wins the one award. I even started tearing up reading that as much as I thought it wouldn't affect me. I was wrong. It definitely did. I always talk about kindness, and I'm glad that this book touched on that heavily. “Kinder than is necessary. Because it's not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed.” And it's so important because you never know how an act of kindness can change someone's life.

Now I'm really excited to see the movie, and I hope it did the book justice.