Wonder: A Tour of the Galaxy (Ch 32) - Partners (Ch 63)

[Prof. Amy Lupin]

We will be discussing chapters 32-63 of Wonder. If you haven't read this far yet, worry not, as this thread will still be waiting for you.

Part 2 sees the story shift to Via's perspective. What did you think of Via as a character? Did you empathise with her? Do you think Via's own attitude towards her brother changes throughout the story?

Remember to include spoiler tags though as not everyone would have read as far as you have.

[Shiloh Adlar]

I think I really like Via as a character. Her relationship with August reminds me a lot of my relationship with my brother. Although August has physical needs that require special attention, I had other special needs that required attention as a child, and I often wonder sometimes if it ever bothered my brother. Of course we were further in part in age than Via and August are so perhaps it didn't. But the way she talks to August about what is going on and just stating facts is very similar, so in a way, I suppose I can begin to empathize or at least try to understand what it must be like for her. I'm not sure if her attitude changes at all throughout the story or not. It seems that even though she gets upset that her life has to come second to August's life, she still understands why. She gets angry with her brother for the reasons any sibling would get angry with their sibling. He doesn't want to go to school, she tells him how it is and that she has bad days, too. She's trying to treat him as normal as possible while knowing that he's not but that that is what he wants.

I do like how at this part the book starts to change point of views. I love getting to learn about Via, Summer and Jack and hearing things from their perspective. While I'm sure August has a lot to say, it's nice to know that these other people have their own issues going on in the book and their own struggles. I think this goes back to the extraordinary and ordinary thing. Even with his physical differences, August and the other kids experience difficulties in school and with making friends or being treated differently because of who they're hanging out with. He still gets upset when people say things about him behind his back just like any other kid would. Summer got upset when at the party they began talking some bad stuff about August and now Jack has punched Julian in the face for what he was saying about August.

The book keeps grabbing my attention around every new section. I'm excited to see how things are going to turn out for everyone now.

[Prof. Kendra Givens]

I think Olivia is pretty accurately portrayed as a sibling a fairly lost, sensitive teenage soul. She's a lovely, complex young lady.Her love for her brother is evident through the way she supports him, expresses interest in what's going on with him, and enters his room to try to get information out of him when he doesn't feel like talking about things with his parents. However, along with loving her brother, she's also trying to make it through a huge transition herself. She's just gotten into high school and her best friends have abandoned her for the 'cool' crowd, which happens all too often. She doesn't want to tell her parents because she wants them to be able to focus on August, who has 'bigger' things to deal with than she does from her perspective. She's trying to find her own identity beyond 'the sister of that boy', which she is not at all offended by but still wishes people could appreciate her without an instant association to the different-looking boy. She's also very interested in genetics, but largely because she lives every day with her chances of passing on a similar problem to any children she may have dreamed of having.