You know that saying “Great minds think alike”? Yeah, not so much. Gracie, Madeleine, and I have lots of opinions, but we’re not always on the same page. And that’s why I like to talk with them about what they’re reading. It always makes for an interesting conversation that almost always ends with a “WHAT?!?! HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE ________?”

But one thing we all could agree on was that we loved
Wonder by R.J. Palacio. And so, we decided that a
Yak-a-Thon was in order. (That’s
three Yaks for the price of one, you know.) We’ve wanted to all review the same book for a long time, but you can imagine that it’s not always easy to pick the book, or for some of us (ahem, me) to finish it quickly enough.
Be aware that there are a few spoilers below which we’ve taken care to mark for you. We’re just cool like that.
And Goodreads is cool for having a summary that we can use.
SUMMARY:
I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He’s about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you’ve ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie’s just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he’s just like them, despite appearances?
QUICK CHARACTER RUN-DOWN:
- Auggie – 10-year-old boy, born with a facial deformity, who has been homeschooled because of his many surgeries and medical procedures. He’s now headed off to school with other kids his age.
- Via – Auggie’s older sister who has just started high school.
- Justin – Via’s boyfriend
- Miranda – Via’s former best friend; she’s grown up around Auggie and loves him like a brother.
- Jack Will – Auggie’s best guy buddy at school.
- Summer – Auggie’s lunch table friend.
The story is told from the point of view of the above characters, with Auggie’s POV dominating the book (as it should!). Another surprisingly important character in the book is Daisy, the family dog.
Our Initial Reactions to Wonder
Annalynn: this is the part where gushing is allowed, right?
Madeleine: Like…the reaction of bawling? And of ADORING?
Annalynn: i’ll be honest. at first i thought i might not like the story because it felt more like a deep, cry-your-face-off story and that’s way more up you guys’ alley.
Madeleine: Haha–true
Gracie: I took almost 2 weeks to read the book because it was such an emotional experience for me. Auggie is representative of the BEST parts of humanity and I couldn’t stand the way he was treated by some of the people around him. And I felt SO guilty for any time that I had looked just a moment too short or a moment too long at someone that’s different than me.
Annalynn: i loved it…with the topic being about a little boy with a facial deformity and all sorts of heart-breaking moments, i thought the story was remarkably upbeat.
Madeleine: Auggie was real, too, which I loved. He wasn’t some martyr just because he had a facial deformity.
Annalynn: and i loved that the story is told by lots of different perspectives to break it up.
Gracie: See, I didn’t like the shifting perspectives as much. I just constantly wanted to hang out with Auggie and Via. I didn’t really care as much about the other characters. That said, I think it was important to show how Auggie touches other people’s lives.
Annalynn: oh, i definitely did. maybe it’s my counseling background but i loved to know what was going on in everyone’s heads. that way, every type of reaction was covered without it being weird. and all readers could identify…
Gracie: You’re such a peacemaker.
Annalynn: LOL.
Madeleine: And I’m with Annalynn on this one–I loved the multiple perspectives!! I loved how it humanized every character. Even the ones you get mad at because they act like jerks. Suddenly they seem vulnerable, and you can’t help but think, “Yeah, I get that. I could see me being stupid like that, too.”
Our Thoughts on the Characters
Madeleine: My brother-in-law has cerebral palsy, and I felt like Auggie experienced a lot of things similarly to him. All of the surgeries, the feeding tube, people staring, the inability to just BLEND. I really identified with Auggie’s family because of my own experiences. How they loved him felt SO real. Especially Via–the things she struggled with were so human and wonderful.
Annalynn: YES! via was my favorite.
Gracie: Mine too.
[**VERY Minor Spoiler**]
Gracie: True. Speaking of stupid, why do you think that Jack Will said what he did about Auggie? (Disclaimer: I love Jack Will. )
Annalynn: jack will was my second favorite perspective after via.
Madeleine: I think he was torn between wanting to be a normal kid with “normal” friends and being cool…and he was just scared to be different.
Annalynn: i think he said it to fit in with the group at the time, but i don’t really think he meant it. i think he was trying to keep a foot in with his old friends and still remain friends with auggie and the situation just didn’t give him that option.
Madeleine: Auggie didn’t get a choice in his situation–he was born that way. But Jack had to choose to be friends with Auggie, to accept him and be associated with Auggie’s face almost as much as Auggie was. Does that make sense?I think choosing something like friendship–especially a friendship that will make you stick out–is one of the bravest things a person can do. Especially a 10-year-old.
Annalynn: yeah, i think you’re right.
Gracie: It makes me regret any time I prioritized “being accepted” above being nice.
Madeleine: But we all do that, Gracie. It’s human, I think. I like that Jack exemplifies being brave, but does it with a lot of stumbles and mistakes. It resulted in a character who made us think without making us feel guilty.
[END **VERY Minor Spoiler**]
Annalynn: being “different” is downright terrifying in a school setting.
Gracie: Ah-greed! He really was a genius character.
Madeleine: Is that why you were home-schooled, Gracie? Too scary in the real place?
Annalynn: oh, you know it was just to give her more reading time.
Gracie: Boo, you both.
Gracie: Alright, if there’s an antagonist in this book, it’s Julian. Let’s talk about him.

Annalynn: julian! boo hiss.
Madeleine: And Julian’s PARENTS. UGH. My mom’s a teacher, and absolutely everything that Julian’s mom did reflected real situations my mom has been in with JERK parents.
Gracie: RIGHT. His parents. And I think that’s the key to his character. He responds the way that he’s been trained to. Like Auggie’s mom mentioned about apples and trees and such.
Madeleine:Yes. I kind of ended up feeling sorry for him because his path seemed kind of laid out. He’d spend his life being a jerk without even knowing he was one.
Gracie: But you can hope that he will look back on that experience and know what a puppet he was to his parent’s quest for approval within society.
Annalynn: Now who’s being the peacemaker?

Should we talk about Via’s storyline for a minute?
Madeleine: Yes, please. I heart Via.
Gracie: And how she’s a little bit like every big sister out there (said the very biased oldest child)?
Annalynn: YES! as the oldest sister, i totally identified with her.
Madeleine: Um. I wouldn’t know. I’m an only child. Are ya’ll saying you felt ignored your whole childhood?
Annalynn: alls i’m saying is that it wasn’t fair that my sister got to play with barbies when she was 3, when I had to wait until i was seven years old.
Gracie: I think the author nailed the tension between wanting to protect your younger sibling and wanting to smack them and make them leave you the heck alone. And some of that is brought on by you wanting the best for your younger sibling and denying/ignoring/downplaying your needs, but then you still sort of resent the sibling for that.
Annalynn:i agree, gracie. that’s totally it and i like that she “got” it, but still struggled with it. because that’s not an easy place to live.
Madeleine:Yes, and I really liked that she hid things from her family because she wanted to feel normal at school. The same desire as Auggie, but very unique to her. I loved that.
Annalynn: it’s interesting that her friends and she grew apart because she stayed the same and they are the ones that changed.
Gracie: I really liked that.
Madeleine: I agree, Via just had different priorities from day one. It made her less malleable than her friends.
Annalynn: do you think it’s because she had to deal with so much as a child that she grew up faster than they did?
Gracie: I think so. She also had to grow up with a strong sense of self.
Madeleine: That reminds me–Miranda! I absolutely ADORED her. She was so interesting to me.
Gracie: Unlike Via, Miranda didn’t really have the luxury of knowing who she was.
Annalynn: yeah, i thought that was fascinating
Madeleine: Miranda’s life was in constant upheaval, and the thing that was normal and stable for her was Auggie. I like that she drifted from Via. It was like she couldn’t handle TOO much stability. Auggie and his face were the only stable things she could really cling to. It just showed how fragile she was. I loved her for it.
Gracie: But she was strong when it mattered.
Annalynn: all the characters were!
The Deeper Issues in the Book
Annalynn: i found it interesting that no matter how many times auggie said “i’m used to other people’s responses by now” it was clear that he still noticed and felt every single one. that really made me think.
Gracie: Yes. That was really interesting. Like he knows he can’t define himself by how other people respond to him, but he still notices and it still hurts him-even just a tiny amount.
Madeleine: I totally agree. And that translated into Via, too. We saw it through Justin, who kept commenting on how she was worried he’d be scared of Auggie or scared away from the family. She was so brave and loved Auggie so much, but she clearly felt every eye that landed on him, too.
Annalynn: and with via, i really appreciated how she talked about the fact that her parents tried their best, but their attention was mostly on auggie and that meant she had to learn how to do things for herself.
Madeleine: Yes! Via also didn’t have a choice, really. She had to be independent just to survive.
Annalynn: but also the extremely amazing perspective it gave her on things that we consider “normal” drama and how they weren’t as important in light of auggie’s struggles.
Madeleine: I also loved how Auggie kept saying, “That might sound babyish to you…” at the beginning. He slowly grew out of that, but it was so heart-wrenching to read every time.
Gracie: But I love that the phrase “that might sound babyish” was something he was comfortable saying.
Madeleine: I know!! Me, too!
Gracie: He has certainly been called way worse than being called a baby. And truly, Auggie finds strength in his family unit. That’s clear. So if he has to hold onto being a baby for a little bit longer to feel close with his support structure, he’s okay with that.
Annalynn: yes, and it’s clear that multiple other characters (Justin, Miranda, etc.) found strength from auggie’s family, too. that was a cool thing to see–parents as a positive aspect of the story when they aren’t often portrayed that way in YA books.
Madeleine: Yes!! Parents are so often ignored in YA, or dead or stupid… Auggie’s family was SO present and wonderful. And I don’t think his parents forced him too much. They were tempted to keep him young and protected, but they were willing to let him grow up, too.
Gracie: LOVED Auggie’s parents. Pretty much any scene he had with his mom made me cry.
The Role of Humor in the Story
Gracie: So since Auggie’s dad is the funny man, let’s talk about the role that humor played in the book. What did you think about the way the author used it?
Annalynn: i think auggie’s self-deprecating humor was part of the reason he made friends. his friends knew that auggie understood how other people perceived him and was able to lighten that with humor. that made him approachable.
Madeleine: I agree with Annalynn–Auggie’s humor made him so approachable. But in a way, it was heartbreaking. It was a little sad to me that he had to make fun of himself for people to feel comfortable around him. I mean, I know that laughing at yourself is important, and it was a very real reflection of life, but it still made me sad.
Gracie:I totally agree. It’s sad that a 10-year-old boy has to laugh at himself to make other people comfortable. It kind of leveled the playing field a little bit for him, though. Sure, kids would laugh at his face, but he was used to that.
One of the other things I loved was that his parents made fun of Mr. Tushman’s name to make Auggie more comfortable with the idea of going to school.
Madeleine: I do love the way humor showed how his family loved each other. They didn’t make fun of each other at all. Laughter was such a sign of their absolute adoration for each other.
Let’s be real, there was ugly crying…
[**Kind of a Major Spoiler**]
Madeleine: I loved how everything shifted from all about Auggie to all about Daisy when she got sick. Auggie’s struggles so often put things in perspective for everyone else, but this time, the dog’s struggles (and everyone’s reaction to it) put everyone else into perspective for Auggie. He saw his parents grieving, he recognized how much they were upset about Daisy… I loved it.
Annalynn: that was the only part of the book where i ugly cried. tissues and tissues and tissues…
Gracie: Oh my gosh, the scene where he walks in on his dad crying over Daisy. Ugly. Cry.
Madeleine: OH yes. Me too. My husband took the book away from me, I was crying so hard.
Gracie: LOL.
Annalynn: i think it’s because daisy was the one figure in the book that never had to think about auggie as being different. daisy just loved them all completely, no matter what.
Gracie: Why can’t animals live forever?!?!?!??!?!? *Shakes fist at the sky*
Madeleine: I love how everyone acknowledged that Daisy would just lick Auggie’s face like it was any other face in the world.
Annalynn: seriously.
Gracie: And then her “ghost” giving him the strength to go on the nature weekend…
Annalynn: LOVED that.
Gracie: *sob*
Madeleine: GAH! I’m totally tearing up. *reaches for tissue*
Annalynn: quick! somebody go call her husband.
Madeleine: seriously…
Gracie: Ok-So let’s change the subject before we all deteriorate into tears.
[END**Kind of a Major Spoiler**]
The Format of the Book
Madeleine: Can we talk a little about the formatting of the book, too? I really loved how each character had such a distinct type of formatting.
Annalynn: i agree, EXCEPT not about justin’s section which was all lowercase (which i was fine with) with NO

punctuation (which I was NOT fine with).
Madeleine: It felt very “high school boy” to me…it made him feel like a real kid. Like my 17 year old cousin was talking, or something.
Annalynn: it was just plain hard to read.
Gracie: I liked it too, actually. I read an article with the author and she said that “Justin just seemed like a lower case kind of guy” and I agree.
Annalynn: i liked what he said. in fact, i think he had one of the most insightful sections in the whole book. but i found it hard to get lost in his part of the story because the lack of punctuation took me out of the flow of the book.
Madeleine: It was hard to read sometimes. Brain shift for the grammar Nazi in me!
Annalynn: thank you. that’s all i’m sayin’.
Gracie: LOL.
Madeleine: I loved the way Jack Will talked, too. How he would say things like, “So and so said this, and then I was like–Dude….” He just kind of rattled things off, stream of consciousness, almost. It was great.
Annalynn: yes, jack will was awesome. as was summer!
Madeleine: Summer was a doll. I just wanted to hug her.
[**Relatively Minor Spoiler**]
Annalynn: summer was just so sweet. and i loved how she stood up to the “cool kids” when they offered her a place in their posee if she just ditched auggie. and when she and auggie got into a fight because he accused her of only being his friend because the principal told her to.
Gracie: Yes, a moment for Auggie to be the jerk. I liked that.
[END**Relatively Minor Spoiler**]
Madeleine: Yes! She was a good soul. And good souls are rare, but really out there. I loved seeing her in his story.
Gracie: Summer felt like an old soul and I loved that. Like the politics of middle school didn’t mean anything to her.
Annalynn: sooo true. i kind of pictured her as luna lovegood from Harry Potter. but maybe a little less weird.
Madeleine: Haha! I can totally see that. I bet she had all sorts of Nargles floating around in her head.
Annalynn: one can only hope.
Star Wars… and where things come apart
Gracie: OH! One more thing–can we talk about Star Wars? We don’t have to, I just like taking every opportunity to do so.
Madeleine: I don’t watch enough Star Wars to really have much to say on this topic. Sorry. I liked it though…from the identifying with unique physical characteristics of characters to having helmets to hide in. I liked.
Gracie: WHAT?! I have friends who aren’t obsessed with those movies?
Gracie: *dies*
Madeleine: Hey. I like HGTV. What can I say?! I DID go see the midnight premieres of the first and second new one, though. And then had zero interest in the 3rd. So…is that the end of the conversation?(*taps on screen*) Hello? Hello?
Gracie: No! I was finding this for you:
Gracie: And everyone knows that 4-6 are the only ones worth watching.
Madeleine: Haha, that clip is funny.
Annalynn: i mean, here’s the thing. watching them once is okay. but i don’t get the obsession.
Madeleine: And I think I can safely assume that Annalynn and I would MUCH rather have a DIY day than watch Star Wars.
Annalynn: Hands down. No question.
Gracie: *dies*
Annalynn: before we finish, gracie, do you have something YOU’D like to say about the star wars part of this book?
…
…
Annalynn: wow. she’s been typing a long time.
Madeleine: I know… That’s a little unnerving. WAIT, Gracie…STOP! We didn’t want you to recap the movies for us!
Really! We’ll watch them! We promise!
Annalynn: DO NOT TYPE IN A WHOLE SCREENPLAY. i will die a thousand deaths.
Madeleine: *hides under desk*
Madeleine: *peeks up at screen*
Annalynn: we should just let her finish…she’s right. star wars plays a big part in the book.
Madeleine: True. Auggie would be disappointed in our lack of enthusiasm.
Gracie: Whatever. It was genius and I loved it and I loved Auggie for loving Star Wars. I think the reason he’s drawn to it (other than the fact that it’s AWESOME and he’s a 10-year-old boy with good taste) is because it’s a hero quest. Luke-grew-up-on-a-farm-Skywalker doesn’t think he’ll ever amount to anything and suddenly not only is he thrust into a rebellion as one of the key players, but he finds friends and people to be on his team every step of the way. He’s an unlikely hero. A reluctant one. And Auggie kind of feels like the cards are stacked against him, but if Luke can take on the Empire and find family and friends to fight with him, then maybe…just maybe, Auggie can take on 5th grade and find a place that he belongs in the universe.
Gracie:And boo to the peanut gallery.
Madeleine: WOW.
Annalynn: LOL. You rock, Gracie.
Gracie: *sigh*
Gracie: *shakes head* Let’s just not talk about this again so we can stay friends, okay?
Madeleine: I am more than happy to agree to not talking about Star Wars ever again.
Annalynn: i concur.
Gracie: *shakes head*
Yak Smacks
Since, apparently we all had a lot to say about this book (and if you made it this far, you probably deserve some sort of medal), we unanimously all chipped in 5 Yak Smacks making this the only book ever to receive 15 Yak Smacks.



And if you need more, here’s the book trailer and the author video interview.