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Wonder

THIS IS A BORZOI Volume PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF

This is a piece of work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author'due south imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or expressionless, events, or locales is entirely casual.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Palacio, R. J.

Wonder / past R.J. Palacio.

p. cm.

Summary: X-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from beingness dwelling house-schooled to entering 5th grade at a individual centre school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fearfulness of his classmates equally he struggles to exist seen every bit just another student.

eISBN: 978-0-375-89988-i

[1. Abnormalities, Human being—Fiction. 2. Cocky-importance—Fiction. 3. Center schools—Fiction. iv. Schools—Fiction.] I. Championship.

PZ7.P17526Wo 2012

[Fic]—dc23

2011027133

February 2012

Random House Children'southward Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the correct to read.

v3.ane

For Russell, Caleb, and Joseph

Contents

Encompass

Title Page

Dedication

Epigraph

Part One: August

Ordinary

Why I Didn't Go to School

How I Came to Life

Christopher'due south House

Driving

Paging Mr. Tushman

Nice Mrs. Garcia

Jack Volition, Julian, and Charlotte

The Grand Tour

The Functioning Infinite

The Deal

Home

Commencement-Twenty-four hours Jitters

Locks

Effectually the Room

Lamb to the Slaughter

Cull Kind

Dejeuner

The Summer Table

Ane to Ten

Padawan

Wake Me Up when September Ends

Jack Will

Mr. Browne'due south Oct Precept

Apples

Halloween

School Pictures

The Cheese Touch

Costumes

The Haemorrhage Scream

Names

Office Two: Via

A Tour of the Galaxy

Before August

Seeing August

August Through the Peephole

High School

Major Tom

After Schoolhouse

The Padawan Bites the Dust

An Apparition at the Door

Breakfast

Genetics 101

The Punnett Foursquare

Out with the One-time

October 31

Trick or Treat

Time to Recall

Part Iii: Summer

Weird Kids

The Plague

The Halloween Party

November

Alert: This Child Is Rated R

The Egyptian Tomb

Part Four: Jack

The Call

Carvel

Why I Changed My Mind

4 Things

Ex-Friends

Snow

Fortune Favors the Assuming

Individual School

In Science

Partners

Detention

Season'due south Greetings

Letters, Emails, Facebook, Texts

Back from Winter Intermission

The War

Switching Tables

Why I Didn't Sit with August the Get-go Twenty-four hours of Schoolhouse

Sides

August's House

The Fellow

Part Five: Justin

Olivia's Brother

Valentine'due south Day

Our Town

Ladybug

The Motorbus Stop

Rehearsal

Bird

The Universe

Role Half dozen: August

North Pole

The Auggie Doll

Lobot

Hearing Brightly

Via'southward Secret

My Cave

Goodbye

Daisy's Toys

Heaven

Understudy

The Ending

Part Seven: Miranda

Camp Lies

School

What I Miss Most

Boggling, but No One There to See

The Performance

After the Show

Role Eight: August

The 5th-Grade Nature Retreat

Known For

Packing

Daybreak

Day One

The Fairgrounds

Be Kind to Nature

The Forest Are Alive

Alien

Voices in the Dark

The Emperor'southward Guard

Slumber

Aftermath

Home

Acquit

The Shift

Ducks

The Last Precept

The Driblet-Off

Take Your Seats, Anybody

A Uncomplicated Thing

Awards

Floating

Pictures

The Walk Home

Appendix

Acknowledgments

Permissions

Doctors take come from distant cities

but to see me

stand over my bed

disbelieving what they're seeing

They say I must be one of the wonders

of god's own cosmos

and as far as they can see they can offer

no explanation

—NATALIE MERCHANT, "Wonder"

Fate smiled and destiny

laughed as she came to my cradle …

—Natalie Merchant, "Wonder"

Ordinary

I know I'm non an ordinary x-year-former child. I hateful, sure, I do ordinary things. I eat water ice cream. I ride my wheel. I play ball. I have an XBox. Stuff like that makes me ordinary. I gauge. And I feel ordinary. Inside. Simply I know ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. I know ordinary kids don't become stared at wherever they get.

If I found a magic lamp and I could take 1 wish, I would wish that I had a normal face that no one e'er noticed at all. I would wish that I could walk down the street without people seeing me and then doing that look-abroad matter. Here'southward what I think: the but reason I'g not ordinary is that no one else sees me that way.

But I'k kind of used to how I expect by at present. I know how to pretend I don't meet the faces people make. We've all gotten pretty good at that sort of thing: me, Mom and Dad, Via. Actually, I take that back: Via'south not so skilful at it. She tin get really annoyed when people do something rude. Like, for instance, one time in the playground some older kids made some noises. I don't even know what the noises were exactly considering I didn't hear them myself, but Via heard and she just started yelling at the kids. That's the mode she is. I'm non that way.

Via doesn't see me every bit ordinary. She says she does, but if I were ordinary, she wouldn't experience similar

she needs to protect me as much. And Mom and Dad don't run into me as ordinary, either. They see me as extraordinary. I think the only person in the world who realizes how ordinary I am is me.

My name is Baronial, by the way. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever y'all're thinking, it's probably worse.

Why I Didn't Get to School

Next week I get-go fifth grade. Since I've never been to a real school before, I am pretty much totally and completely petrified. People think I oasis't gone to school because of the way I wait, only information technology'due south non that. Information technology's because of all the surgeries I've had. Twenty-seven since I was built-in. The bigger ones happened before I was even iv years old, then I don't recall those. Simply I've had two or three surgeries every year since and so (some big, some small), and because I'm little for my age, and I have some other medical mysteries that doctors never really figured out, I used to become sick a lot. That's why my parents decided it was better if I didn't go to school. I'm much stronger now, though. The last surgery I had was eight months ago, and I probably won't accept to have whatever more for some other couple of years.

Mom homeschools me. She used to be a children's-book illustrator. She draws really neat fairies and mermaids. Her male child stuff isn't so hot, though. She once tried to draw me a Darth Vader, just information technology ended up looking like some weird mushroom-shaped robot. I haven't seen her draw anything in a long time. I remember she's too busy taking care of me and Via.

I can't say I ever wanted to get to schoolhouse because that wouldn't exist exactly truthful. What I wanted was to become to school, but but if I could be similar every other kid going to school. Have lots of friends and hang out later school and stuff like that.

I take a few really good friends at present. Christopher is my best friend, followed by Zachary and Alex. We've known each other since nosotros were babies. And since they've e'er known me the way I am, they're used to me. When we were little, we used to accept playdates all the fourth dimension, but then Christopher moved to Bridgeport in Connecticut. That's more than an hr away from where I live in North River Heights, which is at the top tip of Manhattan. And Zachary and Alex started going to school. Information technology'south funny: even though Christopher'southward the one who moved far away, I still come across him more than I see Zachary and Alex. They accept all these new friends now. If we bump into each other on the street, they're still nice to me, though. They ever say hello.

I have other friends, too, just not every bit good as Christopher and Zack and Alex were. For example, Zack and Alex always invited me to their birthday parties when we were picayune, but Joel and Eamonn and Gabe never did. Emma invited me once, just I haven't seen her in a long time. And, of course, I always go to Christopher's birthday. Maybe I'm making likewise large a bargain about birthday parties.

How I Came to Life

I similar when Mom tells this story considering information technology makes me laugh and then much. It's not funny in the manner a joke is funny, simply when Mom tells it, Via and I just beginning cracking up.

So when I was in my mom'south breadbasket, no ane had whatsoever idea I would come out looking the way I wait. Mom had had Via four years before, and that had been such a "walk in the park" (Mom's expression) that there was no reason to run any special tests. Nigh two months before I was built-in, the doctors realized there was something wrong with my face, but they didn't call up it was going to be bad. They told Mom and Dad I had a cleft palate and some other stuff going on. They chosen it "small anomalies."

At that place were two nurses in the commitment room the dark I was born. Ane was very prissy and sweet. The other one, Mom said, did non seem at all nice or sugariness. She had very big arms and (here comes the funny office), she kept farting. Similar, she'd bring Mom some ice chips, and and so fart. She'd check Mom's blood pressure, and fart. Mom says information technology was unbelievable because the nurse never even said excuse me! Meanwhile, Mom's regular doctor wasn't on duty that nighttime, then Mom got stuck with this cranky kid physician she and Dad nicknamed Doogie later some old Tv show or something (they didn't actually call him that to his face). But Mom says that even though anybody in the room was kind of grumpy, Dad kept making her laugh all nighttime long.

When I came out of Mom's stomach, she said the whole room got very quiet. Mom didn't even get a chance to look at me considering the nice nurse immediately rushed me out of the room. Dad was in such a bustle to follow her that he dropped the video camera, which broke into a million pieces. And and then Mom got very upset and tried to get out of bed to run across where they were going, but the farting nurse put her very big artillery on Mom to keep her down in the bed. They were practically fighting, because Mom was hysterical and the farting nurse was yelling at her to stay calm, then they both started screaming for the physician. But guess what? He had fainted! Right on the floor! So when the farting nurse saw that he had fainted, she started pushing him with her pes to become him to wake up, yelling at him the whole fourth dimension: "What kind of dr. are you lot? What kind of doctor are you? Get upwardly! Get up!" And then all of a sudden she let out the biggest, loudest, smelliest fart in the history of farts. Mom thinks it was actually the fart that finally woke the doctor up. Anyhow, when Mom tells this story, she acts out all the parts—including the farting noises—and information technology is then, and then, so, and then funny!

Mom says the farting nurse turned out to be a very nice woman. She stayed with Mom the whole fourth dimension. Didn't leave her side fifty-fifty subsequently Dad came dorsum and the doctors told them how sick I was. Mom remembers exactly what the nurse whispered in her ear when the medico told her I probably wouldn't live through the night: "Everyone built-in of God overcometh the world." And the next mean solar day, after I had lived through the night, it was that nurse who held Mom's mitt when they brought her to see me for the first time.

Mom says past then they had told her all virtually me. She had been preparing herself for the seeing of me. But she says that when she looked down into my tiny mushed-up confront for the first time, all she could come across was how pretty my eyes were.

Mom is beautiful, by the way. And Dad is handsome. Via is pretty. In instance you were wondering.

Christopher's Firm

I was actually bummed when Christopher moved away 3 years agone. Nosotros were both effectually vii and so. Nosotros used to spend hours playing with our Star Wars action figures and dueling with our lightsabers. I miss that.

Terminal spring we collection over to Christopher'southward house in Bridgeport. Me and Christopher were looking for snacks in the kitchen, and I heard Mom talking to Lisa, Christopher'due south mom, near my going to school in the autumn. I had never, e'er heard her mention schoolhouse before.

"What are yous talking about?" I said.

Mom looked surprised, like she hadn't meant for me to hear that.

"You should tell him what you've been thinking, Isabel," Dad said. He was on the other side of the living room talking to Christopher'south dad.

"We should talk about this later," said Mom.

"No, I desire to know what you were talking about," I answered.

"Don't you think yous're prepare for schoolhouse, Auggie?" Mom said.

"No," I said.

"I don't, either," said Dad.

"So that's information technology, case closed," I said, shrugging, and I sat in her lap like I was a infant.

"I just call back you need to learn more than I can teach you," Mom said. "I hateful, come on, Auggie, you lot know how bad I am at fractions!"

"What school?" I said. I already felt similar crying.

"Beecher Prep. Right by us."

"Wow, that's a groovy school, Auggie," said Lisa, patting my knee.

"Why not Via's school?" I said.

"That's too big," Mom answered. "I don't call up that would be a expert fit for you."

"I don't want to," I said. I admit: I made my voice sound a lilliputian babyish.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do," Dad said, coming over and lifting me out of Mom'southward lap. He carried me over to sit down on his lap on the other side of the sofa. "We won't make you exercise anything you don't desire to practise."

"Merely it would be good for him, Nate," Mom said.

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"Not if he doesn't want to," answered Dad, looking at me. "Not if he's non ready."
I saw Mom await at Lisa, who reached over and squeezed her hand.

"You guys volition figure it out," she said to Mom. "You always have."

"Let's just talk about it later on," said Mom. I could tell she and Dad were going to get in a fight well-nigh it. I wanted Dad to win the fight. Though a function of me knew Mom was correct. And the truth is, she really was terrible at fractions.

Driving

Information technology was a long drive home. I fell comatose in the backseat like I always do, my head on Via'southward lap like she was my pillow, a towel wrapped around the seat chugalug and so I wouldn't drool all over her. Via fell asleep, as well, and Mom and Dad talked quietly nigh grown-up things I didn't intendance about.

I don't know how long I was sleeping, merely when I woke up, there was a total moon exterior the auto window. It was a royal nighttime, and we were driving on a highway total of cars. And and then I heard Mom and Dad talking near me.

"We can't proceed protecting him," Mom whispered to Dad, who was driving. "We can't simply pretend he'south going to wake upwardly tomorrow and this isn't going to be his reality, because information technology is, Nate, and we accept to help him learn to deal with it. We can't only continue fugitive situations that …"

"Then sending him off to middle school similar a lamb to the slaughter …," Dad answered angrily, but he didn't even finish his judgement because he saw me in the mirror looking upwards.

"What'due south a lamb to the slaughter?" I asked sleepily.

"Become back to sleep, Auggie," Dad said softly.

"Everyone will stare at me at school," I said, all of a sudden crying.

"Honey," Mom said. She turned around in the forepart seat and put her hand on my hand. "You lot know if yous don't desire to do this, you lot don't have to. Merely we spoke to the principal at that place and told him about y'all and he really wants to meet you."

"What did you tell him near me?"

"How funny you are, and how kind and smart. When I told him yous read Dragon Passenger when you were vi, he was similar, 'Wow, I accept to run across this kid.' "

"Did you lot tell him annihilation else?" I said.

Mom smiled at me. Her smile kind of hugged me.

"I told him about all your surgeries, and how brave you are," she said.