A New Day, A New Book

Wonder Questions (Pages 11 to 43)

If you haven't read the book or seen the movie of 'Wonder,' you must be living under a rock. Wonder is about August Pullman, a boy who isn't exactly... ordinary, who enters fifth grade, attending school for the first time

Warning: Spoilers! (Go watch the movie, it's really good)

1. What was August's one wish that he wanted? If you could change one thing about your appearance what would it be?
   If Auggie had one wish, he'd wish to have a 'normal' face. A face that wouldn't make people feel the need to stop and stare. If I could change one thing about my appearance? This may sound cliche but I would want a flatter stomach, it's my one out-standing insecurity.
2. What do you think it means to be ordinary? What makes August extraordinary?
   To be ordinary... Being ordinary is to live a normal life. Go to school, have nothing 'wrong' with you. Auggie is extraordinary because he's different, because he's not 'normal,' because he's never been to school before. 
3. How do people react when they see Auggie's face for the first time? How would you react?
   People react in different ways, with some people, they catch a glimpse of him and immediately look somewhere else, or others just stare. If I were to meet him for the first time? If I'm honest, I'd be slightly shocked, but I'd try to play it off as best I could. I would treat him like I'd treat anyone else.
4. August's dad said, "So sending him off to middle school like a lamb to the slaughter...." What does this mean? Explain.
   Like a lamb to the slaughter is a metaphor, it, in short, means sending someone, or something, to their death, or somewhere you know they aren't going to survive. Auggie's dad says this because he knows how harsh kids are. 
5. Would you send August to school if you were his mom or dad? Explain why or why not.
   I personally would, at least for half a year, I would want him to live a decently normal life. If things got too bad and out of hand, kids start bullying him, taunting him etc, then I would take him out. 
6. What white lie did August's mum tell? Why did she do it? Are white lies ok to tell?
   Auggies mum lied about the entrance test he had to take the previous year, telling him it was an IQ test. She lied so he wouldn't freak out about going to school even if he didn't get in. I believe white lies are okay to tell, only when the situation calls for it.
7. Auggie decided he liked Mrs Garcia ‐ when she wasn’t wearing her shiny smile. What is a 'shiny smile'?
   A fake smile, a smile that is so happy and shiny that it's very obviously fake and forced. 
8. How does Auggie know the first time he meets Julian that he will be a bully? What are some of the ways that Julian bullies Auggie? How does Auggie respond?
   Auggie knows that Julian because of the way he acts around Auggie and the way he treats him. Julian shows this by doing things like asking him rude, inconsiderate, inappropriate and personal questions, purposefully tripping him up, etc.