Post 8: August

 

 

Three days and two nights at the Broarwood Nature Reserve in Pennsylvania. is the end of the year retreat for the fifth graders. August has never been away from home overnight before. During an outdoor movie Auggie and Jack ran into a few boys from another school who began harassing them because of Auggies appearance and size. To the boys surprise, some boys from their school came to the rescue. Amos, Miles, and Henry were ready to do anything that they had to do to protect Auggie from these bullies. After one of the boys had grabbed Auggies hoodie and made him fall backwards on the ground Amos bolted into the guy as hard as he could while someone else grabbed Auggie and they left in an all out run. When they all returned to school, "The first thing I noticed was that there was a big shift in the way things were" (pg 282).

 

 

 



 

 

 

The students at Beecher Prep realized that there was much more to August than what was showing on the surface. He was a smart boy with a great sense of humor. Mr. Tushman read out of a  book written by Beecher which said, "'Greatness,' 'lies not in being strong , but in the right using of strength....He is the greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts"' (pg304)...then he called August up to receive the Henry Ward Beecher medal.

 

August was a brave young man. Stepping out of the comfort of his home and caring parents and facing the scrutiny of teenagers, who at times could be very cruel, took a great act of courage. He is a great role model for all the children who have special needs or as what we early childcare people say, "special abilities".

 

Post 7: Miranda

Miranda was one of  Via's best friends and loved Auggie as a little brother. She gifted a astronauts helmet to Auggie when he was real young and he rarely took it off. In order to get through a difficult divorce Miranda's mother sent her to summer camp. While there she began telling the girls that she had a big house, a dog named Daisy and a brother who was deformed. She became very popular among the girls at summer camp.

"There was a part of me that felt a little entitled to this lie"(pg237).

When she returned to school in the fall she stopped talking to Via all together and talked about her behind her back to the other girls. Miranda noticed that Olivia was auditioning for the lead part in the school play so she tried out and got the part. During the night of the show Miranda's family had prior commitments and couldn't be at the play. She did notice Olivia's family out there anxiously awaiting the start of the play.

Miranda told the director of the play that she couldn't go on and that Via would have to take her place. "I feel sick, said trying to sound sick" (pg 244).

Miranda knowing full well that she was the best person for the part felt that it was all for nothing when her family couldn't be there to see it. She so envied the relationship that Olivia had with her family a loving caring unit.

Miranda was once again apart of the Pullman's life which she so desperately missed. Isabelle invited her for a celebratory dinner to which Via came over and insisted that she come.

Miranda made a few mistakes during summer camp to make her out to be someone she wasn't I don't believe that she did this in any way to be malicious. I think that she felt like she was apart of this family and her real family life was such a mess that she adopted the Pullman's reality as her own.

 

Post 6: August

 

 

 

 

August had always known from the time he was very young that his hearing would eventually deteriorate so much that he would need hearing aids. During his annual doctors appointment he failed his audiology test. With his ears being malformed the doctors had to fit Auggie with a special headband so the ear buds would stay in place.

"Do I really have to wear this Mom?" "I hate them"(pg213)! 

Once his hearing aids were turned on and adjusted correctly the difference was like night and day.

 

 

With Auggies new hearing abilities he overheard a conversation between his mother and Olivia. A secret about the play came out. Via hadn't told her parents about it and a huge argument ensued. Via said, "Just leave me  alone okay? you've been really good about leaving me alone my whole life ,so why you choose high school to suddenly be interested I have no idea" (pg216)...

 At dinner that night mom tried to explain to Auggie that the play wouldn't be interesting for him so she would stay home with him while their dad would attend once again sparking an outburst out of Via. Via felt like she gained nothing by being upfront and honest with her mom when it came down to the nitty gritty, mom would always stay and protect Auggie. Auggie caught on right away to what was going on and yelled at his mother to stop treating him like he was a baby.

 

 

That night tragedy strikes the Pullman household their dog Daisy passes away. The family unit comes together and realizes that the argument was unimportant and they all were invited to Via's school to see the play.



Post 5: Justin

 

 

Olivia's boyfriend, Justin is a fiddle player in a Zydeco band. He comes from a divorced family and lives with his mother. After dating Olivia for two months he goes over to her house to meet Auggie even with the heads up from Via, Justin had a hard time not trying to look surprised when he met and shook Auggies hand for the first time.

 

 

 

Valentines day was the day Justin finally met the parents he gets so nervous that his tics begin to appear. Once the initial exchanging of pleasantries concluded it was very obvious to Justin that he liked this family. "I'm not used to all the attention, to be truthful, my parents don't have a clue about what I want to do with my life. "We never talk like this"(pg192).

Via encourages Justin to audition for the school play which he got the lead part while Olivia the understudy for the female lead. She helped him practice his lines and encouraged when he struggled. Justin and Olivia help lift each others spirits when they are down they have open communications which strengthens their relationship as it grows.

 

Post 4: Jack

Jack was one of the three students by the principal of Beecher Prep. He was asked to come in and give the new student a tour around the school. He was informed at that time by his mother that the kid he was being a "buddy" to was deformed in some sort of way. Jack didn't need time to think about his decision it was an emphatic "I don't want to do it"(pg.135).

"When I saw him, I was like 'Ahhhh!' and I ran away..." -Jamie (pg.140)

After seeing the disappointment on his mothers face and hearing the comment his brother made jack felt bad about how is was feeling so he agreed to do the tour.
When school began Jack would sit right next to August in the classes they were in together. Jack wasn't his friend because he felt sorry for him or even that he was protecting him from the other students who could be real jerks. He sat with him because he thought that Auggie was a "really cool dude"(pg. 142).

During Halloween when all the students were allowed to wear costumes jack was talking to some of the other boys and when asked why he hung out with Auggie so much Jack responded that Mr. Tushman the principal asked him to and truly if he had a face like Auggie's he would kill himself. He didn't realize that Auggie was dressed up in a bleeding scream costume and heard the entire conversation. Jack couldn't understand why all of a sudden Auggie was not speaking to him until he was told pieced two and two together when Summer told him "bleeding scream" (pg144)."I know why ur mad at me now Im sorry I didn't mean the stuff I said. I was so stupid. I hope u can 4give me" (pg164).
Auggie and Jack stay friends throughout the rest of the book. Jack understands the meaning that true friendship surpasses all.

Post 3: Summer

 

 

"Because he's a nice kid" (pg119)!

Summer is a girl who saw August sitting all by himself in the lunch room. She saw the looks he was getting from the other children and the whispering going on behind his back she immediately decided to steer away from the crowd and sit with August. She admits that at first she sat with him because she felt sorry for him but after getting to know him better she realized that he was "fun"(pg120). She enjoyed the way August likes to play Four Square. He was real in her eyes not trying to be too grown-up.

"He's just a kid. The weirdest-looking kid I've ever seen, yes. but just a kid" (pg119).

 

 

Summer stood up against peer pressure the moment she sat with August. She didn't care what others thought of her at that moment she was just being a friend. During a Halloween party that she was invited to by one of the popular girls she was told that one of the boys of the super mega popular group liked her and if she would stop hanging around Auggie she could also be in with their group. She would have to choose. ultimately she faked having to go to the bathroom and while she was in there she called her mother to pick her up. She told the girls the next day that she had a stomach ache and had to go home. When August came back to school she returned to her place at the lunch table with him.

Summer is the kind of kid I'd love to have around. She is strong in her values and she believes that everyone should be treated like humans even if they have a special need or disability. Every adult and child should take a real good look at Summer she is the epitome of what a real friend looks like. 



"Character is like a tree and reputation is like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing".
Abraham Lincoln

 



Post 2: Via

 

 

 

Olivia is the oldest sibling. She recalls a picture of her third birthday. "You can really see in that picture how I was really the first child, first grandchild, first niece. I don't remember what it felt like, of course, but I can see it plain as can be in pictures"(pg84). When August is born the focus turns to him and the issues he is faced with. When seeing August for the first time she says, "I just looked at him for a long time without saying anything at all, then finally I said it doesn't look like Lily"(pg.84)! Lily was a doll her grandmother had given her to care for while waiting for the birth of her new sibling. After a few days of seeing August she was caring for him like she did for Lily kissing him and talking to him. Olivia naturally takes the back burner as her parents are busy focusing on Augusts needs. When Olivia turned eleven she went to stay with her grandmother for four weeks while August had his jaw surgery performed she explained the reaction she had to seeing August when she returned as

"Horrified. Sickened. Scared" (pg86).

This of course didn't last very long. After her grandmother passed away she knew that she would have to be self- reliant in her studies and dealing with daily situations that would materialize. She learned very quickly to push aside her own feelings, possibly out of guilt, and tell her parents that everything was going good in her new school when in all actuality it was not going so good. Her parents would continue to be very busy with her brother. Olivia gives the reader its first insight as to what August appearance is she describes it as

"His eyes are about an inch below where they should be on his face and the lower eyelids sag so much they almost look like a piece of invisible string is pulling them downward.....sometimes people assume he's been burned in a fire"(pg88).

It is very obvious throughout the book that Olivia loves her brother with all her heart it's just that she is torn between her wanting some parental attention and the guilt of not wanting to pull them away from her brother. Having to share your parents with siblings is hard enough without the added pressure she is experiencing.

Post 1: August

"I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse" (pg3).

 

I was hooked at the first sentence. We all want to feel like we are ordinary people. We all like simple things in life. For August it doesn't come so simple. He wants to be looked at just like other children but the fact is he is not like all the other children. The author R.J. Palacio begins the story by giving August a voice. He describes how he feels "ordinary" inside his body. "I eat ice cream. I ride my bike. I play ball. I have an Xbox"(pg3). The reader gets a glimpse through the eyes of August on his feelings as he begins his journey from being in the safe confines of his home and being home-schooled by his mother to venturing out to a middle school full of 5th graders he doesn't know. As an adult I can't help  but be reminded of the way I felt entering a new middle school full of people I didn't know. It was difficult enough being a shy girl and just trying to fit in ....somewhere. I was fortunate enough to be really good at sports so I found my "in" with the jocks in my school. I can only imagine the way August must have felt in his situation. His mother, Isabel, was a huge proponent of August entering school at Beecher Prep she felt that August was ready to learn more than she was able to teach him. Nate, August's father was not so supportive of this decision saying, "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do"(pg9). In the end dad went along with moms decision to let August try school.