Wonder

by R.J. Palacio

Dad was the one person in the world who could make me laugh no matter how much I didn’t want to laugh.

“Do you know who Mr. T is?” he answered. “I pity the fool?” he said in a funny tough voice, like he was imitating someone.

“Hi,” I said, looking down. She was wearing bright green Crocs.

I think it’s like the Cheese Touch in Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Far above the world Planet Earth is blue And there’s nothing I can do —David Bowie, “Space Oddity”

“Of course she is. Charlotte’s such a Goody Two-Shoes,” I answered.

“It’s not like we’re saying you’re going to look like Jar Jar, you know?

Funny how sometimes you worry a lot about something and it turns out to be nothing.

And I wondered if Daisy was sleeping in heaven right then. And if she was sleeping, was she dreaming about me? And I wondered how it would feel to be in heaven someday and not have my face matter anymore. Just like it never, ever mattered to Daisy.

I thought of that scene in Close Encounters when the alien ship lands and they’re playing that music: duh-dah-doo-da-dunnn.

It felt like that song Miranda used to sing to me: Ground Control to Major Tom, your circuit’s dead, there’s something wrong … I

Here I was looking for symbolism and metaphors and, um … sometimes a duck is just a duck!”

If every single person in this room made it a rule that wherever you are, whenever you can, you will try to act a little kinder than is necessary—the world really would be a better place. And if you do this, if you act just a little kinder than is necessary, someone else, somewhere, someday, may recognize in you, in every single one of you, the face of God.”

I could almost hear the Star Wars theme music playing in my head as I stood on the stage.

I didn’t destroy a Death Star or anything like that, but I did just get through the fifth grade. And that’s not easy, even if you’re not me.

“You really are a wonder, Auggie. You are a wonder.”

If you can get through middle school without hurting anyone’s feelings, that’s really cool beans. —Summer Dawson

Everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their life because we all overcometh the world. —Auggie