Wonder

Though Summer hangs out with Auggie initially because she feels sorry for him, she doesn’t see him this way anymore. Now they’re friends, though it does take time to get used to his face and the messy way he eats. What she loves most about Auggie is that he has a sense of wonder. Other kids, like her former friends, are now trying to act older than they are. They don’t like games or dressing up for Halloween, but Auggie still likes these things. It’s actually while playing Four Square that Summer finds out about a game all the kids are playing called the Plague. Basically, anyone who touches Auggie has to clean their hands immediately or they’ll catch a disease. When a girl named Maya relays this information, Summer tells her it’s dumb. The girl agrees, but she still refuses to touch anything that Auggie’s touched.

Summer is excited that she gets an invite to Savanna’s Halloween party. Savanna is one of the popular girls, and everyone wants an invite. The only downside is that costumes aren’t allowed at the party, which makes Summer sad because she made a unicorn costume that she was going to wear to the Halloween parade. When she gets to the party, Savanna asks her where her boyfriend is, which confuses her, until Savanna makes a crude joke about the boyfriend not having to wear a mask for Halloween. Inside, Summer notices that the most well-liked kids from the two popular groups, Savanna’s and Julian’s, are there. She’s then bombarded with questions about why she hangs out with Auggie. Savanna and others tell her that she could be in the popular group if she’d ditch Auggie. They also admit that Julian likes her, and she can date him if she stops hanging out with “Zombie kid” (122). Upset, Summer goes to the restroom and calls her mom, then slips out of the party unnoticed. 

The next day at school, Summer tells Savanna she got a stomach bug from eating too much candy, and that she has a secret crush on someone else. At lunch, she notices that Auggie is acting differently. He’s short with his replies, and he’s eating as if trying to be gross. She finds out that, for Egyptian Museum Day, Auggie’s doing the Step Pyramid of Sakkara. Auggie finally tells Summer that she doesn’t have to pretend to be his friend even if Mr. Tushman told her to. Summer feels hurt by the accusation, and when she gets emotional, Auggie apologizes. When she promises that she’s not being his friend because someone told her to, he tells her everything about Jack Will and Julian. She then pinkie swears not to tell anyone.

Auggie goes to Summer’s house for homework. Though Summer warned her mother about what he looks like, her mother is visibly shocked when she sees Auggie. She recovers quickly, however, after embarrassed prodding from Summer. Auggie calls his mom so that he can stay for dinner. Later, he looks at pictures of Summer and realizes that she’s biracial. She informs him that her father, who was a platoon sergeant, died a few years ago. They then talk about death and the afterlife, and when Summer mentions that people come back as someone different, Auggie jokes, saying, “I really like that, Summer. That means in my next life I won’t be stuck with this face” (129). As Auggie continues joking about himself, Summer laughs. He then tells her about his condition. Summer loves how he can have such a good spirit about his circumstances.

Summer’s mom and Auggie’ parents become friends, and she and Auggie spend more time together while getting ready for Egyptian Museum Day. When the day arrives, the kids are elated to see that the gym has been turned into a museum. Summer thinks that her statue of Anubis and Auggie’s project are the best ones. The parents are invited to the event, and when they arrive, they’re taken around the “museum” by their kid(s). The kids all get to dress up according to the theme, so Summer and Auggie are mummies. As Summer gets a drink, Jack Will asks her if she knows why Auggie is mad at him. She says she does but that she can’t tell him. When he admits that he’s confused and asks for a hint, she simply whispers, “Bleeding scream” (132), and then walks away.