Tool · Flashcards
Card 1 of 58 · 0 of 58 marked known
Every card
Characters · 12
August Pullman (Auggie)
August "Auggie" Pullman is the ten-year-old main character and moral compass of R.J. Palacio's Wonder.
character
Charlotte
Charlotte is a minor yet symbolically important supporting character in R.J. Palacio's Wonder.
character
Daisy (the dog)
Daisy is the Pullman family's cherished golden retriever in R.J. Palacio's Wonder, providing uncomplicated comfort and joy in a home filled with emotional complexity.
character
Isabel Pullman
Isabel Pullman is the warm and fiercely devoted mother of August and Via in R.J. Palacio's Wonder.
character
Jack Will
Jack Will is a key character in R.J. Palacio's Wonder, playing the role of Auggie Pullman's first and most significant friend—and importantly, serving as a reflection of the book's central message about choosing kindness over social ease.
character
Julian Albans
Julian Albans is the main antagonist in Wonder by R.J. Palacio, playing a pivotal role in the social cruelty that August Pullman endures during his first year at Beecher Prep.
character
Justin
Justin is Via Pullman's boyfriend and narrates his own section of Wonder in a distinctive lowercase, unpunctuated stream-of-consciousness style.
character
Miranda Navas
Miranda Navas is Via Pullman's oldest and closest childhood friend, serving as a secondary yet emotionally significant character in Wonder by R.J. Palacio.
character
Mr. Tushman
Mr. Tushman is the principal of Beecher Prep's middle school and acts as the main advocate for August Pullman’s successful transition into mainstream education.
character
Nate Pullman
Nate Pullman is the father of August ("Auggie") Pullman in R.J. Palacio's Wonder.
character
Summer Dawson
Summer Dawson is a fifth-grader at Beecher Prep, and her defining quality is her genuine kindness.
character
Via Pullman (Olivia)
Via Pullman (Olivia) is August's older sister and a quietly significant character in R.J. Palacio's Wonder.
character
Key quotes · 10
“Courage. Kindness. Friendship. Character. These are the qualities that define us as human beings.”
This quote is delivered by Mr. Tushman, the principal of Beecher Prep, during his end-of-year graduation address in R.J. Palacio's Wonder (2012).
Mr. Tushman · August: The End of the School Year
“Everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their life because we all overcometh the world.”
This quote comes from Mr. Browne, Auggie Pullman's English teacher at Beecher Prep, and is one of his well-known monthly "precepts" — motivational sayings he shares with his class throughout the school year.
Mr. Browne · Mr. Browne's Postscript Precepts
“Kinder than is necessary. Because it's not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed.”
This line is spoken by Mr. Browne, Auggie Pullman's fifth-grade English teacher at Beecher Prep, early in the novel Wonder by R.J. Palacio.
Mr. Browne · Mr. Browne's Precepts (Part One: August)
“I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their life.”
This line is spoken by Auggie Pullman, the ten-year-old main character in R.J. Palacio's Wonder (2012), and stands out as one of the book's most emotionally impactful moments.
Auggie Pullman · Auggie, Part 6 (The End)
“You can't blend in when you were born to stand out.”
This memorable line is from R.J. Palacio's 2012 middle-grade novel Wonder.
Mr. Browne (precept)
“I know I'm not an ordinary ten-year-old kid.”
This opening line is spoken by August "Auggie" Pullman, the ten-year-old protagonist and narrator of R.J. Palacio's Wonder (2012).
August "Auggie" Pullman · Ordinary (Part One: August)
“When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.”
This line comes from Mr. Browne, Auggie Pullman's fifth-grade English teacher at Beecher Prep, spoken on the very first day of school.
Mr. Browne · Mr. Browne's Precepts (September)
“We carry within us the wonders we seek without us.”
This quote, "We carry within us the wonders we seek without us," originates from Sir Thomas Browne's Religio Medici (1642).
Sir Thomas Browne (quoted by Palacio) · Epigraph
“It's not enough to be friendly. You have to be a friend.”
This line is delivered by Mr. Tushman, the principal of Beecher Prep, during his orientation speech for the fifth graders at the start of the school year in R. J. Palacio's novel Wonder (2012).
Mr. Tushman · Around the chapter 'The First Day of School'
“The things we do outlast our mortality. The things we do are like monuments that people build to honor heroes after they've died.”
This quote is delivered by Mr. Browne, Auggie Pullman's fifth-grade English teacher at Beecher Prep, during one of his well-known monthly "precepts" — life lessons he shares with his class at the beginning of each school year.
Mr. Browne · Mr. Browne's Precepts (Part One: Ordinary)
Symbols · 5
Daisy the Dog
In R.J. Palacio's Wonder, Daisy, the family dog, embodies the unconditional love and acceptance that Auggie Pullman longs for but seldom experiences outside his home.
Julian's Mean Notes
In Wonder by R. J. Palacio, the cruel notes that Julian passes to his classmates reveal the hidden, damaging side of social cruelty and the misuse of peer influence.
Stars
In R.J. Palacio's Wonder, stars represent the quiet goodness found in ordinary people, often overlooked.
The Astronaut Helmet
In R. J. Palacio's Wonder, Auggie Pullman's astronaut helmet symbolizes self-protection, invisibility, and the desire to navigate the world without being noticed.
Via's Braid
In Wonder by R. J. Palacio, Via's braid reflects her identity, continuity, and the quiet sacrifices she makes as Auggie's older sister.
Literary devices · 8
Simile
In Wonder by R. J. Palacio, simile quietly conveys Auggie Pullman's inner thoughts and feelings in a way that allows readers to truly feel his emotions instead of just understanding them.
Narrative Poem
Wonder by R. J. Palacio uses a multi-narrator structure that stands out as one of its most impactful features.
Dramatic Monologue
In Wonder, R. J. Palacio organizes the novel as a series of dramatic monologues.
Symbolism
In Wonder by R. J. Palacio, the symbolism is most striking through Auggie's ongoing attachment to his astronaut helmet.
Motif
In Wonder by R. J. Palacio, the theme of faces — looking at them, hiding from them, and being looked at — runs through every aspect of the novel.
Irony
In Wonder by R. J. Palacio, irony is most striking in the difference between how the world perceives Auggie Pullman and who he truly is.
Metaphor
In Wonder by R. J. Palacio, metaphor quietly and persistently translates Auggie Pullman's experience of facial difference into something emotionally relatable for the reader.
Allusion
In Wonder, R.J. Palacio uses allusions to enrich Auggie Pullman's emotional journey and link his experience to broader human narratives.
Vocabulary · 23
ordinary
Normal and unremarkable in every way, with nothing about you that makes people stop and stare or treat you differently from everyone else.
adjective · Chapter 1
universe
Here, not outer space but the whole force of life and fate — the way the world deals out luck, fairness, and suffering to people.
noun · Chapter 1
magic lamp
A reference to the fairy-tale object that grants wishes when rubbed; used here as a way of saying 'if I could have any wish come true at all.'
phrase · Chapter 1
cosmic
Relating to the grand, universal order of things — the big picture of how life and fate work out across all of existence, far beyond any one person's control.
adjective · Chapter 2
scheme of things
The overall way the world is arranged and how everything fits together; used to talk about what seems fair or right when you look at the big picture.
phrase · Chapter 2
orbit
To move around something as the center of your world, the way planets circle the sun; here it means the whole family's life revolves around Auggie.
verb · Chapter 2
front and center
In the most prominent, visible position, receiving the most attention; the place where everyone's eyes naturally go first.
phrase · Chapter 2
fit together
To match up naturally and comfortably with someone, the way close friends do; when people no longer fit together, their connection feels awkward or gone.
phrase · Chapter 2
felt sorry for
To feel pity toward someone because of their hardship; doing something out of pity rather than genuine liking or respect.
phrase · Chapter 3
The Plague
A cruel nickname students gave to the idea that touching Auggie was contagious — as if his difference could spread like a deadly disease.
noun · Chapter 3
excuse
A reason you use to justify doing something wrong; here, someone else's bad actions used to explain away your own misbehavior.
noun · Chapter 3
fit in
To be accepted as part of a group by acting the way its members expect; to go along with what others do so they will include you.
phrase · Chapter 4
swear to God
An emphatic expression used to insist that you are completely serious and mean exactly what you are saying.
phrase · Chapter 4
automatic
Done without thinking, as a reflex; something so deeply habitual that it happens on its own, the way breathing does.
adjective · Chapter 5
stream-of-consciousness
A style of writing that flows directly from a character's thoughts without normal punctuation or structure, as if you are inside their mind in real time.
noun · Chapter 5
jumping in
Suddenly getting involved in a dangerous or difficult situation to help someone, without being asked and without hesitating.
phrase · Chapter 5
extraordinary
Far beyond what is normal or expected; so remarkable and impressive that the word 'ordinary' simply does not apply.
adjective · Chapter 6
birth defect
A physical condition a person is born with that affects how their body looks or works, caused by something that happened during development before birth.
noun · Chapter 7
reinvents herself
Creates a completely new identity or image for yourself, leaving behind who you used to be and presenting yourself to new people as a different person.
phrase · Chapter 7
deserved
Earned something through effort, suffering, or character, so that receiving it would be fair and right.
verb · Chapter 7
run away screaming
To flee in fear or shock; here used to describe the extreme reaction some people have to Auggie's face when they see it for the first time.
phrase · Chapter 8
kinder than is necessary
Going beyond the minimum level of kindness that a situation requires, choosing to be even more generous and gentle than anyone would expect.
phrase · Chapter 8
wonder
A person who fills others with amazement and awe — someone whose existence and spirit go far beyond anything that could have been hoped for or imagined.
noun · Chapter 8