Yasmin+Journal

I think Auggie is not making a big of a deal about birthday parties, but he is obsessing over them. Obsessing over hanging out with friends is making him feel bad about himself. Auggie noticed he doesn't get invited to sleepovers, birthday parties, etc. because of his one difference, his eye. Personally, I think these quotes perfectly describe Auggie and others who are ostracized for things they can't control, like the way they were born. "Don't judge a book by it's cover," and "It's not what's on the outside that matters, but what's on the inside that counts." I haven't ever been in Auggie's situation, but I can imagine how horrible it would feel to be left out because of the one thing Auggie can't control, the way he looks. I also haven't knowingly hurt anyone nor have I been hurt by birthday party or sleepover situations that I am aware of, but I can't help but feel for Auggie.

Journal Entry 1: January 7, 2015

I think Mom is more scared than Auggie because she knows someone might hurt his feelings on the tour because of the way he looks. Like Auggie, Mom has seen people pretend not to look at him when they saw him, some turn their head away, and then look again, and some just stare. She knows that hurts his feelings. Mom also seems like she wants him to like Beecher Prep, especially because it's his first school. She wants him to feel like he belongs there, not to feel uncomfortable. In conclusion, I think Mom is worried about the way the other students in the school, besides Julian, Jack Will, and Charlotte, will react to his eye while he is on tour.

Journal Entry 2: January 9, 2015

Once we actually came to know the characters, I felt that Julian is a jerk, Charlotte's really nice, but she's a chatterbox, and Jack Will is a nice, ordinary guy. Julian is very rude to Auggie about the way his eye looks and teases him for that. He also asks rude questions to purposely try to hurt Auggie. Jack Will is a pretty nice guy, for he realized when Auggie smiled and he smiled back. He also took Auggie's side when Jack Will teased him, as well as Charlotte. Charlotte loves theater, and acts a little bit like Via; an older, protective sibling. She's also a chatterbox. Personally I thought the tour went okay, but Julian was the one who ruined it.

Journal Entry 3: January 12, 2015

Auggie really surprises me when he says, "Really Mom, l want to." This surprises me because Julian was being such a jerk, and to know other kids are like him too, that's scary. In addition, it's Auggie's first time at school. It takes a ton of courage to actually say, "Yes, I want to go," after he sees kids like Julian. It's just mind blowing how Auggie handles kids like Julian; which is very calmly and rationally. Personally, if I were in Auggie's shoes, and someone said that to me, I would fire back immediately like Via.

Journal Entry 4: January 12, 2015

At the beginning of the book, Jack Will was very protective of Auggie. He yelled, "Shut up, Julian!" when Julian was being rude. Jack Will was also by Auggie's side when he was feeling down and made him laugh. He was a true friend. Jack Will made you think that he liked Auggie, no matter what his face looked like. After finding out who Jack Will really is, he might be worse than Julian! He is the worst kind of bully, super nice when the victim is around, but really mean when they're not there. I hope Jack Will was influenced by Julian to say those hurtful words and he didn't mean it. Auggie must be feeling horrible; finding out his "best friend" is really a huge jerk must really hurt. I hope Auggie will be okay, after all, he still has Summer!

Journal Entry 5: January 16, 2015

I think if Summer and Auggie met up somehow, she could change his mind about not going to school. Summer has been there for Auggie almost every step of the way. She is a true friend and I hope it stays that way. If I were in Auggie's shoes, I would definitely go back to school. Like Via, I would fire back immediately to Jack Will and tell him I heard what he said and I don't appreciate it. I think Auggie should talk to an adult. He might not want to talk to an adult because he is shy, but that isn't an excuse. Personally, if this were happening to me, I would tell my parents and my teachers. They help so much more than you think!

Journal Entry 6: January 16, 2015

I have learned that some people aren't really who you thought they were from Part One. For example, Jack Will was really nice to Auggie when he was around, but a bully when he wasn't around. I would love to share what I've learned with others from Part One of // Wonder //. I would like to tweet "Being different, only adds character." This goes for Auggie and everyone else in the world. Being unique, despite what anyone else thinks, is the best way to be you. Being the same doesn't show who you really are, it just shows that you only care about how other people think of you. This is what I think my tweet means. I would love to share what I've learned with others from Part One of //Wonder//.

Journal Entry 7: January 16, 2015

I think what Via is trying to tell us is that now that everyone has grown up a little, their family has drifted away from each other. Since Auggie is now at school, he has become a little more independent and does not want to talk to his parents anymore. That means Via might receive more attention from her parents than Auggie. Since Auggie has always been the center of their parents' attention, I wonder how Auggie will handle not getting as much attention as he used to.

Journal Entry 8: January 26, 2015

Overall, I think Via misses Grans. Via could talk to her about anything and could receive the attention she deserved from her. Grans was like a mother Via never had. That was a special connection that no one could take away from them. When Grans died, it seemed like Via fell into pieces. Like their connection died with Grans, but was still alive in Via. Every thought of Grans and their memories together gives Via a warm, fuzzy feeling, sort of like a blanket.

Journal Entry 9: January 26, 2015

I think Summer left the party because she didn't want to talk about her personal life. I also think she left because Savanna kept bringing up how popular Summer would be if she didn't hang out with Auggie so much, how pretty and how nice people think she is, and people having a crush on her like Julian. If I were Summer, I would probably defend Auggie and say that I don't care what other people think of me and how popular, pretty, and nice I am. I wouldn't like her attitude but I would probably be honest and tell her that I would choose Auggie over Julian any day. If Julian and Auggie became friends, maybe something could work out, but not at the moment. I would hope she would pass the topic we were talking about and get onto another topic. If she didn't change the topic or chose another that I was uncomfortable with, I would probably want to leave depending on the level of how far she takes it. If she changes the topic to something I would be comfortable with, I would definitely stay.

Journal Entry 10: February 2, 2015

During this chapter, I learned that Melissa Albans is very sly, ignorant, and rude, much like her son Julian. I learned she was ignorant and rude when she said Auggie is putting too much "stress" on the other children because of the way he looks. In addition, I learned that Melissa was sly when she said she was on the school committee when she was clearly asking Lawrence Tushman to remove Auggie from the school. She thought that because she thinks Auggie doesn't meet the standards of the school. Saying she was on the school committee really forced Lawrence to be very nice to her or something bad would happen from the school committee. I also learned that Lawrence Tushman is very protective of his students. He certainly does not like parents talking about them behind their backs. For example, Melissa said Auggie was not supposed to be at Beecher Prep because it is not an "inclusion school". When Lawrence read that, he seemed furious. He let Melissa know that Jack was nicer than he son would ever be, and took Auggie's side saying that he was not dialed. The fascinating thing is, Lawrence replied to it all pretty nicely, but it was still very powerful!

Journal Entry 11: February 9, 2015

I would've forgiven Jack because we all make mistakes. If you have a perfect friendship with someone, it probably isn't a true friendship. The other person is probably being mean to you behind your back, keeping secrets from you, or something of that sort, or either you must have a really good connection with them. In my eyes, a friendship can't always be perfect, there are always fights in between, especially if one of your best friends heard you talking smack about them when you were trying to fit in. A true best friend wouldn't hold a grudge, they would understand you and forgive you. This is my reason why I would forgive him.

Journal Entry 12: February 9, 2015

I would be on Jack Will's side because Julian is a big, fat liar. Julian made everyone feel bad for him because his precious baby tooth was knocked out by the mean and horrible Jack Will! But, that's not what happened at all. Jack Will only punched Julian because he felt that Julian was saying horrible things about Auggie and not being a good friend or even person at all. If people heard about the true Julian, many more people would've taken Jack Will's side. I have to admit, if someone was talking about one of my friends like that, I would definitely hurt them, just as Jack Will did.

Journal Entry 13: February 9, 2015

I understand that Jack Will and Auggie might think the parents and teachers will try to fix everything once they confess. The result of what they think is going to happen will be bad, but telling a teacher or a parent might make them feel more secure and confident. Obviously, I think Jack and Auggie should tell Mr. Tushman about the notes. It's the right thing to do because if they don't tell Mr. Tushman, the notes, and possibly Julian and his gang, will get worse. The result of this will end up with someone getting hurt emotionally, and/or maybe physically. The person who is most likely to get hurt (by Julian and his gang) and suffer the consequences (because of what he did to Auggie) is Jack Will.

Journal Entry 14: February 19, 2015

While reading //Wonder//, I have learned what it really means to be a true family. I learned this while reading about the Pullman family during Auggie's and Via's chapters. The Pullmans will take you under their wing and treat you like family, no matter who you are. They are sweet, loving, caring, and funny (especially Nate Pullman), everything any family wants to be. After every fight, they always make up. I learned this when Via and Mom were in a fight. They forgave each other, (maybe because of Daisy's death), but they still made up. I also learned that the Pullmans were caring, loving, etc. when Justin was very nervous about meeting Via's parents. He had ticks and so much stress, but once he came to know them, he found out he had nothing to worry about. Justin talked like he never talked before, was very open about his feelings, and so much more! He was very comfortable by the end of the night. This proves that the Pullman family is a true family, which means to be their for others, always look at the bright side during darkest of times, and never, ever give up on one another

Journal Entry 15: February 23, 2015