On Tuesday, June 12, 2018, the Friends of Odell Library will present the heartwarming film, Wonder, which is based on the best seller of the same name. The book has been read and loved by both adults and children for its timely tale of bullying due to being different. Because of the popularity of the book for all ages, the Friends of Odell invite moviegoers to bring their children and grandchildren to this must-see film, beginning at 2:00 p.m. in the Odell Public Library Program Room, 307 S. Madison Street, Morrison, IL.
There is no charge, but donations are always appreciated.
Auggie Pullman is a brainy ten-year-old boy with a sweet high voice and a congenital facial deformity that takes some getting used to. He is a science geek, loves Star Wars, Minecraft, and ice cream. He likes to walk around in a toy astronaut helmet that conceals him and feeds his dreams. The movie is told from his point of view and is built around his gentle sadness and yearning to be normal.
Auggie has been home-schooled by his mother, but now that he is ten, she and his dad have made the decision to send him to middle school. They know they cannot shield him from the world forever. They want him to stand up for himself, and Auggie wants that, too, although the kids he meets at his school don’t make it easy. By the end of the first day, he has been nicknamed “Barf Hideous.”
Besides his parents, played by Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson, he also meets and develops a friendship with Jack, his science buddy, who only leaves him with a sense he can’t trust anyone. Via, his teenaged sister, has grown up in a family so organized around Auggie, that her own needs never come first. This has both graced her with compassion and a hidden wound.
Throughout the film, Auggie makes small gains in his journey toward acceptance for who he is, but not without struggle. His sweetness and the love of his family leave us all wanting to cheer him on. Wonder is a story of both kindness and courage. It describes what it is like to be singled out for being different, when all you want is to be one of the group.
Don’t miss this wonderful film. I dare you not to fall in love with Auggie Pullman.