August "Auggie" Pullman is a 10-year-old boy living in a brownstone in Brooklyn, New York, with his mother Isabel, father Nate, older sister Olivia ("Via"), and dog Daisy. He was born with a rare medical facial deformity, which he refers to as "mandibulofacial dysostosis", and has undergone 27 different surgeries in order to see, smell, speak and hear without a hearing aid. Auggie has been home-schooled, but as he approaches fifth grade, his parents decide to enroll him in Beecher Prep, a private middle school. Before the school year begins, Auggie meets with Mr. Tushman, the principal, who arranges a tour for him with three other students: Jack Will, Julian Albans, and Charlotte Cody. When school starts, Auggie is initially ostracized by nearly the entire student body, but soon forms a close friendship with Jack.
