#FriendNotFriendly

I’m not sure if I mentioned this before, but I LOVE reading! Today, I read the book Wonder by R. J. Palacio and its companion book, Auggie and Me. For those of you who haven’t read Wonder, it’s about a ten year old boy named August Pullman. Auggie has Treacher Collins’ Syndrome, and he’s starting his first year of middle school. August has been homeschooled all his life. He faces bullies, nature trips and mean notes at Beecher Prep. Find out more about Auggie’s story here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_(Palacio_novel) In the book Auggie and Me, there’s a part called ‘Shingaling’.

Shingaling is a story told from Charlotte Cody, one of August’s ‘welcome buddies’ at school. I really relate to Charlotte, and I’m sure a lot of people (more girls than boys) also do. Charlotte is a girl, an ordinary girl who is moved by extraordinary circumstances. And she has her own story to tell.

Despite being his ‘welcome buddy’, Charlotte is only friendly to Auggie, and not a friend. Her best friend Ellie has ‘ditched’ her for the ‘popular’ girls Savanna Wittenberg and Ximena Chin. Charlotte thinks that they should be on Jack and Auggie’s side, but Ellie, who is beginning a budding friendship with Savanna, thinks otherwise.

Then there’s a dance recital audition, and Charlotte, Ximena and ‘super-nice’ girl Summer Dawson get in. At first, Ximena is cold, distant and snarky, but slowly she warms to Summer and Charlotte, even inviting them to a sleepover. Summer and Charlotte find that they both know the ‘accordion man’, or Gordy Johnson. They are curious to know where he has gone lately.

But Savanna is far from nice to them. She feels that it is Charlotte who has taken her ‘rightful’ spot. Savanna and Ellie plot against her secretly. All this time, Charlotte’s friend Maya Markowitz has been harbouring a resentment against Ximena, who Maya believes has ‘stolen’ Ellie and Savanna away from her. Charlotte is torn between defending her new friendship with Ximena and her and Maya’s long-time bond.

Maya decides to give Ellie a note saying that Ximena was ‘evil’ and had turned them into ‘pretty zombies’. Ellie, Savanna and the others find it hilarious, and Ximena also pretends to laugh it off. But later, Charlotte and Summer are at Summer’s house, comforting Ximena. Then Summer and Charlotte find a crude drawing of Maya and Auggie, with the caption ‘Freaks in love’ by Miles Noury. Summer and Charlotte are horrified, and Summer says so, forthrightly, ‘Why are they bringing Auggie into this?’ to Ximena. Ximena apologizes to Summer, and rips the drawing up.

Then it hits Charlotte. She has only been nice to Auggie, but that’s not enough. Seeing Summer’s example moved her. She decides to become a friend to Auggie, and no longer a bystander, but an upstander.

When I was writing this, I was thinking, ‘Is this just a book review of a great book?’ But then I just knew. It’s not about Ximena and Maya’s troubles. It’s not about Savanna being mean. It’s about not only being friendly, but being a friend. It’s about raising your opinions for what’s wrong. It’s about making those things right. We can all become upstanders if we try. And if we all try hard enough, then the whole world would be a friendlier-no, a world full of FRIENDS. And that would make the world a better place.

Even though ‘Shingaling’ is a great story, I don’t think that’s my point. I think that my point is that we should be friends. Nice just isn’t enough sometimes. And (I think) that’s yet another way to Act for Good.

So, today, try to be a friend to someone. That girl who’s in the class next to you. Yes, you’re friendly to her. But try to be her friend. And, of course, thank you for following my blog!