<P> August `` Auggie '' Pullman is a young boy raised in North River Heights in upper Manhattan , New York . He has a rare medical facial deformity , which he refers to as `` mandibulofacial dysostosis . '' Due to numerous surgeries ( 27 ) , Auggie had been home - schooled by his parents Isabel and Nate , but as Auggie is approaching middle school age , Isabel and Nate decide to send him to Beecher Prep , a mainstream private school . Fifth grade is tough for Auggie who is ostracized by nearly all the student body . He is bullied by being called a freak and rumors were spread that kids will get the `` plague '' if they touch him . He does befriend a boy named Jack Will . </P>
where is the movie wonder supposed to take place
North River Heights in upper Manhattan , New York