Miranda Navas

**Miranda Navas** is one of the main characters in *Wonder*. A student at Faulkner High School, Miranda enjoys acting. Though she and Via Pullman go through a rough patch for most of the story, they emerge as friends again at the end. Ella remains her friend throughout the story. She also cares for August like a little brother, calling him "Major Tom" as a nickname. Her parents got divorced the summer before she entered ninth grade. She met Zack and they started dating.

She is portrayed by Danielle Rose Russell in *Wonder*.

## History

The summer before her freshman year at Faulkner High School, Miranda went to camp as a junior counselor. She hated the camp, and had been there before. This summer, Miranda told people that she was Via. She made up facts about herself, telling others in the camp that August was her brother, and she had a dog named Daisy. This made her realize her romantic feelings towards Via. She changed her look, causing her to adopt a new style of clothes and dye her hair pink.

When Miranda came home from camp, she called Ella and explained her summer to her and how she changed, but didn't tell Via. She thought that Ella would be more accepting, and she didn't want to ruin her friendship with Via. Shocked by Miranda's new looks and feeling betrayed by her, Via slowly drifts apart from Miranda.

Miranda always cared about August deeply, almost as if he was her brother. She calls him "Major Tom" and bought him the space helmet that he loves and wore everywhere for so long. When she calls the Pullmans and August picks up the phone, she tells him to tell Via that she misses her. Hearing this, Via is surprised, as she had thought that Miranda no longer wanted to have anything to do with her.

When Miranda finds out that Faulkner High School is planning on performing *The Elephant Man* for its spring show. "The Elephant Man" is a movie about a man with a deformed face, much like Auggie's. She tells Mr. Davenport that they can't do that play because her brother has a deformed face. She did not let Via know about this lie, knowing that she would be horrified if she knew. The performance for the spring show was changed to *Our Town.* Both Miranda and Via try out for the role of Emily Gibbs in *Our Town*. Miranda tried out for that part because she knew Via would too, but is surprised when she gets the part, with Via being her understudy.

Right before the performance begins on the night of the spring show, Miranda peeks out through the curtain and sees August and his parents walking down the isle. In the spur of the moment, Miranda lies to Davenport that she can't perform because she's sick. Though Davenport is furious and tries to get Miranda to perform, saying that she is just nervous, he finally accepts it and sends someone to get Via. After getting ready in record time, Via plays the role of Emily Gibbs, receiving a standing ovation at the end. It is at that time only, when Miranda says that she feels any regret about what she did. Shortly afterwards, when August gets lost, it is Miranda who finds him. She greets him as "Major Tom", and when the rest of the Pullmans catch up to them, Miranda is invited out with them for dinner. After much insistence, Miranda finally agrees to come, feeling absolutely happy for the first time in a long time.

## R.J. Palacio on Miranda

"*I hope no one goes hating on Miranda because I love her. She's so complicated. She can be a mean girl, but deep down inside she has this incredible love for Auggie that has given her a depth she might not have had without knowing him. Knowing Auggie has made her a better person, and being around the Pullman family. I get the idea that years later, when she's an adult, she'll look back on her childhood and some of her fondest memories will have been of times she spent in the Pullman house."*

## Trivia

* As said in *Wonder,* Miranda has smoked before while she was at camp.