Wonder by R.J. Palacio "Via"

Chapter 122 Summary

Pictures •At the reception Auggie is surrounded by family and friends and well-wishers. •Everyone's taking pictures like crazy, and for the first time in his life, Auggie simply doesn't care. He just smiles and smiles and smiles. •No one even cares if their face is near Auggie's—in fact, he feels like everyone wants to be near him.

Chapter 64 Summary

Detention •Jack's in the hot seat facing expulsion in Mr. Tushman's office. His mom is there too, and no one can believe what's just happened—it's totally out of character. •Jack won't explain. Can't explain. "It'll just make everything worse," he sighs (4.Detention.13). •Overwhelmed, Jack starts to cry. •Since it is so close to winter break, Mr. Tushman decides that Jack should stay home for the rest of the week, spend some time thinking about what happened, write some letters of explanation and apology, and if all those criteria are met, he can return after break with a clean slate. •Mr. Tushman says everything is going to be okay, and he quietly says something to Jack's mom that Jack doesn't hear. •We get the sense that Mr. Tushman has some idea about what precipitated Jack's explosion.

Chapter 32 Summary

A Tour of the Galaxy •Guess what? We have a new narrator. And guess who it is? Auggie's big sister Via... which is probably why Part 2 is called "Via." •Via uses the galaxy as a metaphor for her family, with August as the sun and everyone else orbiting around him. She is used to her universe being this way, with August's needs, by default, making all of her needs a distant second priority. •She doesn't mind; she understands; it is all she has ever known. •She wants us to know she isn't being noble: August has suffered. A lot. •But then she tells us: "The galaxy is changing. Planets are falling out of alignment" (2.A Tour of the Galaxy.5). •Stay tuned.

Chapter 35 Summary

August Through the Peephole •Via gives us lots of detail about Auggie's face and some of the corrective surgeries he has had. •She wonders how August sees himself, about how much he does or does not understand about how the world sees him. •She wishes she could ask him, but at the same time a part of her is annoyed that he doesn't just open his mouth and tell his family what he thinks and how he feels. He's ten-years-old, after all, and she kind of resents that everyone still circles around his every mood or need, that he is still treated like a baby. •Via thinks it's time for August to grow up already.

Chapter 41 Summary

Breakfast •Family argument time: Via doesn't want to carpool home with Miranda so she'll take the subway. •Mom isn't ready for this, but Dad insists that Via is totally old enough and capable enough and smart enough because sheesh, she's reading War and Peace already.

Chapter 103 Summary

Day One •August overhears that Julian declined to attend nature camp because it's too dorky. What a relief. •The rest of the day flies by with cabin assignments, bunk bed selection, hiking in the woods, rec room fun, and campfire magic.

Chapter 102 Summary

Daybreak •A pre-dawn vision of Daisy's ghost (or maybe just a dog-shaped shadow, who knows) fills August with a really good, strong feeling. •He removes the emergency stuffed animal from his duffel at the last minute, and leaves it with a note for his mom that she can sleep with it if she needs to.

Chapter 58 Summary

Ex-Friends •Jack is mystified by Summer's "Bleeding Scream" hint when he asks about why August was acting mad at him. Jack has been totally confused by August's sudden about-face. •He decides to ignore August like August is ignoring him. They ignore each other really well. •Jack notes that this is good because since he isn't hanging out with August, he can hang out with anyone he wants to—especially the popular kids who won't go near August. •But it's bad because, well, he doesn't really like the popular kids. He likes August. •And obviously the whole thing is August's fault. (This is not obvious at all to Shmoop, to be clear—but it definitely is to Jack in this chapter).

Chapter 42 Summary

Genetics 101 •There is no evidence—zero, nada, zip—that anyone on either side of the family ever suffered from an affliction like Auggie's. •Here are the specifics: August has a "previously unknown type of mandibulofacial dysotosis caused by an autosomal recessive mutation in the TCOF1 gene, which is located on chromosome 5, complicated by a hemifacial microsomia characteristic of OAV spectrum." •And though there's no visual indicator when you see them, both of Via and August's parents are carriers of that particular gene mutation. •Via is also a carrier.

Chapter 88 Summary

Goodbye •Auggie's ready to keep on fighting, but Via has come to get him because he has to say goodbye to his dog, Daisy, who has suddenly taken a very bad turn. •Auggie's mom knows that Daisy won't be coming home from the vet. •Mom cries as the kids say goodbye to Daisy. She leaves, and Auggie and Olivia cry "a million tears" (6.Goodbye.35). •Please excuse Shmoop for a moment. We need to grab a tissue because there's something in our eyes...

Chapter 62 Summary

In Science •School isn't really Jack's thing. When he and August were friends, he was performing better since August helped him out a lot with notes and stuff. •When he hears the class will be embarking on a big new science project, he has a big oh no moment—and then his memory flashes back to that day in homeroom with someone wearing a Bleeding Scream mask. •Now Jack knows why August is his ex-friend. •He'd been feeling stupid because his classmates all think he is a weirdo for hanging out with August, so when he said all those things about August he was just "going along." •Now he feels really stupid and terrible for saying those things about Auggie.

Chapter 100 Summary

Known For •Auggie switches out his Star Wars luggage for something more generic, so as not to become typecast as a certain type of kid. Beyond the obvious, that is.

Chapter 77 Summary

Ladybug •Olivia and Justin run lines on Olivia's front stoop. He flubs. He frets. She encourages him. •They each make a wish on a ladybug that appears out of nowhere. There is kissing.

Chapter 84 Summary

Lobot •Auggie dreads wearing hearing aids, but he needs 'em. •At his fitting, his misery eases slightly when the doc references Lobot from Star Wars. •(In case you hadn't noticed during the last eighty-four chapters, Auggie really likes himself some Star Wars.)

Chapter 87 Summary

My Cave •Auggie's no dummy. As his mom and sister lie to him during dinner about how he wouldn't be interested in the school play, he reads between the lines: "You think I don't know what's going on?" he yells. "You just don't want your brand-new fancy high school friends to know your brother's a freak!" (6.My Cave.23). This is a super rough moment. •Auggie storms off to his room and waits under a pile of stuffed animals for his mom to come in and talk to him—but for some reason, he finds himself waiting an unusually long time. •When someone does come into his room, it isn't his mom. It's Via, and she comes rushing in.

Chapter 76 Summary

OUR TOWN •Justin gets the lead in the school play and is a little disappointed that Olivia is just the understudy for the female lead. •He wonders if she blew the audition on purpose since she's not too comfortable with lots of people staring at her. •Justin braces himself for an intense six weeks as they get Our Town performance-ready

Chapter 61 Summary

Private School •Being in private school doesn't automatically mean a family is rich, and Jack's family struggles to make ends meet. They live on the top floor of a five-story walkup in a neighborhood where people "don't want to park their cars" (4.Private School.1)—which probably works out okay because they don't even have a car anymore. •But at school, he rubs shoulders with kids who have to endure Paris for the holidays (how boring), and who get $800 sleds. •Jack is horrified when he learns that he is "the hobo who had taken the sled" (4.Private School.25) that his classmate Miles abandoned in the park over the Thanksgiving break. •One kid's trash may be another kid's treasure, but this is just a totally rough moment for Jack.

Chapter 79 Summary

Rehearsal •Justin is blown away when he learns that Miranda, who got the part of the female lead in the play, has known Auggie since he was a baby. He shrewdly doesn't let on that Olivia/Via has never mentioned this. •Miranda pulls out some pictures of Auggie when he was little—she's kind of proud of being the person who gave him the astronaut helmet. •She asks Justin, "so you're okay with it?" (5.Rehearsal.16), and when he has no idea what she means, she replies, "let's face it... the universe was not kind to Auggie Pullman" (5.Rehearsal.18).

Chapter 94 Summary

School •Miranda describes how she and Via drift apart at school. She's both aware and annoyed that Via isn't actually the one who has changed. •Miranda can't seem to let go of Via emotionally, and she signs up for theater pretty much just because she sees Via's name on the list. •As soon as she realizes that the intended production is The Elephant Man, Miranda tells the teacher they can't do that play because her little brother has a birth defect affecting his face. •The drama teacher reluctantly switches plays. Now they're doing Our Town. •Miranda auditions for the same role as Via, though she doesn't expect to actually get the part.

Chapter 59 Summary

Snow •On a snow day right before Thanksgiving, Jack finds an abandoned sled in the park. He fixes it up, christens it Lightning, and it's the fastest and best sled he's ever ridden. •When the kids go back to school, he wants to tell August about Lightning. •But he doesn't.

Chapter 53 Summary

The Egyptian Tomb •Summer and August have fun working together on their Egyptian Museum projects, spending time at one another's houses, and they have a great time leading their parents through the Egypt exhibit while dressed up as mummies. •On the day of the Egyptian Museum Exhibit, Jack asks Summer if she knows why August is mad at him. •She does know, but she can't tell him. •Jack is completely in the dark, and not just because the lights in the gym are off—so Summer gives him the hint, "Bleeding Scream."

Chapter 49 Summary

The Plague •Summer doesn't feel sorry for Auggie anymore though, and now she hangs out with him because he is fun. •Other kids are too worried about being cool to play, but neither Summer nor Auggie care so they play four-square at recess and enjoy themselves. •Summer learns that there is a "game" in which anyone who accidentally touches August has thirty seconds to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer, or they have the Plague.

Chapter 43 Summary

The Punnett Square •For a high school freshman, Via knows a ton of genetics. •She likes how doctors talk, because she appreciates "how words you don't understand explain things you can't understand" (2.The Punnett Square.4). •Based on her risk factors, Via has decided she will never have a baby.

Chapter 114 Summary

The Shift •Sure Auggie's been trying to change his image and all, but the fight with alien hostile seventh graders is pretty much making him a legend. Things have changed. Everyone knows what went down, and boys offer friendly fist-bumps in the hall. •While each telling of the story becomes bigger and more colorful, the elements that do not change are that August got picked on because of his face and Jack defended him, and that Amos, Henry, and Miles did too. •Julian has missed everything so he's "out of the loop" (8.The Shift.2). •But he still never misses an opportunity to give Auggie a dirty look.

Chapter 81 Summary

The Universe •Justin processes life very deeply. •Unable to sleep, he shares insightful and beautiful thoughts about all the people and events in his life, and about balance in the universe: "if it really was random, the universe would abandon us completely. and the universe doesn't. it takes care of its most fragile creations in ways we can't see" (5.The Universe.4). •For the record, when Shmoop can't sleep we mostly just count unicorns.

Chapter 123 Summary

The Walk Home •Auggie and his whole extended family and all his friends walk back to the Pullman's for cake and ice cream. •The kids are happy and laughing, and Auggie is still floating. •Auggie hangs back a bit to walk with his mom, who is walking alone, smiling her own private thoughts. •He hugs his mom as she walks, and thanks her for sending him to school •She hugs him back and kisses the top of his head, thanking him for being the awesome kid he is. •"She bent down and whispered in my ear. 'You really are a wonder, Auggie. You are a wonder'" (8.The Walk Home.12). •And that's the end of our wonderful story.

Chapter 108 Summary

Voices in the Dark •When they stop for breath, August realizes that it was Henry who had been pulling him along the whole time on their dash for escape, making sure he didn't get left behind. •The boys do some post-fight analysis. Admiration and high-fives flow freely. For everyone—including Auggie. •As they get begin to come down from their adrenaline rush, August realizes that his sweatshirt is totally ripped and his elbow is bleeding. •But the worst comes when Jack notices that August's hearing aids are gone. •Everything suddenly hits Auggie all at once, and he can't help but cry. •Amos calls him brave and gives him a big hug.

Chapter 86 Summary

Via's Secret •In which Via is busted for not having told her family about the school play. Uh-oh.

Chapter 52 Summary

Warning: This Kid is Rated R •August goes over to Summer's house. •When Summer's mom is visibly shaken by his physical appearance, Summer busts her—telling her to "stop making that weirded-out face!" (3.Warning: This Kid is Rated R.5). •Summer's father, a platoon sergeant, died a few years ago. •Summer and August discuss reincarnation—August likes the idea of his soul coming back in a big, handsome bod. •Summer asks Auggie if she can ask him a question, and when she does, he knows what's coming. •She wants to know what is wrong with Auggie's face, but only if he is okay with her asking. •He explains his issues and abnormalities, and jokes that he is something of a medical wonder. •Summer admires how August is able to have such a great sense of humor about himself, and August proudly replies that he is "cool beans."

Chapter 119 Summary

A Simple Thing •Mr. Tushman delivers a beautiful and moving speech, at the heart of which is the theme of kindness. •Sure everyone's gotten a bit taller and stronger and hopefully smarter, but to Mr. Tushman, the greatest measure of success is "what you've done with your time, how you've chosen to spend your days, and whom you have touched this year" (8.A Simple Thing.10). •Quoting from J.M. Barrie's A Little White Bird he reads, "Shall we make a new rule of life... always try to be a little kinder than is necessary?" (8.A Simple Thing.13) •He reads from Christopher Nolan's Under the Eye of the Clock: "It was at moments such as these that Joseph recognized the face of God in human form. It glimmered in their kindness to him, it glowed in their keenness, it hinted in their caring, indeed it caressed in their gaze" (8.A Simple Thing.17). •The bottom line from Mr. Tushman's point of view is that "If every single person in this room made it a rule that wherever you are, wherever you can, you will try to act a little kinder than is necessary—the world really would be a better place" (8.A Simple Thing.23).

Chapter 38 Summary

After School •Via is supposed to get a ride home from school with Miranda, but she totally can't deal with that, so she lies to Miranda to get out of it. •She takes the bus and the subway home, then lies to her mom about why it took so long for her to get there. •She asks her mom about Auggie's day, but she's also kind of hair-trigger emo about everything, which surprises her mom. •Via storms into Auggie's room to ask about his day. He's zoned out on video games, in a galaxy far, far away. •She grabs the PlayStation from him; he yells at her. •She asks about his day; he yells at her. •She asks if people were nice; he snaps, "Why would people be mean?" (2.After School.30). Whoa—sarcasm. Via didn't know Auggie had it in him. The kid's officially a middle schooler.

Chapter 98 Summary

After the Show •Miranda is thrilled to get a big happy hug from Auggie. •She's happy to see Via's parents too, who invite Miranda to celebrate with them. •Miranda tries to dodge. •Auggie begs. •The parents insist. •And then Via shows up, puts her arm around Miranda, and just tells her flat out that she's coming along. •Miranda says, "for the first time in a very, very long time, I felt absolutely happy" (7.After the Show.18). Yay.

Chapter 111 Summary

Aftermath •Even though the camp director and counselors searched, but no one has been able to find Auggie's hearing aids. •Broarwood has offered to reimburse Auggie's family for them. •Auggie steps off the bus and is enfolded in his mom's hug. •He's not embarrassed one bit—this is exactly what he needs.

Chapter 107 Summary

Alien •Firecrackers are not the only thing being lit out in the woods—the kids smell cigarettes too. •Jack and Auggie encounter a group of kids also coming out of the woods. •As the beam of their flashlight illuminates Auggie's face, a girl screams. •Auggie thinks maybe a bug has flown into her face, but when the boys are laughing and cursing as they shine their flashlights onto him, he gets it. •Auggie and Jack start to leave, but one of the kids cuts them off so that he can continue to insult and abuse Auggie for the amusement of his friends. These are big kids, probably seventh graders. •Miles, Henry, and Amos materialize out of nowhere, and tell the mean kid—named Eddie—to leave August alone. •As Jack and August turn to leave, Eddie yanks August's hoodie so hard that he slams onto his back, whacking his elbow really hard on a rock. •Amos hurtles into Eddie, there's a mad skirmish, and the next thing we know, everyone is running like wild through the dark

Chapter 40 Summary

An Apparition at the Door •Via remembers seeing her mom hovering just outside Auggie's door in the middle of the night. She wonders if her mom ever stood outside her door that way.

Chapter 72 Summary

August's House •It's the middle of January before Jack ever visits August's house, and when he finally does he worries that Auggie's parents will know about the Halloween incident. But it turns out they don't. And they're not really even home anyway. •He is impressed by Auggie's Star Wars collection and all his cool electronics, plus he's totally smitten with Auggie's adorable dog, Daisy. •The boys are discussing what to make for the science fair project when Via walks into Auggie's room. •Via looks carefully at Jack, who realizes that not only does she know about the Halloween incident, but she also recognizes him from that day in front of the ice cream shop. Awkward.

Chapter 120 Summary

Awards •As predicted, Charlotte and Ximena sweep the academic awards. Auggie is happy when Amos gets an excellence award for sports, and he's really happy when Summer wins the gold medal for creative writing. •Tushman launches into his blurb for the final award. It's almost time for lunch though, and Auggie's mind hungrily wanders. •As Mr. Tushman chokes up though, Auggie realizes he might be saying something interesting, so he tunes back in. •Tushman is talking about character, about greatness: "Courage. Kindness. Friendship. Character" (8.Awards.12). •Given that greatness isn't exactly quantifiable on a test, Mr. Tushman asks how such a thing might be measured. Quoting Henry Ward Beecher himself, he reads the answer, "Greatness... lies not in being strong, but in the right using of strength... He is the greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts" (8.Awards.14). Tushman chokes up again. •After pausing to pull himself together, Mr. Tushman finishes, "He is the greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts by the attraction of his own" (8.Awards.16). •And then he calls August Pullman up to receive the Henry Ward Beecher medal.

Chapter 67 Summary

Back from Winter Break •Although Jack hoped to return to school with a clean slate, he now finds himself dissed and ditched by every single boy at school except August and the two Maxes. Two words: Julian's payback. •Rather than sit alone at lunch, which feels really crummy (who knew?), he goes to the library.

Chapter 105 Summary

Be Kind to Nature •Movie night is teeming with other schools. •The Broarwood Nature Reserve announcer welcomes everyone and asks that the kids respect nature, clean up after themselves, and stay within the boundaries of the orange cones. The surrounding woods and cornfields are off-limits. •Moments after having been asked to be courteous during the movie, some kids boo when they hear that the movie is The Sound of Music. •Looks like we've got some haters in our midst.

Chapter 113 Summary

Bear •The Pullmans name the puppy Bear, and Auggie and Via get to stay home from school to play with the puppy.

Chapter 33 Summary

Before August •Via reflects on the brief years that she was the only child. She sees in photos that she really was the "first child, first grandchild, first niece" (2.Before August.1) and the center of her parents' universe. But she doesn't remember at all how that might have felt. •Via had a doll named Lilly before Auggie was born, so that she could practice her big sister moves. •When August came home from the hospital, she very quietly looked at him for a while. •She noted that he didn't look like her doll, but very soon was "all over him: kissing him, cuddling him, baby talking to him" (2.Before August.2). •And that was the end of her relationship with Lilly the doll forever.

Chapter 80 Summary

Bird •Justin confronts Olivia: why didn't she ever mention that she used to be friends with Miranda? Olivia says the pink-haired cheerleader is not the Miranda she used to know, and gets big fat tears in her eyes. •Suddenly she is crying because she hasn't told anyone about the play. If she tells her family, they'll want to see the play—of course—and then everyone at school will see Auggie. •It has been so nice that nobody at school knows about Auggie, and Olivia thinks she is a terrible person for wanting to keep August out of her school world. •Justin describes her as a fragile little lost bird, and says, "so I give her my wing to hide under" (5.Bird.29).

Chapter 93 Summary

Camp Lies •Guess who's our new narrator? Yup—Miranda now steps up to the mic as the narrator and namesake for Part 7. •In the wake of her parents' divorce, Miranda is pretty much abandoned. •Her dad is totally absent and her mom is emotionally checked out—she ships Miranda off to camp, even though she doesn't want to go. •Miranda hates camp, and she doesn't know a single person there. But she figures out pretty quickly that her anonymity is a kind of blank canvas upon which she can paint whatever she wants, so she starts slapping some imaginary brushstrokes up there, making up little fictions about her life to tell people. •One minute she's pretending she has a dog named Daisy, the next, she has a little brother who is deformed. Does this sound familiar to anyone? •She knows it's weird. But she feels a little entitled to this lie, having known Via and Auggie for so long. After all, she did give him the astronaut helmet. She watched all the Star Wars movies for Auggie's sake too, so of course she's earned it. •The story of the deformed little brother has tremendous emotional appeal for everyone at camp, and Miranda becomes popular in a way she never has been before. •The top-of-the-food-chain girls from Bungalow 32 assimilate Miranda, changing her hair and teaching her how to smoke and make tube tops from t-shirts. •It's no wonder Miranda chooses to reconnect with her more fun-loving friend Ella when she gets home from camp—serious Via would have asked her real questions about real things.

Chapter 55 Summary

Carvel •The first time Jack sees August is in front of a neighborhood ice cream store. Without meaning to, he makes a noise of surprise when he glimpses August's face. The babysitter, Veronica, peels out of there before Jack's little brother, Jamie, says something embarrassing—she knows he's going to. •August didn't hear Jack's exclamation, but his sister sure did and she gives him the stinkeye as they away hustle down the sidewalk. •As Veronica scolds Jack and Jamie, they are confused. They are also curious. Jack's little brother thinks maybe it is Halloween and asks, "... why was that boy wearing a mask?" (4.Carvel.15). •Veronica has a hard time knowing how to explain what just happened to the boys. She feels bad for the way they all reacted to the situation, telling the boys, "sometimes you don't have to mean to hurt someone to hurt someone" (4.Carvel.23). •Ever since that day, Jack has seen August around the neighborhood. •All the neighborhood kids know about August. •They know his name, but he doesn't know any of theirs—which is really sad.

Chapter 89 Summary

Daisy's Toys •Justin comes over for moral support. •The kids pile all of Daisy's toys on the coffee table while Via describes how Daisy had suddenly begun to whimper and pant, and was in so much pain that she nipped Mom when she tried to lift her. •Auggie didn't even know she was sick, which makes him cry more. •Via apologizes for their earlier fight, and tells him how much she loves him—Auggie doesn't think that fight matters so much anymore. •Their parents come home a couple hours later without the dog. She had a terrible mass in her stomach and was suffering, so Dad held her in his arms while the vet put her peacefully to sleep. •Auggie sees his dad silently cry. •Via cries while Mom comforts her. •And for the first time ever, Auggie just puts himself to bed, lying in his pile of stuffed animals and imagining Daisy licking his face.

Chapter 115 Summary

Ducks •It's now the day before the last day of school, and Auggie is in Mr. Tushman's office. •Edward Johnson, the thug from the other school who bullied August, has been busted with Auggie's hearing aids in his locker. Does August want to press charges? •The first thing August asks is if the kids would end up in jail. Tushman says not jail, but possibly juvenile court. •Mr. Tushman suggests that perhaps they'll learn a lesson, but Auggie knows better. He says, "Trust me: that Eddie kid is not learning any lessons" (8.Ducks.12). •The conversation between August and Mr. Tushman deepens. •Mr. Tushman wants to know if the year has been okay for August, and congratulates him on the High Honor Roll. •Mr. Tushman also touches on some of the year's lows. He reveals that he has been aware of Julian's malevolence, and wishes that Jack and Auggie had come to him about the nasty notes. •They joke about the network of security cameras and secret microphones that allow middle school directors to know all. •Auggie downplays things as usual, telling Mr. Tushman it wasn't a big deal and that they left some notes too. •Auggie is surprised and happy to see his animal self-portrait framed on the wall behind Mr. Tushman's desk. •"Why did you choose to represent yourself as a duck?" (8.Ducks.53) asks Mr. Tushman. Mr. Tushman has imagined a wealth of meaning in the portrait—ugly ducklings and swans and all that—but Auggie says he just thinks he looks like a duck, end of story. •Mr. Tushman has a good laugh at himself, and shakes Auggie's hand, letting him know it's been great having him at Beecher Prep and he looks forward to another year.

Chapter 96 Summary

Extraordinary, but No One There to See •On opening night, Miranda realizes that not one single person close to her is in the audience. •She knows she's good—really good—but what's the point if no one you care about comes to see you? •Then she sees the Pullman family taking their seats in the auditorium, and suddenly Miranda pretends to be sick, telling her teacher there is no way she can go on. •Olivia is summoned. She has to get into costume and onto the stage so quickly that there isn't even time for Miranda to answer her when she asks, "Why are you doing this, Miranda?" (7. Extraordinary.33).

Chapter 121 Summary

Floating •As the crowd goes wild, Auggie is in a happy, dreamlike state. He gets the standing ovation he once fantasized about. •Standing there, he has two thoughts back-to-back. •One is that he isn't sure why he is getting the medal. •The second is that he totally knows why. •He's getting a medal for being himself. And for getting through fifth grade. "And that's not easy, even if you're not me" (8.Floating.10), he says.

Chapter 60 Summary

Fortune Favors the Bold •For his December paragraph about the precept "Fortune favors the bold," Jack avoids writing that the bravest thing he ever did was to become friends with August. He is afraid he might have to read his piece aloud, or have it pinned to the bulletin board where everyone could see it, so he makes up some other dumb thing. •He wonders what August wrote about because, he thinks, "he probably had a lot of things to choose from" (4.Fortune Favors the Bold.3).

Chapter 57 Summary

Four Things •(1) "You do get used to his face" (4.Four Things.1). •(2) August is "a really cool dude" (4.Four Things.2). •(3) August is smart. •(4) Jack wants to be friends with August, because August is a really good friend.

Chapter 85 Summary

Hearing Brightly •Auggie loves the bright, shiny way he hears from the very first moment the doctor turns on his new hearing aids. •Bonus: no one at school makes a big deal about the new headgear.

Chapter 90 Summary

Heaven •In the middle of the night Auggie wakes up and goes into his parents' room. He snuggles up with his mom, and they talk. •Auggie wants to know if Via is ashamed of him. Her answer is no. •He apologizes for calling his mom a liar before, then he wonders about heaven and how people recognize each other. •He lies awake after his mom falls asleep, thinking about heaven, wondering what Daisy is doing in heaven, wondering what it might be like in heaven to "not have his face matter anymore. Just like it never, ever mattered to Daisy" (6.Heaven.28).

Chapter 36 Summary

High School •Via has a secret identity. Sort of. At school she goes by Olivia. •She liked middle school not only because was it separate from home, but also because being the sister of a deformed kid wasn't always the very first thing people knew about her. •She likes high school, too, because even fewer people know about Auggie. (Her friends Miranda and Ella don't bring him up at school). •The girls were super happy when they all got into the same high school, but once school starts, everything seems different.

Chapter 112 Summary

Home •Over a grilled cheese sandwich and chocolate milk, Auggie shares some of the details about the fight in the woods—but not everything. He doesn't want to have to tell the whole story all over again when Dad and Via get home. •Lost and broken things don't matter as much as Auggie's well being, and his mom is so relieved that he is safe. •She missed him so much while he was away that she slept with the stuffed animal he left home for her both nights. •Dad and Via get home early and maul Auggie with hugs and kisses. •And then August notices a big white box, which turns out to contain a furry black puppy.

Chapter 66 Summary

Letters, Emails, Facebook, Texts •All the aforementioned forms of communication are flying over the winter break. (Send All the Words). •Jack writes his letters of apology to Mr. Tushman and Julian. •In his letter to Mr. Tushman, Jack pleads the Fifth because offering details doesn't make what he did right and he doesn't want to get Julian in trouble. •Mr. Tushman responds that even though Jack's violence was unjustifiable, there are almost always more than two sides to every story, and that good friends are worth defending. Aw—it seems like Tushman gets it. •In a letter from Julian's mother to Mr. Tushman, and cc'ing Jack's parents, we read that Julian's parents support Mr. Tushman's decision not to expel Jack because they have known Jack since forever and they know he's a good kid and that his actions won't be repeated. •However (you knew there was going to be a however in this lady's letter)... The pressure of befriending "the new child with special needs" (4.Letter, Emails, Facebook, Texts.6) may have contributed to Jack's outburst, and she chose to let Julian "off the hook" about being friends with the new boy when he found it difficult. •The rest of her letter complains that this new child probably shouldn't have been admitted to Beecher Prep in the first place since it isn't an inclusion school. •Mr. Tushman responds to her letter by clarifying that the new student, August (because he actually has a name), does not have special needs, nor is he disabled, handicapped, or developmentally delayed. As such, whether Beecher Prep is an inclusion school or not is irrelevant. •He informs Julian's mom that August is a good student who has made good friends—like Jack Will, for starters. •He also addresses the "too much pressure" concern by saying, "I did not think asking these children to be especially kind to a new student would place any extra 'burdens' or 'hardships' on them. In fact, I thought it would teach them a thing or two about empathy, and friendship, and loyalty" (4.Letters, Emails, Facebook, Texts.8). Apparently Julian falls into the old dog category when it comes to such wild and crazy new tricks. •Jack's parents also respond to Julian's mother's letter, to say that they are touched by her concern, and that they checked with Jack to see if he felt any "undue pressure" (4.Letters, Emails, Facebook, Texts.12) about being friends with August—but Jack has given them a really clear no in response. •Jack Will sends August a friend request on Facebook and an email apologizing to him. •They clear the air and finish patching up their friendship via text messages.

Chapter 37 Summary

Major Tom •Of all Via's her friends, Miranda has always been the sweetest to Auggie—she's the person who bought him the astronaut helmet that he loved so much. •One of their special things was to blast David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and sing along with it. •Miranda, Ella, and Via have been friends for years. •Via is surprised to find out that Miranda has been back from camp for a couple weeks but hasn't called her; they don't see each other until the first day of school. •When she sees Miranda's new hot pink hairstyle and tube top, Via's shocked. •Miranda is distant, and treats her like a casual acquaintance. •Her other friend Ella's style has changed too and Via realizes that Miranda and Ella have seen each other a couple times over summer. Uh, thanks a lot, you guys. •She feels alienated, excluded, and hurt.

Chapter 51 Summary

November •Summer makes diplomatic excuses later for having left the party early, and for not being interested in Julian. •August comes back to school very withdrawn, and Summer gets "a really bad vibe" from him. •She tries to carry on a normal lunch conversation, but August is having none of it. •August tells Summer he knows Mr. Tushman told her to be his friend, and that she didn't have to be. •Summer makes a big point of telling Auggie that Mr. Tushman did not talk to her at all. •She's mad, and she lets Auggie have it—this girl does not like being accused of things. •Auggie apologizes and tells Summer about what happened with Jack. Now she understands. •He makes her swear not to tell anyone, and she makes him swear not to be mean to her like that again. •They pinky-swear.

Chapter 45 Summary

October 31 •Ever since Grans died the night before Halloween four years ago, Halloween has been a rough day for Via. She wakes up missing her Grandmother. •Perhaps fueled by her sadness, Via bitterly observes that her mother spends weeks working on costumes for Auggie every year but never makes her one. •Still, Via's mom lets her stay home from school that morning, and she and her mom cry together. They both miss Grans so much. •They curl up together to watch an old movie. •A call from Auggie's school interrupts—Auggie is sick, so Mom goes to pick him up. "So much for the old movies and the mother-daughter bonding,"(2.October 31.4) Via laments. •Auggie comes home, throws up, and goes to bed. •Via feels like her mom is two people—Via's mom and Auggie's mom. Via's mom is officially gone, and Auggie's mom is out in full force (2.October 31.5). •Poor Via's been eclipsed again.

Chapter 74 Summary

Olivia's Brother •With Justin as our narrator, Via is always Olivia, and capitalization and punctuation are optional. With that out of the way, we'd like to welcome you to Part 5 of our book, titled... drum roll please... "Justin." •Justin meets Auggie and Jack at Olivia's. He is surprised by Auggie's face and hopes his surprise doesn't show too much, but he's perceptive enough to understand that surprises/not-surprises are "hard to fake." •He and Olivia have been dating for two months. He liked her the instant he saw her, but it took a while before they started dating. Olivia is friendly and direct, but doesn't flirt. •After three dates Olivia trusts Justin enough to tell him about August's "craniofacial abnormality"—she does not use the word deformed (5.Olivia's Brother.13). •As they leave Auggie's room, Olivia checks in with Justin to see how he is handling the shock of meeting Auggie. Years of kids who never return for a second play date have taught her that Auggie's face can be scary. •But Justin's "not freaked out or scared" (5.Olivia's Brother.25).

Chapter 44 Summary

Out with the Old •Miranda, Ella, and Via part ways, with Miranda and Ella joining the super-popular group and Via hitting the library to read instead of talking about people that don't interest her. •Via finishes War and Peace, and ends up making friends with the smart-kids group.

Chapter 101 Summary

Packing •As they pack up for camp, Auggie runs some what-ifs by his mom, who bolsters his courage. •She runs some mom-reminders by him, the most important being to take his hearing aids off before swimming, and to make sure they stay dry if it rains. They cost a fortune. •His mom compliments him on how much he's grown up this year, and not just in height. •Auggie promises to write home, and tells his mom goodnight. •He can put himself to bed.

Chapter 63 Summary

Partners •Immediately on the heels of Jack's staggering epiphany about the Bleeding Scream mask, he gets paired with August for the science-fair project. •Julian tries to get him reassigned so that they can be partners instead, even though Jack says no. •Julian asks Jack why he didn't go along with the switch, telling Jack that he doesn't have to be friends with "that freak" (4.Partners.21). •Pow—Jack punches Julian right in the mouth. •Shmoop does not condone violence, but this is still a pretty excellent moment.

Chapter 65 Summary

Season's Greetings •When Jack and his mom get home from school, they find holiday cards from both Julian's and August's families. Guess whose card has a photo of the dog on it? •And, speaking of photos, Jack says he heard that not only did Julian's mother Photoshop August's face out of the class photo, but she also gave copies of the altered photo to other moms. •His mom asks if that is why he hit Julian. •Jack says no, and tells her the whole terrible story about Halloween and everything since.

Chapter 34 Summary

Seeing August •Via explains how she really never saw August the way other people see him until she went to live with her Grans for a month. She has the best time ever during her stay, since Grans is a lot of fun—and she gets to live a completely un-stared at life while she is there. •Those weeks away give her just enough distance that when she sees Auggie again, she has a "tiny fraction of a moment" (2.Seeing August.4) where she sees her brother the way others do. •She describes the experience as having given her a little peephole between the two Augusts: "the one I saw blindly, and the one other people saw" (2.Seeing August.6). •Via is able to share this uncomfortable thought with her Grans, whom she loves with all her heart, and who loves Via "more than anyone else in the world" (2.Seeing August.10). •Grans knows that Auggie has lots of people who love him and care for him—and she understands instinctively that Via needs someone to whom she can be the most special, most cherished, most loved. •It is heartbreaking for Via (and for Via's mom) when her Grans dies unexpectedly of a heart attack shortly after their month-long stay together.

Chapter 71 Summary

Sides •Charlotte has given Summer a list to give to Jack indicating which side everyone has ended up on. Thanks? •Auggie finds out that what he figured was some kind of "Cheese Touch" involving him was actually called the Plague, which he decides is cooler anyway. •There's some talk of who likes whom. •Summer says her mom says they're all too young to be dating anyway, which Auggie thinks is too bad since so many babes "keep throwing themselves at [him]" (4.Sides.26). •Jack laughs so hard that milk comes out his nose, and the three of them totally crack up.

Chapter 110 Summary

Sleep •August can't sleep that night after the terrifying encounter in the woods, which he counts as one of the worst days of his life. •Even though everything looks the same on the surface, everything is somehow different—August feels a change in everyone's attitudes about him. •The teachers find out what happened despite the kids' delusions that they could keep the whole thing hush-hush. (Pro tip: Teachers are really good at finding stuff out. It's kind of their job.) •When Mr. Tushman asks if he can describe the kid, August says he can't remember. •But he can. He keeps having vivid flashbacks of the faces and the expressions of the kids in the woods.

Chapter 69 Summary

Switching Tables •Some boys who Jack tries to join at lunch get up to switch tables but get busted and sent back. "Oh great, like that was going to help," Jack says (4.Switching Tables.4). •So Jack gets up and moves before he has to face them again, even though he's not supposed to do that either. •Summer (of course) invites Jack to sit with her and August.

Chapter 118 Summary

Take Your Seats, Everyone •The kids head to their staging areas in the auditorium. •Looking over the program, Summer and Jack resign themselves to a long and boring ceremony. •She's always been gorgeous, but Jack suddenly sees just how hot Summer is. Pun intended. You're welcome.

Chapter 83 Summary

The Auggie Doll •The war in Auggie's class drags on. Julian leaves nasty notes in Jack and Auggie's lockers, which Summer thinks they should report to Mr. Tushman. •Instead the boys write fictional love notes to Julian from an imaginary (and totally gross) person by the name of Beulah. •They don't harass August, because if they did they would get busted, but some of the boys play mean tricks on Jack. Jack hangs tough. •By March kids in the class are getting sick of the war and beginning to see Julian's meanness for what it is. More and more kids drift into the neutral zone. •August notices that the Plague game has died out too, and no one cringes anymore if they bump into him. Why, even his pencils are now touchable. Movin' on up... •When August sees Maya writing a note to a friend on Uglydoll, he asks her if she knows that Uglydolls are based on him. •It takes her a second to realize that he's joking, but then she totally cracks up and tells all her friends. The next day he gets a little Uglydoll keychain with a note from Maya saying, "For the nicest Auggie Doll in the world!" (6.The Auggie Doll.14). •The icing on the cake is that people have been really nice about Auggie's new hearing aids too. •School is going remarkably well.

Chapter 73 Summary

The Boyfriend •Via comes back into Auggie's room in a couple minutes and introduces her friend Justin to August and Jack. •Jack says Justin seems nervous, and that he had forgotten "what a shock it is the first time you meet him" (4.The Boyfriend.3). •Auggie teases Via about her boyfriend, but Justin is cool and the kids chat about Justin's fiddle that looks like it's in a machine gun case, and Zydeco music, which Justin loves. •As soon as Justin and Via are out the door, Auggie and Jack crack up about him.

Chapter 78 Summary

The Bus Stop •Justin and Jack both happen to be leaving the Pullman's place at the same time, so Olivia's mom asks Justin if he minds walking Jack to the bus stop. •Jack is used to riding the bus by himself and tells Justin he doesn't have to stay, but Justin doesn't mind. He also started riding the subway alone at around that age—it's too young, in his opinion. •Jack hits Justin up for a dollar and goes across the street to buy some gum. •From his vantage point at the bus stop, Justin watches three kids follow Jack making throw-up noises and being creepy jerks. •When Justin asks Jack about it, Jack explains how Julian has turned the whole grade against him, showing him the list with all the names and sides. •The goon-squad harassment is new, but they have, of course, been leaving "everybody hates you" notes in Jack's locker at school. •Justin thinks that Jack should tell the teachers what is going on, but Jack looks at him like he is stupid. •Justin suddenly realizes that Jack is being tormented by his classmates because of his friendship with August. •After Jack leaves on the bus, Justin approaches the three boys who followed Jack and are still yukking it up. •He delivers a scary warning to them to leave Jack alone or else.

Chapter 54 Summary

The Call •Say hello to Jack, Part 4's narrator and namesake. Flashback to August—the month, not the kid. •Jack's mom talks to Mr. Tushman on the phone. He's is hoping that Jack can be a "welcome buddy" for a new student. •His mom is proud that teachers have mentioned Jack as a really nice kid, saying that it's "very flattering but kind of sad, too" (4.The Call.4). •When Jack asks why it is sad, she says the new boy "has some sort of... um, I guess there's something wrong with his face... or something like that" (4.The Call.12). •Jack doesn't want to do it. He knows exactly which kid they are talking about and says, "He's deformed" (4.The Call.22). •His mom doesn't let him say no automatically though, and asks him to think about it a bit.

Chapter 117 Summary

The Drop-Off •You know how the car can sometimes be a weird, magical place where moments of truth happen? •Auggie and his dad share a biggie while his dad is driving him to graduation. •Auggie's all dressed up and spiffy, and his dad compliments him on looking great—Auggie says he knows his dad hated his Padawan braid, but his dad says that hate is too strong a word. •What his dad did hate, he confesses, was the astronaut helmet. He hated it so much, in fact, that he threw it away. •August can't believe what he is hearing. Furious, he says, "Dad, I loved that helmet! It meant a lot to me! I was bummed beyond belief when it got lost—don't you remember?" (8.The Drop-Off.31). •Dad reaches out and tilts Auggie's chin toward him, and tells him emphatically how much he loves his son's face, and how sad he was to not be able to see it. •At this moment, things could still go south. But in classic Auggie form, he suddenly sees the humor in the moment: his mom spent days turning the house upside down looking for a helmet that his dad chucked. So now Auggie totally has something on his dad. Mwahahaha... •He begins to teasingly extort all manner of payoffs from his dad, and soon they are laughing together again and belting out their favorite song. •Dad is careful to ask Auggie if he has forgiven him before dropping him off. •Of course Auggie has. That's how he rolls.

Chapter 109 Summary

The Emperor's Guard •The boys search fruitlessly for Auggie's hearing aids in the pitch darkness. •The boys understand that Auggie doesn't want to report the kids that attacked them, but Amos makes sure Auggie knows not to go anywhere alone—they'll be glad to stick with him. •As they head back into the crowd, the boys flank Auggie like the emperor's guard.

Chapter 92 Summary

The Ending •Via is wonderful as Emily in the play, and she and Justin get a standing ovation. •Backstage, the two leads are the center of attention, basking in congratulations. •It turns out that Miranda got sick at the last minute and couldn't do the show. The theater teacher is really proud of Olivia's performance. Everyone is. •In the hubbub Auggie gets disoriented and loses sight of everyone he knows. •Lost in a big crowd, he is just beginning to panic when somebody scoops him up from behind. •It's Miranda.

Chapter 104 Summary

The Fairgrounds •Day two of camp is also packed full of awesome camp fun. •After dinner, the kids head to an outdoor movie night at the fairgrounds.

Chapter 99 Summary

The Fifth-Grade Nature Retreat •August is running the show again for Part 8 (which is, of course, called "August"). •He is both nervous and excited about sleeping away from home when the fifth grade goes to their nature retreat. •Most kids have already had sleepovers by the time they are his age, but not August. It's been, you know, complicated.

Chapter 50 Summary

The Halloween Party •The kids in the popular group invite Summer to their Halloween party—so they can grill her about why she hangs out with August, inform her that she'd be way more popular if she didn't hang out with him, and make sure she knows that she has to choose one or the other. •Gee, thanks for the invite... •Faced with these attitudes from her classmates, Summer quietly calls her mom and gets herself right on out of Dodge.

Chapter 116 Summary

The Last Precept •Mr. Browne's June precept is "JUST FOLLOW THE DAY AND REACH FOR THE SUN!" (8.The Last Precept.1), a quote from a song by The Polyphonic Spree. •He asks the kids to send him their personal precepts over the summer (with attribution), and has written his home address on the board.

Chapter 82 Summary

The North Pole •We get August back as our narrator for Part 6. And yes, that means Part 6 is called "August." •At the science fair, August feels like the North Pole, a magnetic point toward which all eyes are drawn. •He is used to the way people react to him in the same way that a person doesn't worry about a little drizzle outside. But when there are over a hundred people in the gym, well, it's no longer a drizzle-it's a deluge. •P.S. The Spud Lamp gets an A.

Chapter 39 Summary

The Padawan Bites the Dust •Via is upset that Auggie cuts off his Padawan braid without a word to anyone. •When Via's mom checks in with her after dinner, Via notices she looks pretty drained. •Via's not able to share her sadness with her mom, but later she talks a bit with her dad about Miranda and Ella. •He tells her that nothing tests friendships like high school, and then teases her a little about reading War and Peace. •He makes her laugh, which takes the edge off her sadness, and tells her not to be mad at her mom—Auggie had a rough first day. •Via asks her dad to bring the dog, Daisy, to sleep with her, and he kisses them both goodnight.

Chapter 97 Summary

The Performance •Miranda watches the play from the wings and everyone is fantastic. Her only twinge of regret is watching the standing ovation for Justin and Via as they take their curtain call. •She sees Auggie looking lost in the crowds backstage, and zooms over to see him.

Chapter 68 Summary

The War •Charlotte arranges to meet Jack privately, and tells him what's what. •At a huge holiday party, Julian broadcast a twisted story: Jack developed emotional problems from the pressure of having to be friends with August, which is why he punched poor widdle Julian. •Julian's mom is trying to get August's application reviewed, on account of his "special needs." •Jack can't believe that anyone has fallen for any of this (neither can Shmoop, Jack, neither can Shmoop), but Charlotte's point is that the truth is beside the point. At this point. •Julian is really popular and has told everyone to stop being friends with Jack until he decides not to hang out with August anymore—you know, for Jack's own good. •Charlotte explains that all this is mostly happening among the boys, and that except for the popular group, most of the girls are staying neutral. •Neutral or not, she still makes sure nobody sees her leaving the room.

Chapter 106 Summary

The Woods Are Alive •When Jack has to pee during the movie, he and Auggie find a mile-long line for the bathrooms. •So of course they head right past the orange cones and into the trees. Ahem. •They pass Henry, Miles, and Amos heading back from their own little off-limits nature walk. •The woods are alive with the sounds of everything from bugs to... firecrackers

Chapter 47 Summary

Time to Think •Tough-love-style, Via works her little brother over about his decision not to go back to school—she knows he really likes is, so she doesn't want him to throw in the towel just yet. •She informs Auggie that everyone hates school sometimes, that she even occasionally hates school and has bad days. •Auggie asks her if people go out of their way to avoid touching her, and Via wisely responds by saying, "Don't compare your bad days at school to mine" (2.Time to Think.17)—whose days are worse isn't a contest. •And then Via doles out some tough love: "Now unless you want to be treated like a baby the rest of your life, or like a kid with special needs, you just have to suck it up and go" (2.Time to Think.18). •Via offers her brother some strategies for handling his friends (ex-friends?), but every time she gives him a bit of advice, Auggie asks her how things have worked out with Miranda. •Apparently Miranda called the other day. But not for Via. •She called to tell Auggie that she would always love him like a big sister. Via is "Double-stunned. Stung. Flabbergasted" (2.Time to Think.35). And so are we—what is that about? •Via threatens to tell their parents what happened at school if Auggie doesn't go back. •That breaks him, and Auggie says he'll return. •As an afterthought, Via asks if Miranda said anything about her when she called. Auggie replies, "She said to tell you she misses you. Quote unquote" (2.Time to Think.44). •Via is (secretly) super happy to hear that.

Chapter 46 Summary

Trick or Treat •Via knows how much Auggie has suffered after surgery, so she just doesn't buy it when Auggie says he's sick on Halloween. She knows it would take a lot more than a little nausea to kill this kid's dedication to the almighty Halloween. •She gets to the heart of the matter, asks the right question, and Auggie shares The Jack Betrayal. •Holding his hand while dear old Daisy licks the tears off Auggie's face, Via persuades him to go to the Halloween parade anyway. •Via can tell that Auggie begins to feel better just by getting into his costume.

Chapter 91 Summary

Understudy •All is forgiven and forgotten. •Via gives Auggie a big hug, and tells him she loves him and is proud to be his sister. •The Pullman family goes to the play. •As they look through the program, Auggie's parents are amazed by how different Miranda looks in her picture. •Talking over Auggie's head, his parents discuss how Miranda's dad is getting remarried and that Miranda's mom is not too happy about this. •Auggie just wants to know what an understudy is already, and asks his dad not to call him "Auggie Doggie" anymore. •When the Emily character takes the stage, it is Auggie who first notices that it is Via—the understudy—on the stage.

Chapter 75 Summary

Valentine's Day •Dinner with Olivia's parents has Justin stressed out. And stress activates Justin's tics. It's a good thing Olivia's parents are super nice. •Justin notices the waiter's expression when he sees August—he (and everyone else at the table) just pretends not to notice. •Justin observes that "Olivia is a girl who sees everything" (5.Valentine's Day.6). (See? We warned you in Chapter 74 that capitalization is optional with Justin taking the lead.) •Everyone has a great time talking and laughing throughout dinner. •At Olivia's house after dinner, Justin meets Daisy, who has thrown up all over the hallway. He hears the story about how Olivia's bought buys her from a homeless guy and brought her home without even asking anyone first. •"she's a happy dog, like she knows she lucked out that day finding this family" (5.Valentine'sDay.16), Justin reflects. Then he says, "I kind of know how she feels" (5.Valentine's Day.17). Aw... •Justin is amazed by the warmth, love, care, and protectiveness of Olivia's family. His family though? More like the opposite of that. •Justin's tics melt away during his evening with Olivia's family.

Chapter 48 Summary

Weird Kids •New narrator. Yes—again. This time we're hanging out with Summer... but you probably guessed that already because you are super smart and you noticed that Part 3 is named after her. •Summer is awesome because she doesn't have a single hang-up about just being nice. •Kids ask her why she hangs out with "the freak," and she tells them, "Because he's a nice kid! ... and don't call him that" (3.Weird Kids.2). •Kids want to know if Mr. Tushman asked her to be his friend. The answer, of course, is no. •Summer simply explains that she sat with Auggie that first day because she felt sorry for him—she saw a new kid in a tough spot, and couldn't leave him hanging. End of story. •She admits that he's "the weirdest-looking kid she has ever seen," but what she sees first is that he's just a kid. •Summer—we think you're a pretty great kid.

Chapter 95 Summary

What I Miss Most •Miranda misses everyone in Via's family terribly, saying that she felt safer at their house than she did in her own. •She calls one day to say hi to Auggie. (Part of her might secretly have wanted to talk to Via too, but we're not talking about that). •Miranda had no idea that Auggie started going to school, so that rocks her world a little. •And Auggie has no idea that Miranda and Via aren't friends anymore. Miranda just tells him that things in high school are a little different. She tells him she loves him always, and asks him to tell Via hi and that she misses her.

Chapter 56 Summary

Why I Changed My Mind •Jack decides to be one of August's welcome buddies after all. •He doesn't do it to avoid a lecture from his mom. •He doesn't do it to protect August from Julian, who he knows is going "to be a jerk about the whole thing" (4.Why I Changed My Mind.38). •He agrees to help August because he suddenly feels terrible about the time his younger brother ran screaming from the sight of August. Right in front of August. •Jack's mom is mortified when she hears about this. She's disappointed in her boys, calls for them to be more sympathetic, and scolds Jamie for using the word ugly to describe August. •Jack changes his mind because he realizes "if a little kid like Jamie, who's usually a nice enough kid, can be that mean, then a kid like August doesn't stand a chance in middle school" (4.Why I Changed My Mind.38).

Chapter 70 Summary

Why I Didn't Sit with August the First Day of School •Guess what's for lunch today? Hypocrisy. •Jack recalls that he avoided sitting with August at lunch on the first day of school because he just wanted some "normal time to chill with other kids" (4.Why I Didn't Sit with August.2). •He recognizes how brave Summer is to have joined August for lunch that first day. •When Jack finds himself up a creek, Summer and August are there for him, being "totally nice" to him, "as always" (4.Why I Didn't Sit with August.4). •Jack gives them a carefully edited version of the story he heard from Charlotte, boiling it down to Julian having turned the whole grade against him. •When Jack comments on how weird it feels to have people "pretending you don't even exist," (4.Why I Didn't Sit with August.5) Auggie quips, "Welcome to my world" (4.Why I Didn't Sit with August.7).