Aneesh

1/26/16- After the tour had finished, I had mixed emotions but I was mostly uncomfortable and slightly relieved. I was in an uncomfortable mood because Julian was acting mean towards August and there are most likely going to be other kids like that in Beecher Prep. Luckily, Charlotte and Jack Will tried to make him feel like he is at home, but August was uncomfortable at the end because of Julian's rude remarks. August even gave his mom a signal that he wanted to go home. However, I also felt relieved for three reasons. The first is that Jack Will is a very nice and treats August like he is a normal kid. For example, he told August that he really needs to start talking. Charlotte also stood up for him when Julian was asking rude questions. The second reason I am relieved is that August at least found the courage to stand up for himself to Julian, who had been rude to him the whole time. The third reason I am relieved is because August was introduced to three different types of kids that he will see in his future at Beecher Prep. He saw Charlotte, who was nice, Jack Will, who was a good friend, and Julian, who was a jerk. So by the end of the tour, I felt very uncomfortable about kids like Julian but also slightly relieved.

2/2/16- After reading about August's month of September at his new school, I felt good and hopeful about the next months to come. Although the month of September did not go perfectly and had some rough times, it went better than I thought it would. Because August is holding off for the most part of the mean things that are done to him, intentionally and unintentionally, I think that August will be fine throughout the rest of the school year. He has good friends such as Jack Will and Charlotte, and he is making new ones such as Summer. August is also getting used to the school routine, waking up early, getting tests and grades, and doing homework. Although this is hard for him, I think he will get used to it. I am hopeful that the rest of the school year will be an overall success.

2/3/16- School is a very important thing to have in every child's life because it does not only help you learn about Math, English, Social Studies, Reading, Science, etc. but it also gives you experience in collaborating with other people. I think August should go back to school because if he doesn't, if something like that happened again, he would be vulnerable. He should go back to school and try to find a solution for his problem. I think August should go back to school and separate himself from Jack Will and find his true friends. He should not let one person ruin his whole school year. Although I think he should go back to school, August most likely does not want to after hearing his supposedly best friend saying that he was not actually friends with him. Some reasons that could help him make the decision to go back are that Jack Will is only one person. He should not be the one to ruin August's school year. Also, school is for the most part fun for August. In September, August had a good time and he should have that same approach to school now. He should ignore Jack Will and find new friends to replace him, or stand up for himself and talk to Jack. In conclusion, I think that August should go back to school and either talk to Jack or separate himself from him and find his true friends.

2/4/16- How does Via feel about August going to school (compared to Mom and Dad)? How is Via similar and different than August? Is Via facing the same kind of problems August is at her school (friends)?

2/9/16- When I read about Via's perspective in the story I learned many surprising things. One of the things was that she is very independent and relied only on herself to do everything. Although I suspected it because of Auggie's condition, I was still surprised. I learned that she tries to keep her emotions to herself, such as the problem with her friends. She also tries to have a normal life without the help of her parents, such as how she makes sure that she doesn't miss her friends' birthday parties and other things like that. Because of this, when she went to her grandmother's house, she loved it because her grandmother would care and pay attention for her. Overall, the first surprising thing I learned about Via was that she was a fiercely independent person. The second thing that I learned about Via was that she thinks that Auggie should grow up and realize that he is different and should stand up for himself. She thinks Auggie should not be treated like a little kid anymore, and that if Mom and Dad try to make him think he is normal, he will think he is normal and then not be able to handle when people treat him like he isn't normal. When Auggie told her about the incident with Jack Will, she told him to stand p for himself and go to school. This suggests that Via wants Auggie to start to grow up from being a little kid. I think that she thinks this way because of how independent she had to be to get through her problems, and she thinks independently as I explained in the first thing that I learned. One other thing that I learned that I thought was interesting about Via is that she wanted to separate herself from Auggie publicly. What I mean by this is that she does not always want to be defined and known by being a sister of a boy with a deformed face. One way she does this is that she wanted her friends to start calling her Olivia instead of Via which some people she knows or people that know her associate with Auggie. She wants to have a new start in high school and define herself in a different way. Overall, I learned that Via is very independent, wants Auggie to grow up, and wants to have a new start in high school by defining herself in a different way.

2/9/16- Via's Halloween differs greatly than Auggie's. Most importantly, they have completely opposite views of the holiday. Via is always very sad and weepy because it was when her grandmother died, and she was the one person in Via's life that would spend their time with Via and Via only. Auggie on the other hand was always super exited for Halloween (with the exception of this year) because it it the one time that he gets to be a normal kid. He gets to run around with a mask on and everyone would act normal because they had no idea it was him under the mask. Another way that their Halloweens differ is that Auggie's mom always spends all her time trying to find Auggie the perfect costume, while Via has to take care of her costume all by herself for the most part. In the story, Via's Halloween differs from Auggie's because it is a sad day and she is stressed and ends up staying at home. Auggie starts off the day well but later declines because of the extremely mean remarks Jack Will said about him. They end up having a somewhat similar Halloween in the chapter we read but in all the other times, their Halloweens differed greatly.

2/16/16- By reading Justin's perspective in the story we learn what the world sees when they see Auggie. This is important for us to know so that we can understand other people's behavior and actions when they see Auggie. Justin, being older and having a warning about it, was able to maintain his composure when he saw Auggie but he was still shocked. This helps us understand that other people are shocked when they see Auggie but they all respond in a different way. Another thing that we need to understand in Justin's part is that people are all different but in the end they all even out and have the same chance at succeeding in things. People can look different and come from different families and backrounds but they will eventually even out at the end. For example, Justin comes from a family that doesn't really care about him while Via comes from a very protective and fun family, but they still go to the same school and take parts in the play. Justin even made the lead role in it. Another example is that August looks different than everyone else but still is a very good student. Because of this we also need to understand that "The universe makes it all even in the end," no matter what you look like or where you come from.

2/18/16- Miranda has had a very confusing and difficult year and has not really been happy with herself, so when she says " I have to admit, for the first in a very, very long time,I felt absolutely happy," it was very nice to hear. She feels this way because ever since her parents got divorced, she wasn't herself. First, she started telling stuff that was not true at camp just for fun but came out with something unexpected: becoming popular. She had never been popular before and liked how it felt, but it was not truly her personality. Miranda started to try to be popular at school as well. However, when she saw Auggie and Via's parents at the play, she remembers how much she liked to be Via's friend. Miranda liked to be Via's friend because of her kind and loving family which she no longer has, similar to Justin. She felt safe in Via's home. Because of this, when Via's family led her out of the auditorium for a late night dinner, she felt happy and the pressure of being popular left her. She felt happy because her friendship with Via was remade and she was with the people that made her feel safe and cared for. Miranda says "I have to admit, for the first in a very, very long time,I felt absolutely happy," because she feels like for the first time in a long time, everything is going in the right direction.

**Characterization**- Protagonist- The main character and usually the good guy -August

Antagonist- The character that is considered the "bad guy" -Julian

Static- A character that does not change throughout the novel -Charlotte -Julian -Summer

Dynamic- A character that changes throughout the novel -Miranda -Maya -Jack -Amos -August's mom

Direct Characterization- The author telling you directly by words to let you know what kind of character they are

Indirect Characterization- When you read something a character does or says that lets you know what kind of character they are -Julian scene about Darth Sidius- page 44

5/10/16- I think that a parent should understand that at times, their children may be telling the truth or lies. Because of this, I think that parents should investigate the truth of stories that concern important matters. A parent's roll is sometimes to give emotional support to their children when they have done something wrong, but eventually, I think that society will punish the child for the wrong doing. This will teach the child a lesson to no do it again, and motivate them to do the right thing.

5/10/16- At school, students do not have the right to decide which rules to obey and which rules not to obey, even if they don't make sense. A rule in aftercare is that sometimes after you have been doing homework for longer than an hour and a half, they make you stop and play for thirty minutes.