Simran+Journal

January 7,2015 Do you think Auggie is making a too big of deal about birthday parties? Why or why not? Have you ever been hurt yourself or possible hurt someone over a party invitation? Explain.

I don't think August is making a big deal about birthday parties because he was home-schooled and probably doesn't have as many friends as kids in school. He feels left out and whenever people see him they turn there backs because of the way he looks. He would love to go to more birthday parties but he is judged by people by the way he looks. I haven't ever been hurt by somebody else because I didn't get invited to a birthday party. It's that persons special day and it is their choice about who they want to invite and who they don't want to be invited. If I have a birthday party I only talk about it to the people who are invited because I don't want to hurt them. I think that Auggie is not getting upset, but is feeling left out.

January 9,2015 Why is Mom more scared than Auggie at this point?

Auggie's mother was more scared than Auggie because of the way he looks. She could be thinking about how the other kids would treat him because he is different. Since she is the mother I thought it would make sense for her to go with Auggie. It would give her a tour of the school and would be able to keep an eye on the children and how they behave towards Auggie. Auggie's mother was concerned about him because it was probably the first time he was going somewhere without his mother. I think Auggie should have realized how much his mother and father care for him.

January 12,2015 What are your feelings at the end of this chapter? How was the "tour"?

The tour of the school was not as I had expected it to be. Julian was rude to August because of the way he looks. He was a huge jerk. He didn't want to be there and was trying to finish this tour as soon as possible. Charlotte was defending August because Julian wasn't being nice to August. Charlotte was the nicest out of the three because she was trying to help August. Jack Will was nice to August, but didn't defend him like Charlotte did. The children were nice except Julian. The tour was nice because everything was explained.

What about Auggie surprises you in the chapter. "Home"?

In the chapter "Home" Auggie surprises me when he says he wants to go to school. I thought he wouldn't want to after the way he was treated by Julian. He wants to try something new and accomplish it. His mother was scared and didn't really want Auggie to go to school after he told his mother what happened. I took him quite some deal of courage to say yes. Although August knows that their are going to be many obstacles on the way because of the way he looks he is going to find a way to solve all the problems.

January 16, 2015 What are your feelings about Jack Will after finishing Part One? Explain!!!

My feelings for Jack are exactly like the way I felt for Julian. He should have noticed that August was right behind him listening to his conversation with Julian and Henry. August told Jack secrets that he didn't tell anyone even Summer. After what happened I think he should have confided in Summer or Charlotte. He may not have Jack as a friend but he has two other friends who will stick with hie to the very end. August felt he could confide to him with anything he wanted to talk about. Although Mr. Tushman had told Jack to be nice he should have listened. August is going to have a hard time confiding with anybody because of Jack. August is also going to have to find out who he can trust with anything.

What could possibly change Auggie's mind about not going back to school? Would you go back? Should he tell someone what happened?

I think there are only a few ideas to change Auggie's mind about going back to school. One idea that may change his mind is that Jack was only saying that to Henry and Julian because Jack wanted to talk to them. Another idea that could effect his decision is if Summer or Charlotte had come over to his house or called he may have changed his mind about going because he would feel he had friends. I would go back and try it out again no matter how hard it will be. He has to learn and explore the world even if people don't recognize and accept the way he really is ("Don't judge a book by its cover" is an idiom this sentence reminds me of). I think he should tell someone because they can help fix the problem. He should always tell parents whenever he has a problem. In this life he knows who will stand up for him and that is his parents and sister because they are his best friends.

What have you learned from reading Part One of this novel? What would you like to tweet and share with others about what you have learned? Complete a green Twitter sheet and turn it in.

After reading Part One of //Wonder// I have learned people that people seem nice on the outside, but in the inside they are mean and cold-hearted. August tried his best not to be offended when people looked at him. He tried to look for people who would not be mean to him but couldn't find anybody besides Summer and Charlotte. He may have a face deformity but that doesn't mean you are not nice. Being different makes you stand out from everybody. That makes you unique and to be yourself. I would want to share and tweet about kindness and friendship to others.

January 26,2015 On page 83, Via shares with us that the galaxy is changing. Planets are falling out of alignment. What does she mean?

Via is starting to think that her life is all about Auggie. Auggie is the sun while everybody else is orbiting him so she is feeling left out. The plants are falling out of alignment is just another way (in my opinion) of saying that Via is feeling left out. It is like if Auggie needs something he needs it right away, while Via has to wait for her "turn" to get something. She understands that he is different, been judged differently, and went through many surgeries, but her parents should make a little time for her rather than just August. Now that August's is going to school her parents have even less time for her because they are so worried about how he is treated and how much he likes it. The plants are all worried about August. Via is a human being and deserves attention from her parents. She is an ordinary girl just trying to seek some attention from her parents.

After rereading the last paragraph on page 87, what does Via mean about the blanket? Explain!!!

In my opinion Via means that she took her grandmothers words to heart and didn't tell anyone because that would have been rude and hurtful to Auggie. She took those words to console herself after her grandmother died. She let those words wrap her and put her heart and thought about how much her grandmother loved and cared about her. Via was her favorite but if grandmothers had favorites it's not polite for somebody else who is also her grandchild. Via loved her grandmother so much that her words meant everything to her. Via was her favorite person and when she died she understood how much her grandmother loved and did for her since the time she was born.

February 2,2015 Why did Summer leave the party? What would you have done? Please explain your answers.

Summer left the part early because she didn't want people insulting August, since he was her friend. She wasn't liking people talking about August and being so rude about him. They were calling him "Zombie Kid" and "the Freak" right in front of her and she didn't like that. She was being questioned about why she was sitting with "the Freak." He was after all, a normal kid, who is different only in his face. He is just a kid who is different and what is wrong in being unique. I would have done the same as Summer because I wouldn't have been able to just sit there and let them insult my friends. Being a true friend means to always stick up for them. It was right of Summer not to let them just sit there and insult August. She did the right thing by walking away and not letting their words affect her friendship with August.

February 9,2015 After reading the letters, emails, Facebook posts, and texts, what did you learn about Melissa Albans and Lawrence Tushman?

I learned that Melissa Albans is selective and picky about every little problem. She is the vice principal of the school board but that doesn't mean you just review someone's application to a school. August does not have special needs. He is just different in his face which is not a special need. He is not disabled or handicapped so should be allowed at Beecher Prep. August shouldn't be sent to an inclusion school just because he is different. Melissa Albans is cruel and now I understand why Julian is so mean. I learned that Lawrence Tushman is a very considerate person. He understood her point of views and took them into consideration. When he wrote back he was kind and explained every reasons in detail. Mr. Tushman is an understanding person who cares about other peoples feelings. Lawrence Tushman and Melissa Albans are complete opposites when it comes to August.

Would you have forgiven Jack? Why or why not?

I would have forgiven Jack because he really wanted to be friends with August. He had apologized to August and that meant a lot to August. Jack had also told him that he didn't mean anything and asked August nicely that he wanted to be friends with him again. I think Jack should have apologized face to face because you can tell if they really are sorry or not by their expression. I would have wanted to be friends with Jack again because then he could talk to someone during class. Jack showed August his apology by sitting with him at lunch and talking, talking to him during class, and not talking to Julian anymore. I would have accepted Jack's apology because it would make me feel that someone actually wanted to be my friend. I am happy that August accepted Jack's apology.

The War now has official sides. Where do you see yourself in this war and why?

In the War I would want to be on Jack's side or the neutrals. I would want to be on Jack's side because that is the team that tells the truth. I would not want to be on Julian's side after the way he treated August. I would also want to be neutral because this is more of a boys war than girls war. If I had to choose one side I would choose neutrals. I would choose neutrals because I wouldn't have really cared who won. Even if I were on the neutrals I would have wanted Jack's side to win because that side is right and the Julian's is wrong. Many people are only on Julian's side because he is popular. No matter how popular you are you should always choose the right side. In conclusion I really hope Jack's side wins because that is the right side even though I am on neutrals.

February 19,2015 What is your final decision about telling Mr. Tushman about the notes?

My final decision is to not tell Mr.Tushman about the notes. It is could make the problem worse. In my opinion there are only a few pros and many cons about telling Mr. Tushman. One of the pros could be that Julian, Miles, and Henry learn a lesson and don't repeat that mistake again. Another pro could be that they realize the mistake themselves and apologize to August and Jack. There are many cons in telling Mr. Tushman. One con would be that the matter gets worse and Julian, Henry, and Miles keep doing it. Another con would be that Julian's mom gets involved. Since she is the vice president of the school board she has a bigger say about not getting Julian in trouble. Since she is at a high post she could spread the word to the parent committee. One of the cons happened on Julian's side. Everybody started leaving Julian's side and went to neutrals because he said a rumor that Jack had hired a "hit man" to "get" him, Henry, and Miles. That really made people laugh and leave his side and go to neutrals. Whatever is happening is part right and part wrong.

February 20,2015 What are you learning about family in this novel? Give examples from novel to support your ideas.

I learned that family is the world. Without family who would be there to support you, guide/help you, and get you through school? A family provides you with shelter, food, and clothes. Families are needed for everything. My family has always been there for me. They have always given me the right advice like August's parents. In the book //Wonder// August couldn't live without his family. His family helped him through his surgeries and his transition through middle school. In //Wonder// Auggie's family had their differences, but sticked together. They had fights, they had people taking behind their back, and rude remarks. All those differences made them a better family.