Good evening to all my rising 6th graders! Another great day on the beach; hope you are all making the most of your summer TIME.

Well what do you think of Auggie so far?

Do you know what a diva is? Page 27

The term is used to describe a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and, by extension, in theatre, cinema and popular music. The meaning of "diva" is closely related to that of "prima donna".

Not sure I like Julian all that much. If were Auggie I would not have come back after the tour with the kids.

Page 36 “Mr. Tushman was greeting students and parents in front of the school entrance.” I like this guy!

The remark by Julian about Darth Sidious was just tooooo mean! This auggie must have a lot of nerve and courage. I would have run away.

I like Mr. Browne’s PERCEPT idea.

“What kind of person am I?” not a bad thought to start the school year.

“When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.”

Do you have a PRECEPT? A MOTTO? I have one.

“I believe everyone is doing the best they can.”

Lunch time is so hard for some kids. Especially for new kids to our school. Remember that! ".

Well that takes us to page 50. If you would like to share your thoughts about what you have read or what I have said email me at: [email protected]

here are some pictures that might help explain some of the references up to page 50.

Wonder - Pages 27-50 Charlotte tells Auggie that she was in the school's play the previous year. Oliver! features numerous children as main characters, making it a good option for a school musical.

Via needs to take the "A train down to Eighty-Sixth, then the crosstown bus all the way to the East Side. Takes an hour that way..." (not the school bus) to school? Here's a picture of the A train and a New York City crosstown bus.

Auggie doesn't have any experience in school, so on his first day he says he thought Ms. Petosa would look like Miss Fowl from Jimmy Neutron. (He describes Miss Fowl as "an old lady with a big bun on her head.") Instead he realizes that Ms. Petosa looks like Mon Mothma from Star Wars Episode IV.

Here come a couple more Star Wars references. First, Auggie has a small braid in the back of his hair. In class Julian asks him if it's a "Padawan thing." A Padawan is a Jedi apprentice. Here's a picture of young Anakin Skywalker where you can see his Padawan braid.

We also learn that Auggie's favorite character is Jango Fett...

...not to be confused with his son, Boba Fett.

Finally, and probably the most important Star Wars reference in this section, Julian asks Auggie if he likes Darth Sidious. Of course Auggie knows what happens to Darth Sidious in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Why would Julian mention Darth Sidious?

Finally, this is the second time Auggie mentions that he has a cleft palate. Cleft means "split or divided" and your palate is the roof of your mouth. He says that even after two surgeries, he still has a hole in the roof of his mouth, which makes eating rather difficult and messy. He says that when he eats he looks like a tortoise eating. He's not trying to be funny. Just imagine, when describing himself to others, he compares himself to "some prehistoric swamp thing."