Auggie & Me

Julian realizes that he never got to say goodbye to his teachers, specifically Mr. Browne, his English teacher. Mr. Browne gave the students life lessons, which he called precepts, throughout the year, asking that they send him one on a postcard over the summer. Julian sends him a postcard saying, “Sometimes, it’s good to start over” (65). Realizing that he never told Mr. Browne his side of the story, Julian sends him an email. Mr. Browne replies, telling Julian that he was a gifted student and wrote a meaningful precept. He asks if Julian was afraid of Auggie and encourages him to think about it. Julian is comforted to see that Mr. Browne can see the good in him. Grandmère is confused about the email, since she thought that Julian was bullied. Julian tries to explain that he had difficulty looking at Auggie and finds a photo online to make his point. Grandmère thinks Mr. Browne was right about him being afraid. She tells him that “sometimes we hate the things we are afraid of” (71) and tells him that there was a boy she was afraid of a long time ago.

Grandmère, whose name is Sara, tells Julian about her childhood during WWII. She was a frivolous girl. While her family was Jewish, they were not religious. A boy at her school had a case of polio which affected his legs. He needed canes to walk, and would walk sideways, so the children in the school called him “Tourteau,” which means “crab.”

When the Germans came to take the Jewish children away, a Maquis soldier hides the children in the woods. Grandmère did not want to go because she was wearing new red shoes. She snuck away and hid in the bell tower. From there, she sees the German soldiers arrive and follow the soldier and children into the woods. Soldiers search the school. Terrified, Grandmère hides as someone enters the room and calls out her name. It is Tourteau, who warns her that the Germans will find her there. He leads her to the basement of the chapel, and they climb through the sewers. They come out in a village that Sara’s family avoided because of the sewage smell. Tourteau brings her to his family’s barn and introduces her to his parents. Sara later learns that while her father escaped to Switzerland, her mother was taken to Auschwitz that very day.

Sara hides in Tourteau’s family’s barn for two years. They care for her, despite the danger to themselves and difficulty finding food. On what ends up being the last time that Sara sees Tourteau, he brings her soup. He admits that he had a crush on Sara when he met her, since she didn’t make fun of him. Sara feels guilty for having called him Tourteau. He brushes it off, saying “I like crabs!” (79). Tourteau takes Sara’s hands in his and kisses her. Sara says that she doesn’t want to call him Tourteau anymore and asks what his real name is. His name is Julian.

Back in the present, Julian is shocked to hear that he and his father are named after Julian. Grandmère tells Julian that on the same day she learned Tourteau’s name, the Germans took him to Auschwitz because of his physical condition. Sara continued to live with Tourteau’s parents until she reunited with her father after the war. Julian is overwhelmed by the story and is surprised that his father never told it to him. Grandmère admits that she might have never told him, since it is heartbreaking for her to admit how unkind she was to Tourteau. Julian breaks down crying, realizing how horrible he was to Auggie. Grandmère tells Julian that making bad decisions “does not mean you are not capable of doing right” (83-84). She shares that has never repeated the mistake from her childhood and encourages Julian to learn from his.

That night, Julian has a dream that he and Auggie are being chased by Nazis. Although the Nazis catch Auggie, Julian has the key to let him out. When Julian wakes up, he realizes that it was a dream, not a nightmare. Julian realizes that he has been treating Auggie like the enemy and wonders if Auggie will remember it in the future. Deciding that he does not want to be remembered for cruelty, Julian writes an apology letter to Auggie.

Julian asks Mr. Browne if he can mail the note to Auggie. Mr. Browne agrees and says how proud he is of Julian. Julian finally feels at peace. When his parents arrive, Julian is excited to tell them about his apology note. They surprise him with the news that they are suing the school. Grandmère tells them that “this is nonsense” (88) since Julian was in the wrong. Julian admits that he was unkind to Auggie. Julian’s father is upset with Julian for sending a note admitting guilt. Grandmère yells at her son for having a “brain like a cheese sandwich” (89). Julian’s mother interjects that she thinks Grandmère is right.

Julian is shocked that his mother backed down before his father. She convinces Julian’s father that they should support Julian for his maturity. Grandmère says that they should be thankful that Julian is completely happy. Julian begs his father not to sue the school. His father finally agrees.

Grandmère takes Julian and his parents to visit the village she grew up in. When her son, Jules, asks why she never told her about his past, she says that “life is ahead of us” (92). They visit the barn where Grandmère hid, and she shows them where she scratched her initials. Before leaving, they visit the graveyard where the Beaumiers are buried, along with a gravestone in their son’s honor. It reads, “May he walk forever tall in the garden of God” (94).

When Julian returns home, he gets a voicemail from Auggie. Auggie thanks him for the apology letter and tells him that he did not tell Mr. Tushman about the notes. Auggie wishes him the best at his new school. Julian says he will not call back because he’s afraid. Julian’s father says that Julian has shown the opposite to be true.