The students at Beecher Prep prepare for the annual spring nature retreat that’s held at Broarwood Nature Reserve in Pennsylvania. Though Auggie is excited, he also has reservations. “And it’s not even that I’m not excited, because I kind of am—it’s just I’ve never slept away from home before and I’m kind of nervous” (250). The only other time Auggie tried spending the night away from home was at Christopher’s house, and his parents had to be called in the early morning to pick him up because he was too stressed to sleep. Other kids have had plenty of sleepovers, but Auggie’s childhood has been spent with surgeries.

Auggie asks his mother to buy him a new duffel bag. His old one is Star Wars-themed, and he doesn’t want to be known for his love of Star Wars. In middle school, he reasons, everyone becomes known for something. Amos, for instance, is known as a good athlete, while Ximena is known for being smart. Though he knows that he’s really known for his face, he can’t do anything about it. He can, however, do something about the duffel bag.