The View From Saturday

Julian Singh, a sixth grader, is one of the main characters of the story and the last member of the Academic Bowl team to be picked by Mrs. Olinski. Julian’s father was a chef on a cruise ship, and his late mother was a singer. He grew up going to boarding school in England (which is where he got his British accent) and on the cruise ship where he learned to be an accomplished magician. Julian starts middle school in Epiphany after his father buys Sillington house, deciding they should settle down. Julian is part East Indian and part American. His skin is the “color of strong coffee with skim milk […] his lips [are] the color of a day-old bruise […] his hair—blue black, thick and straight” (66). Julian wears shorts and knee-length socks and carries a leather book bag to school. These differences, coupled with Julian’s endlessly polite manner, make him the target of bullies, but he stays patient and cheerful, never conforming to the “playground” hierarchy. Julian is kind and observant and sees kindness in his fellow students, Nadia, Ethan, and Noah. Julian invites them to Sillington house for a