Pages 64 - 137 Summary

Miriam Grossman first discovers "Perfectimundo" as a child. "Perfectimundo" is Miriam's word for something that is absolutely ideal—as if all the planets were aligned just for her. She first experiences "Perfectimundo" during a game of hopscotch in which the pebble lands in the perfect center of one of the squares. "Perfectimundo" is something Miriam searches for her entire life. She re-discovers "Perfectimundo" when she first looks into a kaleidoscope.

Saul collects all the local newspapers that mention Eliza's district spelling bee win. Eliza looks at the family photo in one of the newspapers and does not like what she sees. Her family appears disjointed; her parents' distance from one another is readily apparent: "Her family doesn't look anything like the stuff of photography studios" (p. 65). The fantasy Eliza holds in her imagination about the way her family should appear...