about the book
August Pullman is about to start fifth grade, but this year it will be in a public school, not home school like he has been used to. August, or Auggie as he likes to be called, was born with a rare facial deformity which has left him with no outer ears, skin that looks melted, and eyes in the wrong places.
All he wants is to be a normal kid, like he truly is on the inside—he is smart, funny, and likes all the sorts of things other kids his age like—but he knows going in that it will take some time for others to see past his face.
Auggie’s presence at school is also a challenge for others, like his older and beautiful sister, who though she loves him is still embarrassed by being known as Auggie’s sister. There are bullies, and one bully in particular, who turn otherwise nice kids into Auggie’s enemies at first, and it is a long time before he makes any friends.
But when he does make one or two, things change for Auggie completely.
about the author
R. J. Palacio was an art director and book jacket designer. She has designed covers for both well-known and less-than-well-known authors in all sorts of genres, non-fiction and fiction.
However, R. J. had always dreamed of being a writer herself, and then maybe designing her own books’ covers. She kept waiting for the right time to start writing, until she realized that the perfect time to write a book never exists, so she just went for it.
Out of her head came Wonder, and she is thrilled that people have liked it so much so far! She didn’t design the cover herself, but she loves it anyway.
R. J. lives in New York City with her husband and two sons, along with two dogs.
Source:
Author website
Author interview : NPR
Author interview : Bloom
Author video interview
Book trailer: Wonder
Also by R.J. Palacio:
365 Days of Wonder : Mr. Browne’s Book of Precepts. Knopf Books for Young Readers. 2014.
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