Kids@RandomKids@Random
Kids@Random
.
. KIDS TEENS TEACHERS LIBRARIANS ABOUT US RANDOMHOUSE.COM .
. FAVORITES NEW RELEASES AUTHORS GAMES and CONTESTS .
.
. ABOUT THIS BOOK .
.
  

Advanced Search

 
NEWS AT THE HOUSE

NEWSLETTER

Sign up for the Read & Play Newsletter for age-by-age recommendations, discounts, news about upcoming books, literacy activities and more!
Click here for more info...

NEW RELEASES


Hot off the press! Check out some of this month's reading highlights...
See New Releases

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT
Author Photo

Meet Jeff Stone, author of Phoenix

Jeff Stone lives in the Midwest with his wife and two children and practices the martial arts daily.

Read more

RANDOM HOUSE RECOMMENDS


Click here for age-appropriate recommendations on our bestselling pre-school, chapter, and middle-grade book series!

For a full list of book recommendations try Search by Theme!

FAVORITES
Seussville


From Dr. Seuss to Dora the Explorer, Random House has books featuring your favorite characters!

.
.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
QUOTES
AWARDS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RELATED LINKS
RELATED VIDEO
READ AN EXCERPT
Buy this book online
Buy this book from a local store
Ordering information
Search Again
.
Wonder

Written by R. J. PalacioAuthor Alerts:  Random House will alert you to new works by R. J. Palacio


· Knopf Books for Young Readers
· Hardcover · Ages 8-12 years
· February 14, 2012 · $16.99 · 978-0-375-86902-0 (0-375-86902-6)

.
Wonder
Enlarge View
Upgrade to the Flash 9 viewer for enhanced content, including the ability to browse and search through your favorite titles
  • Add to Barnes and Noble Wish List
  • Add to Good Reads
  • Add to Librarything
  • Add to Shelfari

ABOUT THIS BOOK

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Millions of people have fallen in love with Auggie Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary facewho shows us that kindness brings us together no matter how far apart we are. Read the book that inspired the Choose Kind movement, a major motion picture, and the critically acclaimed graphic novel White Bird.

I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse. 
 
August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. Beginning from Auggie’s point of view and expanding to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others, the perspectives converge to form a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance. In a world where bullying among young people is an epidemic, this is a refreshing new narrative full of heart and hope.
 
R.J. Palacio has called her debut novel “a meditation on kindness” —indeed, every reader will come away with a greater appreciation for the simple courage of friendship. Auggie is a hero to root for, a diamond in the rough who proves that you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out. 

QUOTES

#1 New York Times bestseller
USA Today bestseller
Time Magazine's 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time
New York Times Book Review Notable Book
Washington Post Best Kids' Book


A School Library Journal Best of Children's Books 

A Publishers Weekly Best of Children's Books 

A Kirkus Reviews Best of Children's Books 

A Booklist Best of Children's Books 


Slate:
"Wonder is the best kids' book of the year."

Entertainment Weekly: 
"In a wonder of a debut, Palacio has written a crackling page-turner filled with characters you can't help but root for."

The New York Times:
"Rich and memorable...It's Auggie and the rest of the children who are the real heart of 'Wonder,' and Palacio captures the voices of girls and boys, fifth graders and teenagers, with equal skill."

The Wall Street Journal:
"What makes R.J. Palacio's debut novel so remarkable, and so lovely, is the uncommon generosity with which she tells Auggie's story…The result is a beautiful, funny and sometimes sob-making story of quiet transformation.”

The Huffington Post: 
"It's in the bigger themes that Palacio's writing shines. This book is a glorious exploration of the nature of friendship, tenacity, fear, and most importantly, kindness."

"Full of heart, full of truth, Wonder is a book about seeing the beauty that's all around us.  I dare you not to fall in love with Auggie Pullman."
- Rebecca Stead, Newbery award-winning author of When You Reach Me

"It is the deceptive simplicity and honesty of the work that make Wonder so memorable. Every single character seems real and well drawn and oh-so human...This book is beautiful." - Christopher Paul Curtis, Newbery award-winning author of Bud, Not Buddy

"A beautiful story of kindness and courage. There are many real and well-developed characters, and they each have their shining moments. Of course, Auggie shines the brightest." - Clare Vanderpool, Newbery award-winning author of Moon Over Manifest

"Wonder is a beautifully told story about heartache, love, and the value of human life. One comes away from it wanting to be a better person." - Patricia Reilly Giff, two-time Newbery honor-winning author of Lily's Crossing and Pictures of Hollis Woods

"Wonder is a shining jewel of a story that cannot help but encourage readers of all ages to do better, to be better, in how they treat others in life. I'm totally in love with this novel."  - Trudy Ludwig, anti-bullying advocate and author of My Secret Bully, Confessions of a Former Bully, Better Than You, and Just Kidding

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly:
“Few first novels pack more of a punch: it's a rare story with the power to open eyes--and hearts--to what it's like to be singled out for a difference you can't control, when all you want is to be just another face in the crowd.”

Starred Review, Booklist:
“Palacio makes it feel not only effortless but downright graceful, and by the stand-up-and-cheer conclusion, readers will be doing just that, and feeling as if they are part of this troubled but ultimately warm-hearted community.”

Starred Review, School Library Journal:
"Palacio has an exceptional knack for writing realistic conversation and describing the thoughts and emotions of the characters...A well-written, thought-provoking book."

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews:
“A memorable story of kindness, courage and wonder.”

AWARDS

WINNER 2013 - IRA Teachers' Choices
WINNER 2014 - Kentucky Bluegrass Award
WINNER 2015 - Louisiana Young Reader's Choice Award
WINNER 2014 - Maine Student Book Award
WINNER 2013 - Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award
WINNER 2014 - Mark Twain Award
WINNER 2012 - Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fischer Book Award
NOMINEE 2013 - Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts
AWARD - Nebraska Golden Sower Award
WINNER 2012 - New Hampshire Great Stone Face Award
WINNER 2014 - New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Award
WINNER 2014 - Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award
WINNER 2014 - Children's Book Award
NOMINEE 2012 - New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
WINNER 2013 - Ohio Buckeye Children's Book Award
NOMINEE 2013 - American Library Association's YALSA Quick Pick
WINNER 2014 - Rhode Island Children's Book Award
WINNER 2014 - Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award
WINNER 2014 - Texas Bluebonnet Award
NOMINEE 2014 - Texas Lonestar Reading List
WINNER 2013 - Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award
WINNER 2014 - Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award
WINNER 2013 - Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award
NOMINEE - Washington Evergreen Young Adult Book Award
NOMINEE 2013 - North Dakota Flicker Tale Children's Book Award
WINNER 2012 - Amazon Best of the Year
WINNER 2012 - Barnes & Noble Best Book of the Year
FINALIST 2012 - Cybils
WINNER 2012 - National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA)
FINALIST 2013 - Kiddo Awards
WINNER 2013 - Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award
WINNER 2013 - Christopher Award
FINALIST 2013 - Indies Choice Book Award
AWARD - Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award
WINNER 2012 - Kid's Indie Next List "Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers"
WINNER 2012 - New York Times Bestseller
NOMINEE - YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
WINNER - National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Gold Award
SUBMITTED - New York Times Bestseller
SUBMITTED - New York Times Bestseller
WINNER 2012 - Amazon Best of the Year
FINALIST - Cybils
FINALIST 2012 - GoodReads Choice Award
WINNER 2012 - New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) Book of the Year Award
WINNER 2012 - Barnes & Noble Best Book of the Year
WINNER 2012 - Amazon Best of the Year
WINNER - Christopher Award
NOMINEE - ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers
NOMINEE - ALA Notable Children's Book
NOMINEE - Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award
WINNER - ALA Notable Children's Book
WINNER - IRA Teachers' Choices
NOMINEE - Georgia Children's Book Award
NOMINEE - Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fischer Book Award
NOMINEE - Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award
NOMINEE - New York State Charlotte Award
NOMINEE - Florida Sunshine State Book Award
NOMINEE - NCTE Notable Children's Trade Books in the Language Arts
NOMINEE - Kentucky Bluegrass Award
WINNER 2015 - Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fischer Book Award
WINNER 2015 - California Young Reader Medal
WINNER 2014 - Colorado Children's Book Award
NOMINEE 2014 - Florida Sunshine State Young Reader's Award
NOMINEE 2014 - Georgia Children's Book Award
FINALIST 2012 - GoodReads Choice Award
WINNER 2015 - Hawaii Nene Award
NOMINEE - Texas Bluebonnet Award Winner
NOMINEE - Texas Lone Star Reading List
NOMINEE - New York Public Library Book for Reading and Sharing
NOMINEE - Nebraska Golden Sower Award
WINNER 2014 - Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award
WINNER 2015 - Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

R. J. PALACIO lives in NYC with her husband, two sons, and two dogs. For more than twenty years, she was an art director and graphic designer, designing book jackets for other people while waiting for the perfect time in her life to start writing her own novel. But one day several years ago, a chance encounter with an extraordinary child in front of an ice cream store made R. J. realize that the perfect time to write that novel had finally come. Wonder is her first novel. She did not design the cover, but she sure does love it.

Learn more about R.J. Palacio and the world of Wonder at wonderthebook.com.

RELATED LINKS

Visit R.J. Palacio's website
Watch the trailer!
Contact us about speaking engagements with R.J. Palacio
Take the pledge to Choose Kind!

.

.
.
. .
.