A special movie tie-in edition of R.J. Palacio's #1 New York Times bestseller, now a major motion picture starring Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay, Daveed Diggs, and Mandy Patinkin!

Over 6 million people have fallen in love with Wonder and Auggie Pullman, the ordinary boy with the extraordinary face, who inspired a movement to Choose Kind. This special movie tie-in edition features an eight-page full-color insert with photos from the film, a foreword by the director Stephen Chbosky, an afterword by R.J. Palacio, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie with anecdotes from the cast and crew, and a family discussion guide. 

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. Wonder, a #1 New York Times bestseller, begins from Auggie's point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in 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, who proves that you can't blend in when you were born to stand out.  

Join the conversation: #thewonderofwonder, #choosekind 

#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 

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

"Rich and memorable." -- The New York Times

"A beautiful, funny and sometimes sob-making story of quiet transformation." --Wall Street Journal

Praise for Wonder:

#1 New York Times bestseller

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 

" Wonder is essentially ... a wonder. It's well-written, engaging, and so much fun to read that the pages almost turn themselves. More than that, Wonder touches the heart in the most life-affirming, unexpected ways, delivering in August Pullman a character whom readers will remember forever.  Do yourself a favor and read this book – your life will be better for it." -  Nicholas Sparks, #1  New York Times bestselling author 

Slate.com: 
" 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.”

R.J. Palacio lives in New York City 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. Her other books include 365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne's Book of Precepts andAuggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories. Learn more about her at wonderthebook.com or on Twitter @RJPalacio.

Ordinary 

I know I’m not an ordinary ten-year-old kid. I mean, sure, I do ordinary things. I eat ice cream. I ride my bike. I play ball. I have an XBox. Stuff like that makes me ordinary. I guess. And I feel ordinary. Inside. But I know ordinary kids don’t make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. I know ordinary kids don’t get stared at wherever they go. 

If I found a magic lamp and I could have one wish, I would wish that I had a normal face that no one ever noticed at all. I would wish that I could walk down the street without people seeing me and then doing that look-away thing. Here’s what I think: the only reason I’m not ordinary is that no one else sees me that way. 

But I’m kind of used to how I look by now. I know how to pretend I don’t see the faces people make. We’ve all gotten pretty good at that sort of thing: me, Mom and Dad, Via. Actually, I take that back: Via’s not so good at it. She can get really annoyed when people do something rude. Like, for instance, one time in the playground some older kids made some noises. I don’t even know what the noises were exactly because I didn’t hear them myself, but Via heard and she just started yelling at the kids. That’s the way she is. I’m not that way. 

Via doesn’t see me as ordinary. She says she does, but if I were ordinary, she wouldn’t feel like she needs to protect me as much. And Mom and Dad don’t see me as ordinary, either. They see me as extraordinary. I think the only person in the world who realizes how ordinary I am is me. 

My name is August, by the way. I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse. 



Why I Didn’t Go to School 

Next week I start fifth grade. Since I’ve never been to a real school before, I am pretty much totally and completely petrified. People think I haven’t gone to school because of the way I look, but it’s not that. It’s because of all the surgeries I’ve had. Twenty-seven since I was born. The bigger ones happened before I was even four years old, so I don’t remember those. But I’ve had two or three surgeries every year since then (some big, some small), and because I’m little for my age, and I have some other medical mysteries that doctors never really figured out, I used to get sick a lot. That’s why my parents decided it was better if I didn’t go to school. I’m much stronger now, though. The last surgery I had was eight months ago, and I probably won’t have to have any more for another couple of years. 

Mom homeschools me. She used to be a children’s-book illustrator. She draws really great fairies and mermaids. Her boy stuff isn’t so hot, though. She once tried to draw me a Darth Vader, but it ended up looking like some weird mushroom-shaped robot. I haven’t seen her draw anything in a long time. I think she’s too busy taking care of me and Via. 

I can’t say I always wanted to go to school because that wouldn’t be exactly true. What I wanted was to go to school, but only if I could be like every other kid going to school. Have lots of friends and hang out after school and stuff like that. 

I have a few really good friends now. Christopher is my best friend, followed by Zachary and Alex. We’ve known each other since we were babies. And since they’ve always known me the way I am, they’re used to me. When we were little, we used to have playdates all the time, but then Christopher moved to Bridgeport in Connecticut. That’s more than an hour away from where I live in North River Heights, which is at the top tip of Manhattan. And Zachary and Alex started going to school. It’s funny: even though Christopher’s the one who moved far away, I still see him more than I see Zachary and Alex. They have all these new friends now. If we bump into each other on the street, they’re still nice to me, though. They always say hello. 

I have other friends, too, but not as good as Christopher and Zack and Alex were. For instance, Zack and Alex always invited me to their birthday parties when we were little, but Joel and Eamonn and Gabe never did. Emma invited me once, but I haven’t seen her in a long time. And, of course, I always go to Christopher’s birthday. Maybe I’m making too big a deal about birthday parties.