_The publisher's description:

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?

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* Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2011:
"After being homeschooled for years, Auggie Pullman is about to start fifth grade, but he’s worried: How will he fit into middle-school life when he looks so different from everyone else?Auggie has had 27 surgeries to correct facial anomalies he was born with, but he still has a face that has earned him such cruel nicknames as Freak, Freddy Krueger, Gross-out and Lizard face. Though “his features look like they’ve been melted, like the drippings on a candle” and he’s used to people averting their eyes when they see him, he’s an engaging boy who feels pretty ordinary inside. He’s smart, funny, kind and brave, but his father says that having Auggie attend Beecher Prep would be like sending “a lamb to the slaughter.” Palacio divides the novel into eight parts, interspersing Auggie’s first-person narrative with the voices of family members and classmates, wisely expanding the story beyond Auggie’s viewpoint and demonstrating that Auggie’s arrival at school doesn’t test only him, it affects everyone in the community. Auggie may be finding his place in the world, but that world must find a way to make room for him, too. A memorable story of kindness, courage and wonder."

* Starred Review, Booklist, February 1, 2012:
“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, February 2012:
"Palacio has an exceptional knack for writing realistic conversation and describing the thoughts and emotions of the characters. Everyone grows and develops as the story progresses, especially the middle school students. This is a fast read and would be a great discussion starter about love, support, and judging people on their appearance. A well-written, thought-provoking book."

* Starred review, Publisher's Weekly
"Auggie Pullman was born with severe facial deformities--no outer ears, eyes in the wrong place, his skin "melted"--and he's learned to steel himself against the horrified reactions he produces in strangers. Now, after years of homeschooling, his parents have enrolled him in fifth grade. In short chapters told from various first-person perspectives, debut author Palacio sketches his challenging but triumphant year. Though he has some expectedly horrible experiences at school, Auggie has lucked out with the adults in his life--his parents love him unconditionally, and his principal and teachers value kindness over all other qualities. While one bully manages, temporarily, to turn most of Auggie's classmates against him (Auggie likens this to becoming the human equivalent of "the Cheese Touch," a clever Diary of a Wimpy Kid reference), good wins out. 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. "

* Amazon Best Books of the Month for Kids, February 2012:
"Wonder is a rare gem of a novel--beautifully written and populated by characters who linger in your memory and heart. August Pullman is a 10-year-old boy who likes Star Wars and X-box, ordinary except for his jarring facial anomalies. Homeschooled all his life, August heads to public school for fifth grade and he is not the only one changed by the experience--something we learn about first-hand through the narratives of those who orbit his world. August’s internal dialogue and interactions with students and family ring true, and though remarkably courageous he comes across as a sweet, funny boy who wants the same things others want: friendship, understanding, and the freedom to be himself. “It is only with one’s heart that one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.” From The Little Prince and R.J. Palacio’s remarkable novel, Wonder. " --Seira Wilson

The London Times, "The Top 100 People to Watch in 2012"
"The breakout publishing sensation of 2012 will come courtesy of Palacio [and] is destined to go the way of Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and then some." -

The Independent, UK: February 2012
"I imagine that the pitch for Wonder went something along the lines of "does for facial disfigurement what The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time did for Asperger syndrome".
    Ten-year-old August – Auggie – Pullman has never been to school. A veteran of surgical procedures ("twenty seven since I was born"), he has a "previously unknown type of mandibulofacial dysostosis caused by an autosomal recessive mutation in the TCOF1 gene ... complicated by a hemifacial microsomia". The only night of the year he feels normal is Halloween, because then everyone's wearing a mask, and for two whole years he walked around wearing a toy astronaut's helmet.
    Auggie knows all the reactions his appearance causes: the shock, the smirking, the covert glances, the hostility. He has created a safe world for himself in North River Heights, his Manhattan neighbourhood: "On our block, everybody knows me and I know everybody ... I know Mrs Grimaldi, the lady who's always sitting by her window, and the old guy who walks up and down the street whistling like a bird ... and the waitresses at the coffee shop who all call me 'honey' and give me lollipops." But Auggie's parents have decided it's time for him to go to school. Wonder recounts his rocky year as a fifth-grader at high-toned Beecher Prep, told through his words and those of his older sister, Olivia, and their friends.
    Four carefully vetted children are appointed as helpers, but this well-intentioned gesture quickly backfires. There's no way round it: Auggie will have to make his own way in the school pecking order. One of the appealing themes of the book is the way children use cultural bric-a-brac to form an identity. Auggie is obsessed with Star Wars, and reflects: "Like, it's okay, I know I'm weird looking, take a look, I don't bite. Hey, the truth is, if a Wookiee started going to school, I'd probably stare a bit!" When he becomes aware that his fellow pupils are shunning him, he has another reference to hand: "I think it's like the Cheese Touch in Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The kids in that story were afraid they'd catch the cooties if they touched the old mouldy cheese in the basketball court. At Beecher Prep, I'm the old, mouldy cheese."
    All this is harrowing enough. More apparent to an adult reader, perhaps (the book is recommended for readers of 10 and above), are the advantages Auggie receives: the cuddles, the pampering, the non-stop worrying and care he gets from his parents. R J Palacio deftly shows the effects that putting Auggie first have on his sister. In one telling scene, Auggie storms to his bedroom in a giant sulk, makes a cave of his bed coverings and fills it with his toy animals. Much to his surprise, his mother doesn't immediately rush to comfort him. As Olivia yells: "Not everything in the world is about you, Auggie!"
    Except for his appearance, Auggie is an ordinary boy. Well, almost – without ever being mawkish, Palacio emphasises his resilience, sense of humour and bravery in the face of endless surgery. I'd defy anyone not to well up when he cries: "Why do I have to be so ugly, Mommy?", and as for the climax, it wreaks emotional havoc. There is a message running through the book, most clearly voiced by an inspirational teacher, that if we were all a little kinder to one another the benefit would be incalculable. To finish it with a firm resolve to be a better person – well, you can't ask much more of any book than that." —Suzy Feiy

Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing Tuesday, Feb 14
"Wonder: tearjerking novel is an inspiring meditation on kindness
RJ Palacio's new book Wonder is a middle-grades novel about August ("Auggie"), a young boy born with severe facial abnormalities who, at the age of 10, leaves the safety of his parents' homeschooling and begins attending a New York private school. August has cleft palate, no cheekbones, asymmetrical eyes, and other deformities that are caused by a rare genetic disorder; he has spent his life going in and out of surgery, beating the odds and surviving. He is smart and engaging, but also sheltered, immature, and terribly frightened of human contact.
    Wonder's story unfolds through a series of point-of-view jumps, beginning in Auggie's head, then shifting to his sister, his friends, his sister's friends, and then back to him. It is through this device that Palacio manages to produce a story of intense action and intense introspection, a series of interiorized monologues that show the frailties and foibles behind each of Auggie's trials and hurts. Thus, Wonder becomes more than a story about a poor disabled child who overcomes bullies to find acceptance in school -- instead, it's a beautifully told lesson in empathy that requires that the reader find sympathy for each of the principle actors in the story.
    Palacio is a wonderful storyteller and her characters are bright, well-rounded and intensely likable. Wonder is a beautiful book that is full of sorrow and triumph, emotional without being manipulative -- highly recommended."

Entertainment Weekly, February 2012
"Born with a severe facial deformity, 10-year old Auggie Pullman leaves the comfort of homeschooling and braves mainstream Beecher Prep, where he encounters both relentless bullying and real kindness. In a wonder of a debut, Palacio has written a crackling page-turned filled with characters you can't help but root for. A- "   —Stephan Lee

THE MUST LIST: THE TOP 10 THINGS WE LOVE THIS WEEK, Entertainment Weekly, February 17, 2012
#3 Wonder
"In this bighearted debut YA novel, Auggie Pullman is a kind, insightful 10-year-old boy, born with a severe facial deformity, who endures relentless bullying and cruelty at his new middle school. But his story ultimately becomes an uplifting one as he changes the community around him."

Akron Children’s Books Examiner, February 2012
"The wonderment of R.J. Palacio's "Wonder"
August (Auggie) is a normal 10 year old in every way, except one. He was born with severe facial anomalies, causing stares and hand-covered whispers everywhere he goes.
    Until now, August has been homeschooled but his parents decide that the start of fifth grade (the first year of middle school) presents the ideal time to begin attending school with other children.
    Auggie now finds himself navigating the foreign hallways of Beecher Prep, the demands of a full time school schedule, surprising new friendships and the sometimes cruel behavior of his fellow students.
    Wonder is the debut novel by R.J. Palacio, a former art director and book jacket designer. With more than twenty years in the publishing industry and designing jackets for countless books, Palacio always dreamt of writing a novel of her own.
    After an encounter with a little girl, much like Auggie, at the park with her sons, the story of Wonder began to take form. She set out to write a book about empathy and tolerance. What evolved was an endearing tale of family, friendships, resiliency of the human spirit and the power of kindness.
    Advertisement Palacio’s graceful and witty writing takes readers on a journey of emotions, conjuring both tears and laughter.  Auggie’s voyage from sheltered child to confident middle-schooler proves that being different isn’t a bad thing, it’s an opportunity to inspire.
    To learn more about Wonder (available now) and author, R.J. Palacio, visit her official website." — Arlena Lockard

Amazon Vine™ Program
"Once in a great while, a master will create a novel that enlightens and teaches; that opens our minds, eyes and hearts and makes the world a better place. Often the book is disguised as a children's book but just as many adults read it; it wins multiple awards and is placed on many lists: summer rseading, book clubs, recommended reading, short lists for Newbury and even Pulitzer. R.J. Palacio has created just such a novel with "Wonder", a remarkable first person account of a ten year old boy named August who was born with substantial facial anomolies. Not since Mark Hadon's "The Curious Incident of The Dog In the Night Time" has a book of this calibre been published. It stands beside other classics such as "Stuart Little", "A Wrinkle In Time", "Huck Finn," "The Borrowers" and "Holes." It shares a common theme with all of these books: unconditional love overcoming great obstacles.
    There are a number of miracles in this book: August's first person words: "My name is August, by the way. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking it's probably worse." This single sentence tells us so much about August and does so in just twenty words. "My name is August, by the way."
    By the way? Isn't our name the first thing we offer with pride? Or at least with conviction, (aside from someone whose last name might be Seaman). We learn that August has self esteem issues. We learn that August would rather have us imagine his deformed head than go through the pain of explaining it. A young child in his position is probably asked over and over, "What happened?"
    Certainly his parents are asked this too.
    We meet his parents, remarkable people who love him and his sister, Via, more than a anything in their lives. We see their pain and their guilt. We come into their lives just at the point where this boy, up to now homeschooled, is going to be placed into a private prep school in upper Manhattan.
    The short chapters move from character to character, always in first person and always written with remarkable skill. We join August through his pain and trials, the cruelty of the ohter children and the self punishment he accepts in order to avoid reality. At the start of the book, at August's suggestion, one imagines the boy, like John Merrick, his head covered in a burlap sack. ("I am NOT an Animal!") and by the last page we discover that our mental picture of August has nothing at all to do with what he looks like; all we know is that he is beautiful and shouldn;t look like anything but what he looks like.
    Not only is August a Wonder, but so is the book and the author. Hence the title. This book will end up at the national conventions for "Super Kids" and "Helping Hands". This book will not only reach out to everyone, but it will make a special connection to any child, sibling or parent who has had to deal with any form of birth anomolie.
    Palacio quotes Thurber: "It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers." This is important because the book inspires thought and discussion. And that is - no doubt - what "Wonder" is all about.
    Dazzling, remarkable, like nothing I've read in years."
            --David Seaman (Boston),



"You'll laugh out loud and cry joyful tears following Auggie. This is one of the most moving and purely uplifting books I've read in a long while."
    —Rachel Hochberg, Children's Book World

"August Pullman reminds us of what true beauty is."
    —Paul Hankins, Goodreads

"Prepare yourself. Your eyes will open, your heart will warm and you will find yourself cheering for August."
    —Judy Hobbs. Third Place Books

"This unforgettable story, told from different points of view, has the power to change the way people think."
    —Joyce Tiber, Next Chapter Books

"I haven't been this moved by a book in quite some time. Absolutely beautiful."
    --Nicole Yasinksy, The Booksellers at Laurelwood

"I have just finished reading Wonder. I would really recommend it to lots of my friends because it made me feel happy and it made me think about how important it is to be kind."
    --Josh Hartigan (age 12):

"A gentle, totally mesmerising book written in a compelling, realistic style that invites the reader into the intimate daily life of this marvelous, genuine boy and his family and holds them there. It is a powerful story that gives us the world we live in with a clean set of eyes; one you will return to again and again, with voices that will stay with you for a very long time. It is also about being yourself, even if the odds are against you, because in the end, that’s all you can be. For ages 10 and up (through adult readers), ‘Wonder’ is a thoroughly wonderful gift and a book that you must read."
     —Mary Esther Judy, The Bookbag