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Features

10 quotes from Wonder that will inspire you to always choose kind

A selection of children's books that include themes of empathy. They sit on a light red background with a large red shape which features a star pattern inside it.

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Children's reading lists

17 books that demonstrate empathy

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The best children’s books about the Second World War

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Best children’s books that celebrate difference

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6 lessons R. J. Palacio’s Wonder can teach us about bullying

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Extracts

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

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10 inspiring books to teach tots about empathy

A Wonder Story

White Bird

From the bestselling author of Wonder comes White Bird: now a major film starring Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheisar, Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson. 
 
Sara Blum lives an idyllic life. But her world comes crashing down when the Nazi occupation arrives in her small French town, separating her from her parents and forcing the young Jewish girl into hiding. Sara's classmate Julien and his family will risk everything to ensure her survival, and together, Sara and Julien manage to find beauty in a secret world of their creation. 
 
Originally published as a graphic novel, and featuring characters from the multi-million-copy-bestselling phenomenon Wonder, Sara and Julien's powerful, heartbreaking and timeless story is told here for the first time as a novel, and shows the power of kindness to change hearts, build bridges, and even save lives in the darkest of times. 
 
Discover more from the World of Wonder: 
 
White Bird, the original graphic novel 
Auggie & Me 
365 Days of Wonder 
We're All Wonders 
 
And read more from R. J. Palacio with Pony, an unforgettable new story!

A must-read graphic novel that is both heart-rending and beautifully hopeful

A story of resistance, bravery, and survival . . . Compelling

R. J. Palacio was born and raised in New York City. She attended the High School of Art and Design and the Parsons School of Design, where she majored in illustration. She was a graphic designer and an art director for many years before writing her critically acclaimed debut novel, Wonder, which has been on the New York Times bestseller list since March 2012, and has sold over 20 million copies worldwide. 
 
In addition to Wonder, R. J. has written Auggie &amp; Me: Three Wonder Stories, 365 Days of Wonder, We're All Wonders, White Bird: A Wonder Story, and Pony. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, two sons and two dogs (Bear and Beau). Learn more about her at www.wonderthebook.com or at @RJPalacio.

From the bestselling author of Wonder comes White Bird: now a major film starring Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheisar, Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson. 
 
Sara Blum lives an idyllic life. But her world comes crashing down when the Nazi occupation arrives in her small French town, separating her from her parents and forcing the young Jewish girl into hiding. Sara's classmate Julien and his family will risk everything to ensure her survival, and together, Sara and Julien manage to find beauty in a secret world of their creation. 
 
Originally published as a graphic novel, and featuring characters from the multi-million-copy-selling phenomenon Wonder, Sara and Julien's powerful, heartbreaking and timeless story is told here for the first time as a novel, and shows the power of kindness to change hearts, build bridges, and even save lives in the darkest of times.

Pony

The highly anticipated, unforgettable new story from the internationally bestselling, multi-award-winning author of WONDER. 
 
'Thrillingly told . . . Palacio is a fantastic writer' The Times 
 
'Perfection . . . A beautiful, funny, heart-twisting wonder of a book . . . A brilliant story of love and courage' Wall Street Journal 
 
When Silas Bird wakes in the dead of night, he watches powerlessly as three strangers take his father away. Silas is left shaken, scared and alone, except for the presence of his companion, Mittenwool . . . who happens to be a ghost. 
 
But then a mysterious pony shows up at his door, and Silas knows what he has to do. 
 
So begins a perilous journey to find his father - a journey that will connect him with his past, his future, and the unknowable world around him. 
 
PONY is a breathtaking and powerful read, perfect for fans of Michael Morpurgo and Hannah Gold and destined to become a future classic.

Perfection . . . A beautiful, funny, heart-twisting wonder of a book . . . A brilliant story of love and courage

Well worth the wait . . . Palacio is a fantastic writer . . . Thrillingly told . . . A story that will take many children on the ride of their literary lives

Tremendous . . . Such a blend of adventure, thoughtfulness, magic, intelligence and deep feeling is very special and rare

A magical story . . . Pony is pure delight

R J Palacio, author of a modern classic children's book of our era, has somehow crafted what feels like an entirely different breed of classic: page-turning and heart expanding, elegiac and adventurous . . . timeless and utterly necessary to our current moment

A brilliant adventure and a heartfelt story about love and loss. Young readers will be entranced . . . A book that feels like a classic after just a few pages

R. J. Palacio was born and raised in New York City. She attended the High School of Art and Design and the Parsons School of Design, where she majored in illustration. She was a graphic designer and an art director for many years before writing her critically acclaimed debut novel, Wonder, which has been on the New York Times bestseller list since March 2012, sold over 16 million copies worldwide and been adapted into a movie. 
 
In addition to Wonder, R. J. has written Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories, 365 Days of Wonder, We're All Wonders and White Bird: A Wonder Story, which is soon to be a major motion picture. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, two sons and two dogs (Bear and Beau). 
 
Follow her on Twitter: @RJPalacio

When Silas Bird wakes in the dead of night, he watches powerlessly as three strangers take his father away. Silas is left shaken, scared and alone, except for the presence of his companion, Mittenwool . . . who happens to be a ghost. But then a mysterious pony shows up at his door, and Silas knows what he has to do. So begins a perilous journey to find his father - a journey that will connect him with his past, his future, and the unknowable world around him. 
 
PONY is destined to become a future classic.

The award-winning, multi-million-copy bestselling phenomenon

Wonder

'Has the power to move hearts and change minds' Guardian 
 
'Tremendously uplifting and a novel of all-too-rare power' Sunday Express 
 
'An amazing book . . . I absolutely loved it. I cried my eyes out' Tom Fletcher 
 
Read the award-winning, multi-million copy bestselling phenomenon that is WONDER in this new tenth anniversary edition. 
 
'My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.' 
 
Auggie wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things - eating ice cream, playing on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside. But ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids aren't stared at wherever they go. 
 
Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all? 
 
A funny, frank, astonishingly moving debut - and a true global phenomenon - to read in one sitting, pass on to others, and remember long after the final page. 
 
Discover more from the World of Wonder: 
 
White Bird, a graphic novel *Soon to be a motion picture!* 
Auggie & Me 
365 Days of Wonder 
We're All Wonders 
 
And read more from R. J. Palacio with Pony, an unforgettable new story!

'My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.' 
 
Auggie wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things - eating ice cream, playing on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside. But ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids aren't stared at wherever they go. 
 
Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all? 
 
A funny, frank, astonishingly moving novel to read in one sitting, pass on to others, and remember long after the final page.

A graphic novel from the world of WONDER – soon to be a major film

From the bestselling author of Wonder comes the graphic novel White Bird: soon to be a major film starring Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheisar, Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson. 
 
To the millions of readers who fell in love with R J Palacio's Wonder, Julian is best-known as Auggie Pullman's classroom bully. White Bird reveals a new side to Julian's story, as Julian discovers the moving and powerful tale of his grandmother, who was hidden from the Nazis as a young Jewish girl in occupied France during the Second World War. 
 
An unforgettable, unputdownable story about strength, courage and the power of kindness to change hearts, build bridges, and even save lives, from the globally bestselling author of Wonder. 
 
A full-colour graphic novel, brilliantly illustrated throughout by R. J. Palacio

Abridged Edition

Penguin Readers Level 3: Wonder (ELT Graded Reader)

This ELT Graded Reader is made for people learning English as an additional language. The short, simple text is also perfect for anyone looking for an easier read. It is an adapted version of the original story. 
 
In this story, August "Auggie" Pullman has been home-schooled all his life. Now he is starting fifth grade at a school in New York City. He doesn't want other students to look at him, but that isn't easy when he looks like he does. 
 
 Our Penguin Readers books include: 
<ul><li> Simple text (CEFR-levelled)</li><li> Pictures to help you understand the story</li><li> Fun exercises to help you learn and practise English</li></ul> 
 With the print book, you can get even more help online: 
<ul><li> Read the book online</li><li> Listen to the book being read out loud</li><li> Get lesson plans for teachers</li><li> Find answers to check your understanding</li></ul> 
 Note: online resources not available with the eBook.

Choose Kind Journal

Choose kind every day with this beautiful journal, based on the global bestseller Wonder. 
 
With over 14 million copies sold worldwide, Wonder has inspired countless readers to change the way they think about others - and to Choose Kind. This beautiful journal is filled with suggestions and activities for spreading kindness: one for every day of the year. 
 
With quotes from the book and questions that are fun and insightful, this journal is the perfect gift for Wonder fans and for any person who is looking to be a little kinder.

Remarkable . . . It has the power to move hearts and change minds

Incredibly charming, brutal and brilliant

So authentic you'll swear a kid wrote the book

Funny, touching, honest, and uplifting - though there's plenty of opportunity for tears, too

Tremendously uplifting and a novel of all-too-rare power . . . an unforgettable, deeply moving character

[A] beautiful, funny and sometimes sob-making story of quiet transformation

[A] glorious exploration of the nature of friendship, tenacity, fear, and most importantly, kindness

D[estined to go the way of Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and then some . . . It is dark, funny, touching

An amazing book . . . I cried my eyes out

What a gem of a story . . . This book made me laugh, made me angry, made me cry

Wonder is essentially . . . a wonder. [It] touches the heart in the most life-affirming, unexpected ways

Every page is honest, brave and delightful

A funny, emotional, brilliantly observed story

It's one of those rare books with almost universal appeal: it will make you laugh, cry and break your heart

With over 14 million copies sold worldwide, Wonder has inspired countless readers to change the way they think about others - and to Choose Kind. This beautiful journal is filled with suggestions and activities for spreading kindness: one for every day of the year. With quotes from the book and questions that are fun and insightful, this journal is the perfect gift for Wonder fans and for any person who is looking to be a little kinder.

R J Palacio

The Complete Collection

Wonder was first published in 2012. Since then it has become a critically acclaimed, multi-million global bestseller, and been transformed into a major motion picture starring Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay. Its simple message of asking children and adults to #ChooseKind has sparked a global movement, and its status as a modern classic is assured. 
 
This beautiful special edition contains the original text of Wonder, and also its companion novel, Auggie &amp; Me, which follows the stories of Julian, Charlotte and Christopher, and their relationships with the unforgettable Auggie Pullman.

R J Palacio

Praise for Wonder

Remarkable . . . It has the power to move hearts and change minds

Incredibly charming, brutal and brilliant

It wreaks emotional havoc

Remarkable . . . It has the power to move hearts and change minds

Incredibly charming, brutal and brilliant

It wreaks emotional havoc

Remarkable . . . It has the power to move hearts and change minds

Incredibly charming, brutal and brilliant

It wreaks emotional havoc

Books by R J Palacio

Series by R J Palacio

Puffin 85th Anniversary Clothbound Collection

Articles featuring R J Palacio

10 quotes from Wonder that will inspire you to always choose kind

17 books that demonstrate empathy

The best children’s books about the Second World War

Best children’s books that celebrate difference

6 lessons R. J. Palacio’s Wonder can teach us about bullying

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

10 inspiring books to teach tots about empathy

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