Wonder has sold
over 13 million copies worldwide. In the UK, it was the biggest debut hardback of 2012 and was a number one bestseller. In the US, it has been a
New York Times bestseller consistently for a decade. In 2017,
Wonder was Penguin Random House's bestselling title across the world.This special illustrated hardback edition celebrates ten years of
Wonder with original colour artwork from illustrator Tad Carpenter, who created the original iconic cover; a new afterword by R. J. Palacio; and a new book club guide.
Wonder was adapted into a major movie in 2017 starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson, which grossed over $300m worldwide.
White Bird is being filmed as a major motion picture for release in 2022, starring Gillian Anderson and Helen Mirren.A true global phenomenon,
Wonder launched the powerful #ChooseKind movement and is frequently used by teachers and parents to start conversations with children about empathy, tolerance, bullying and compassion.
R. J. Palacio (Author)
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
Tad Carpenter (Illustrator)
Tad Carpenter is a designer, a writer and a New York Times bestselling illustrator. He illustrated the iconic cover of Wonder. Tad co-runs the design and branding studio Carpenter Collective with his wife and partner, Jessica Carpenter, where they have worked with clients ranging from Target, Coca-Cola, Macy's, Adobe, Nick Jr. and Conan O'Brien, to name a few. Tad has written and illustrated over twenty books for people of all ages.
Remarkable . . . It has the power to move hearts and change mindsIncredibly charming, brutal and brilliantIt wreaks emotional havoc . . . To finish it with a firm resolve to be a better person - well, you can't ask much more of any book than thatWhen the kids have finished with this, the adults will want to read it. Everybody shouldAwesome . . . So authentic you'll swear a kid wrote the book. And yes, that's a good thingAn amazing book . . . I absolutely loved it. I cried my eyes outWhat a gem of a story. Moving and heart-warming. This book made me laugh, made me angry, made me cryI am terrifically jealous of everybody that gets to read
Wonder for the first time. Every page is honest, brave and delightful. The most sparkly book I've come across for whilesIt’s one of those rare books with almost universal appeal: it will make you laugh, cry and break your heartThoughtful but never preachy. A great bookThe breakout publishing sensation of 2012 will come courtesy of Palacio, a New York graphic designer whose debut novel,
Wonder, is destined 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 and no Tube carriage will be without a copy this yearA children's book that's making grown men cryIncredibly charming, brutal and brilliantWhat a gem of a story. Moving and heart-warming. This book made me laugh, made me angry, made me cryThe breakout publishing sensation of 2012 will come courtesy of Palacio, a New York graphic designer whose debut novel,
Wonder, is destined 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 and no Tube carriage will be without a copy this yearIt wreaks emotional havoc . . . To finish it with a firm resolve to be a better person - well, you can't ask much more of any book than thatWhen the kids have finished with this, the adults will want to read it. Everybody shouldA children's book that's making grown men cryAwesome . . . So authentic you'll swear a kid wrote the book. And yes, that's a good thing
Wonder by R. J. Palacio is the tremendously moving story of young Auggie, who was born with a rare syndrome resulting in a severe facial disfigurement. Throughout his life he is ignored, avoided, laughed at, called names and physically bullied. All this sounds very bleak, but Auggie and his family are so delightful, and there are individual acts of kindness that ultimately make
Wonder an uplifting, hopeful and important bookI am terrifically jealous of everybody that gets to read Wonder for the first time. Every page is honest, brave and delightful. The most sparkly book I've come across for whilesIt is curious how the gravity of serious subjects can be best expressed through humour. Comedy humanises: the light touch gives weight. It's a tactic R. J. Palacio has used to great effect in her remarkable story of a year in the life of 10-year-old August Pullman . . . It makes ordinary things extraordinary . . . Palacio has a great ear for dialogue, a sharp eye for detail and an instinctive sense of comedy. All this makes her an expert chronicler of ordinariness – and this, paradoxically, is what makes her story of an extraordinary boy so wonderful.
Wonder certainly delivers what it promises – an emotional rollercoaster ride in which tears, laughter and triumphant fist-pumping are mandatory. But it is better than that. In its assured simplicity and boldness (reminiscent – it seemed to me – of
To Kill a Mockingbird), it also has the power to move hearts and change minds.
A stunning illustrated edition featuring original colour artwork by Tad Carpenter, the artist behind Wonder's iconic cover, which celebrates ten years of this bestselling global phenomenon.
'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 facial difference, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to school. 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 and astonishingly moving novel to read in one sitting, pass on to others, and remember long after the final page, this special anniversary edition also features an afterword from the author on ten years of Wonder.
