Bookseller Reviews
View all
Truly Wonder-ful
'Kinder than is necessary. Because it's not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed.'
Words cannot describe my adoration for this book. I fell ... READ MORE
Tested on Children!
This book was shortlisted for this year's Waterstones Children's Book Prize and was, in fact, the category winner for 5-12. It was tested on children in sc... READ MORE
Not just a Kids Book!
The tale of little disfigured August going to school for the first time after years of home schooling really surprised a lot of reading group members as to... READ MORE
BEST BOOK EVER!!
I've already reviewed the Hardback version of this book but it is so absolutely fantastic that I want to review the paperback version as well.
Every once i... READ MORE
Deeply moving
This is such a gorgeous book, heart-warming and deeply moving. I read this book shortly after it first came out but years later I'm still recommending it a... READ MORE
Best book I've ever read...?
It's a big claim...but it's more than possible. I think Wonder is amazing and I recommend it to anybody aged between 10 and 95. RJ Palacio has done a fanta... READ MORE
Fantastic! Amazing!
This is a beautifully written novel about August, who is a 10 year old boy who has a facial deformity who has been home schooled until now and his parents ... READ MORE
Synopsis
Now a major film adaptation
I know I’m not an ordinary 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.
Author Raquel Jaramillo, who wrote Wonder under the pen name R.J. Palacio, is a one-time book cover designer and a mother of two boys. It was the act of buying ice cream with one of those boys that lead to her writing the story of Auggie Pullman, when she became anxious about her son’s possible reaction to the visible facial differences of a little girl in the queue.
Her book is an emotional, important tale of a 10-year-old boy with ‘mandibulofacial dysotosis’ or ‘Treacher-Collins syndrome’ – or in plain English ‘rare facial birth disfigurement’. Auggie has had 27 operations, yet his first foray into school life, having been home educated to this point, isn’t so much about what he looks like (“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse”) and more about how people react to him. At Beecher Prep he meets both with cruelty and bullying and with acceptance and kindness, but Jaramillo says it was the latter that was more interesting to write about.
Wonder’s three million-plus readers clearly think so too, and the book has inspired the ‘Choose Kind’ movement based on an idea presented by principle Mr. Tushman in his graduation speech: “If every single person in this room made it a rule that wherever you are, whenever you can, you will try to act a little kinder than is necessary, the world would be a better place.”
'The book undoubtedly, and skilfully, manipulates the emotions of readers (watch out dog-lovers in particular) but it will delight children and adults because it's a terrific story and Palacio is exploring some fundamental truths about how humans behave. And how they should behave.’ – The Telegraph
- Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK
- ISBN: 9780552565974
- Number of pages: 320
- Weight: 267g
- Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 22 mm
Customer Reviews
View allAmazing!!
Shall we make a new rule of life… always try to be a little kinder than is necessary?
Wonder. This book is wonderful. I can’t really describe it. It’s per... READ MORE
Occupies your thoughts for days
Wonder is... wonderful. Suitable for both kids (10 and up) and adults, I found it amazing that so soon into the book I had a real connection to the charact... READ MORE
A must read
A beautiful story, told through the perspectives of different characters. It is emotive, endearing and charming, you are bound to shed a tear at some point... READ MORE
What a Journey!
Wonder tells the story of August, or 'Auggie' who is a ten year old kid who is obsessed with Star Wars, laughs at the word butt, and loves his dog. However... READ MORE
Great read for teens and adults
This is a book told in first person by the hero of the book - Auggie and then by his friends and sister. Auggie comes from a very loving familywho has been... READ MORE
Cool Beans!
This book has been getting rave reviews, and they're well deserved. I'm not usually a fan of children's/YA fiction but I'm so glad I was persuaded to try t... READ MORE
Wow.
Simply amazing. A truly beautiful story which I will never grow fed up with. Suitable for children, their parents, their aunts, their uncles, their grandpa... READ MORE
Wonderful!
Just a brilliant book for teens and adults alike.
Wonder
A lot has been said about this book already. Aimed at kids, this book has massive crossover appeal. Auggie just jumps off the page and into your life for t... READ MORE
Amazing :)
It is very rare that a book moves me to such emotional turmoil, but the way August, a boy with severe facial disfiguration, bravely deals with the the diff... READ MORE
READ THIS BOOK!!!
I really enjoyed "Wonder". It's a truly inspiring story and quite an emotional rollercoaster. It sounds cliche but, it made me laugh, it made me cry, it br... READ MORE
Couldn't put this down!
Was pleasantly suprised by how good this book was. I read this wonderful book, cover to cover, in 24 hours and just couldn't put it down. The short chapter... READ MORE
Love This
This is a really amazing book which covers the life of auggies first year at middle school it is an amazing story and for all ages!
Wonderful book!
Wonder by RJ Palacio
Everyone should read this book! It will change the way you look at others forever. This is the story of a year in the life of August P... READ MORE
WONDERful!
A really touching and moving account of Auggie's transition from being home-schooled to integrating in a school. It demonstrates a mix of emotions all roun... READ MORE
Wonder
Having a severely disfigured face and about to start school for the first time, aged 10, after home schooling was never going to be easy. Sharing the highs... READ MORE
Wonder-ful
"Wonder" is a real gem of a book. Don't be put off that it is classified as a children's book or you will miss out on a charming and moving account of a ye... READ MORE
Wonderful book!
I wasn't sure about this book as I found it in the children's part of the store but I loved the sound of it so purchased the book. it is a AMAZING book, ve... READ MORE
DO judge this book by its cover
What a wonder-ful book with such strong, memorable characters. R.J. Palacio handled the subject matter in such a sensitive way. It was hard to put this boo... READ MORE
Wonder-ful !
I loved this book , despite the fact that it was written for children.
It was simply written and very easy to read. I got through the book very quickly, as... READ MORE
16
This book had me laughing, crying and wondering how kids could be so cruel. I love this book. Took me around a day to read and couldn't put it down. I reco... READ MORE
superb story with smiles and tears
Inspired by a little girl seen in front of an ice cream shop, J R Palacio has written this superb story.
It is about August (Auggie) Pullman, a boy born wi... READ MORE
Wow! I love WONDER!
I started this book with some reservations, being a parent of a child with a facial "disfigurement". I ended up reading this in 24 hours, crying, laughing,... READ MORE
Full of Heart
I loved this book. The story of Auggie (August) Pullman, a 10 year old born with a facial disfigurement barely corrected even after countless surgeries, ab... READ MORE
Beautiful
Oops , I kind of saw the film first , then got the book.
I loved it , it’s broken down nicely in bite size chunks , for all to read easily , and digest. It... READ MORE
wonder
for everyone to understand that looking different is okay.
Wonder is...well... a wonder.
Wonder is another one of those books that I’ve heard about on and off over the past few years but never really had any desire to delve into it… until I saw... READ MORE
What an incredible book!
Like a few other books,bthe people inside it just feel so real. It’s honestly amazing. As someone who would love to go into writing,I just don’t know how R... READ MORE
Absolutely loved it!
I picked up this book whilst in a classroom & after reading a chapter or two I knew I had to get it to read the rest.
Auggie was born with severe facial d... READ MORE
"It's not good enough to be friendly. You have to be a friend." -Charrlotte Cody, Wonder
Such an emotional book... It was made into a movie too, but it was RUBBISH! In my opinion, books are always better than movies, but lots lots of other peop... READ MORE
Everyone should read this!
wow, I literally could not stop reading this book, unputdownable is a complete understatement. I actually started reading this with a group of children at ... READ MORE
best ever!!!
So good I loved it from the times my eyes saw it. Love how it shows different characters perspective I would love to have bear but read this book. IT'S SO ... READ MORE
You simply must read this book!
Just read wonder by r j palacio!! It was recommended to me in December. Bought it yesterday. As for a review I suggest all over 10 years read it. Then be k... READ MORE
brilliant
This book had me from the first paragraph. Admittedly, I like books told from a child prospective and this book lived up to everything I heard prior to rea... READ MORE
Funny, thought-provoking ...wondrous!
This little book has a feel to it like it really should be compulsory reading for young teenage children. It has everything that you want them to consider ... READ MORE
Wonder
Wonder is a real eye opener and i would highly recommend this to people aged 11 years old and up.
This book is about a boy called August with a severe faci... READ MORE
Outstanding - Probably my book of the year!
Wonder by R J Palacio really is an absolute wonder. Written for children aged 10 and over, and published by Bodley Head, with a release date of 1 March 201... READ MORE
This is an amazing book
I can't praise Wonder enough. I loved how we got to see the story from different perspectives. It's rare that a book moves me as much as this did - at one ... READ MORE
Wondeful, moving read
This is a wonderful book. As already detailed by reviewers, it tells the story of August, a little boy with severe facial disfigurements, and how he and ot... READ MORE
What a lovely story!
Written in the voice of all the different characters, this book is a joy to read. The story of a boy with facial disfigurement starting school is both swee... READ MORE
amazing!
honestly a book has never made me sad on an emotional level like this book did. would 100% reccomend.
Amazing Book
This book is wonderful. I can’t really describe it. It is perfect and I think everyone should read this book. It’s simple. The chapters are barely three/f... READ MORE
Predictable but wonderfully uplifting
This was a beautifully uplifting, charming easy-read novel.
The main protagonist is August, a 10 year old with a facial difference, who is joining mainst... READ MORE
Silly book
Why would someone want to read a book about someone else's life?! This book was also a bit boring.
It was about a deformed boy called August, who goes to ... READ MORE
Super wholesome
So, first of all, this book is just as great for adults as it is for children.
I (32 year old) am a sucker for wholesome, sweet stories and I absolutely l... READ MORE
A book with a lovely message
This book makes your feel sad for the boy and how people judge him. I like the background of the story and the message he is trying to spread. Would defini... READ MORE
Wonderful
Even though this book is aimed at teenagers, like many of the best books for this age, it is also a really good read for adults. I read the whole thing in ... READ MORE
Wonderful!
This book follows 10-year-old August Pullman – an ordinary boy, who suffers from a medical condition that has left his face disfigured. Auggie’s condition ... READ MORE
Wonder
''Full of wisdom and inspiration.
Truly an award winning novel.
Excellent for fluent readers.''
Should be compulsory
They should stick this on the syllabus at schools - it's a heartbreaker that's for sure. This is an amazing book, the way the story unfolds using the diffe... READ MORE
EXCELLENT! NOTHING CAN TOP THIS BOOK!
This book was really moving and I could completely relate to August as I have eczema. Some people react in a way that makes me upset and pull a disgusting ... READ MORE
Flawless
First of all I can only select up to 5 stars but this is definitely an 11. R.J.Palacio created a story that is an essential lesson to anyone, kindness spea... READ MORE
You may also like...
7.99
7.99
6.99
10.99
