Press

What the critics say

What a gem of a story. Moving and heart-warming. This book made me laugh, made me angry, made me cry
-

I 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 whiles
-

A story of intense action and intense introspection . . . 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 likeable. Wonder is a beautiful book that is full of sorrow and triumph, emotional without being manipulative - highly recommended
- boingboing.net

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 book
- The Bookseller

Can I just say right now that I loved Wonder by R.J. Palacio? I want EVERYONE to read it. (That's right, I shouted!) In fact, if it were out right now I'd be buying copies to give to other people to read. I loved it, it was so sweet and real. It's sad, funny, inspiring, infuriating, eye opening and awesome! It's hard for me to express just how much I loved this book. It's an eye opener for any age
- Attack of the Book

This is a wonderful book and I couldn't recommend it more highly . . . What fantastic stuff
- Katy Moran

From the incredible first paragraph...you are hooked into August's life and boy what a life he leads. It's an emotional roller coaster as you find yourself wanting to protect this fictional character... The book is one that you continue to think about days after reading it. I was told it was geared to kids but really don't think that this is a book that can be pigeon holed into one genre. The writing is beautifully crafted to embrace the many complex emotions most of us has endured at one time or another. It also covers many difficulties that people of all ages continue to battle in adulthood.
I'd be very surprised if this doesn't win awards.
- Mardixon.com

Wonder is a book for everybody young or old. It's an important and special book to be shared and discussed by both adults and children. This book makes you want to be a kinder person and I can't help but feel that if everyone were to read it the world would be a nicer place. This is one of the best books I've read all year and I would whole heartedly recommend it to absolutely anybody. 5/5
- Jess Hearts Books

Forget self-help books if you want something life-affirming... read WonderWho knew a 10-year-old boy could teach you so much about life? August, his family and friends are the sort of characters that you'll genuinely miss when you have to close this book.This book will make you cry without being soppy, teach you without being preachy and make you laugh without inhibition.
- Sugarscape

This was pressed upon me with such enthusiasm that I pushed my reading pile to one side and started Wonder straight away. This is an extraordinary book about an extraordinary family...The short chapters told in the voices of Auggie, his sister Via and his friends Summer and Jack, make for devouring this heart warming tale in one sitting. Now I'm pressing this upon you. It will fill you with confidence and give you real faith in humanity. It may even make you a better person. August is an amazing character and this is a book of Wonder. Fact.
- Askews

Wonder has its own special place in the bottom of my heart and it's going to stay there forever. I cannot believe how amazingly beautiful this story is and I really want to see it on every school library, in every language, in every country across the whole world because it should be required reading for all children between 10 and 16! I urge you to go out and read this book; it's a beautiful emotional rollercoaster that everyone should journey through.
- Readaraptor

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.
- The Independent

This might be a book aimed at children, but I think it should be read by people of all ages. It just might change the way you see other people. Wonder has a powerful message and is honest, poignant, funny and with it's short chapters, its very much a page-turner. Wonder is a book that had me laughing, smiling and crying. The title of this book really does reflect it's contents. It truly is a wonder-ful book!
If there's one book you'll read this year then I'd recommend choosing Wonder.
- Notes of Life

Once in a blue moon! That is how often a book such as Wonder comes along! Wonder is released in March and I thoroughly recommend EVERYONE to read it...So touching, full of soul and one that will stay with you for a long time. 5/5
- Read 2 Review

This novel is aimed at a children's and young adult audience but it wouldn't harm anyone of any age to read it and be reminded not to judge by appearances and to be a little kinder to others, and it will reward those who do read it with a moving, at times dark, but also uplifting read.
- The Little Reader Library

This is a book that will strike a chord and make you really think. Adults and kids alike need to read it. Everyone will be touched and take something away from it. Wonder is exactly that. A wonderful book that comes highly recommended. Go right now and pre-order. You won't regret it.
- Cosy Books

The 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. Telling the story of August, a schoolboy born with an unspecified facial deformity, it is dark, funny, touching and no Tube carriage will be without a copy this year.
- The Times

Incredibly charming, brutal and brilliant.
- The Observer

It would have been so easy to make this story grim and miserable, instead R.J. Palacio has woven a tale shot through with humour, bravery, loss and acceptance (also Star Wars, lots and lots of Star Wars!) I urge everyone that reads this to believe me when I say that you should read this book - buy it, borrow it from your local library - if your library does not have it order it so they do and once you have read it make sure that other people you know read it too!
- Teen Librarian

Wonder is an amazing book, and I don't feel I can advise what age it should be for...possibly for 13 + but I don't feel like there is an age too old to read such an amazing book.
- Book Angel Booktopia

one of those books with a deceptively simple style that gets right to the heart of things
- Helen Cunningham, Young People's Librarian

Included in 'Coming Of Page' round up of best Young Adult titles.
- The Sun

Wonder builds to a sweeping, uplifting finale. The book undoubtedly, and skilfully, manipulates the emotions of readers 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 Online

RJ Palacio's debut children's novel, Wonder, has a 10 year old hero caleed August Pullman. Auggie, as he is known by his friends, is blighted by a severe facial deformity. But if his looks are almost comically freakish, his character is one of the most engaging and lovable in recent fiction.
- Telegraph Magazine

Wonder - a children's book that's making grown men cry, and being compared to Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dodin the Night-Time- recounts a year in the life of August, a 10 year old boy, with severe facial abnormalities as he navigates school for the first time.
- The Observer

It's simplicity will appeal to both children and adults alike, and there's something in it that I'm sure everyone can relate to.
- Cheezyfeet Book Reviews

Frank, powerful, warm and often heart-breaking, Wonder is a book you'll read in one sitting, pass on to others, and remember long after the final page. This is a wonderful debut from a storyteller with a great future if this book is anything to go by and her characters are intensely likeable.
- Love Reading

You know the type of books that leaves you feeling a little bit more hopeful for human kind, and that you can't help yourself hugging once you have turned the final page? Wonder is one of those books. It is heart wrenching and heartwarming, bleak and hopeful, cruel and kind, all at the same time. It is also funny in the most moving way...Read Wonder and you will find yourself on an emotional roller coaster you will not want to get off. Read Wonder and you will find yourself looking at a brighter world, even if it is only for a minute. Just read it.
- Library Mice

This was a novel I devoured in one go. Auggie, his family and friends are very engaging and convincing characters, and I couldn’t wait to see how he gets on at his new school. When I read the last page, I was sorry to let Auggie go! Thoroughly recommended for all readers over the age of ten.
- First News

Wonder by R.J. Palacio is an amazing, touching book that I found really heart-warming. It made me laugh, cry and had me hooked from the start...I would give this book 5 out of 5 and I admit I loved this book.
- Red House

Once in a while a book comes along that everyone in the office gets REALLY excited about. Wonder is one such book. It's a universal tale of growing up and dealing with the difficulties of family life, friendships and school. But it is also the story of one amazing boy, whose voice sings out from the pages. Yes, it's sad, but the challenges August faces are sweetened by the people he meets and the novel ends with a moment of hope. The title says it all: this book is a wonder!
- Red House

If you read one book this year, make it this one...a funny, emotional, brilliantly observed story...We loved it.
- Bella Magazine

If you are wondering what it would be like to go through childhood with an unusual-looking face, you would be hard pressed to find a better source of information and insight…So wonder no more. Get it.
- James Partridge, Changing Faces

Oh, what a treat of a book! In August Pullman, Palacio has created one of the most loveable and memorable characters in modern children's literature...Highly recommended!
- Musings of a Bookshop Girl

Auggie, though, was...one of the most entirely convincing characters I've come across in a novel for the longest time. Palacio really captures him perfectly... It's not to be missed. In Three Words: bittersweet, thought-provoking, hopeful.
- Books and The Universe

Wonder builds to a sweeping, uplifting finale. The book undoubtedly, and skillfully, 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 Online

I loved this book 10/10!
- Nayu's Reading Corner

I found this book extremely moving (it actually made me cry) and passed it onto my 10 year old daughter in the hope that she would love it too. She did, pronouncing it one of the best books she'd ever read. It may only be March, but I think Wonder may well be the children's book of the year.
- The Times School Gate Blog

Wonder is a skilful and heart-warming coming-of-age story...For any child who has ever experienced bullying or ostracism at the hands of their classmates, this book will be a poignant and unforgettable story and there are many brilliant and powerful messages concealed within its pages
- Red House Books

With an ending that catapults you into a heart-thumping, torch-lit showdown, Wonder might not be a pretty picture, but it's one well worth seeing through. 5 stars
- Live Magazine

If you read just one book this year, make it this one. This book will have you crying and laughing all in the same breath. You will come away from the book, desperate to become a better person. A truly life changing book.
- Serendipity Reviews

Wonder ultimately succeeds in being tremendously uplifting and a novel of all-too-rare power, confronting Auggie's difficulties with an unflinching gaze and creating an unforgettable, deeply moving character.
- The Sunday Express

Touching and powerful.
- Teach Primary

This book, people! This. Book. It is really very, very good...Wonder is truly a wondrous book about a lovely, normal boy, and how he reaches acceptance in middle school, and I dare you not to be charmed by it and all of the great characters within.
- Cicley Loves Books

Wonder is one of those novels where you switch from tears to laughter to amazement at the characters in just a few lines. It is both heart-breaking and brilliantly funny, clever and simple...Wonder is a beautiful novel that should be required reading for both children and adults alike
- So Little Time For Books

Likely to become a commuters favourite. A thought-provoking fast read that serves as a great lesson in how to be a better person...a powerful read and one that’s likely to become a huge hit with readers of all ages.
- Stylist

It’s a gorgeous book. It’s funny and sweet but, in some places, incredibly hard to read... it’s ultimately uplifting and inspiring and just… gorgeous.
- Keris Stainton

This is a thought-provoking, uplifting, sad and very, very important book. It’s being compared to Mark Haddon’s A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and I’ve no doubt it will be talked about a lot this year – it is certainly not a story you forget in a hurry...The author has achieved a delicate balance between getting her reader to think and to feel, which makes for an unforgettable read.
- Armadillo Magazine

By turns it is sad, funny and ultimately uplisting. It's a real gem of a book.
- The Bookseller

This is an emotionally rewarding book: funny, touching, honest, and uplifting- though there's plenty of opportunity for tears, too.
In an age when teenagers are obsessed by appearance, this is a salutary reminder of the pain of the physically different.
- Daily Mail

All children should read this book. It is a great story with a beautiful and important message that is simply and gently communicated by the writer.
- The School Run

Wonder really did surprise me. It was as good as its pre-publication hype and then some...I hope this one is a huge hit in 2012 - it deserves to be. It's life-affirming stuff.
- Wondrous Reads

It is a fantastic book that everybody will love, full of fantastic, lifelike characters and wonderful people...the story was full of twists and turns that made it one of my favourites, and something I will treasure in my heart forever.
- Guardian Online

Oh what a wonderful, wonderful book. This is one for kids to read, then for older brothers and sisters to read, and then for the parents and grandparents to pick up too... Read this book and become a better person!
- Reluctant Hypersomniac

Wonder is a superb book, and I would recommend it to anyone from about ten years old upwards. Although it shows that kids can be thoughtless, and adults can be ignorant - which is worse - it also reveals the best in human nature: kindness, family, friendship and loyalty.
- Katies Book Blog

I commend the author for taking on such a difficult subject for her first book and writing such a good book at the same time. She has trodden clear path through such a dangerous emotional minefield.
I would give this book 9/10.
- Guardian Online

Wonder manages to be both heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time, mixing humour and honesty in a way that puts your emotions through a spin cycle...a fresh, brave concept in the children’s writing world and it’s a great story to boot.
- Emma Maree Blog

A truly beautiful, inspirational and heartwarming story. An absolute must read! 5 stars
- I Want to Read That

This page-turner, full of caustic wit, could be described as Jodi Picoult for beginners.
- Irish Times

If you're going to read one book this year make it Wonder, I promise you won't regret it. Whatever R.J. Palacio writes next will be going straight to the top of my wish list.
- Feeling Fictional

A warm touching story, Wonder is about a boy with a terrible facial abnormality who is sent to a real school after being home schooled by his parents.
- Aldershot news

Wonder is an outstanding book: deeply moving but never mawkish, filled with kindness as well as sadness and ultimately hopeful and uplifting.
- Booktrust

Unique, moving and eye-opening
- Bookster Reviews

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

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
- New York Times Book Review

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
- Publishers Weekly

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
-

RJ Palacio's moving and unusual debut
- Booktrust

A huge credit to Palacio....Highly engaging and readable, Wonder could also encourage a few young readers to consider that maybe - just maybe - the way someone is on the inside could be as important as the way they look
- Booktrust

This is a compelling novel which is instantly engrossing, and easy to read in one sitting. However it has big ideas at its centre, such as kindness and what it means to be kind to others. This poignant story will leave you with strong questions regarding friendship and loyalty and you will leave the story with a slightly different outlook on life.
- Book Geeks

Wonder is honest, it is humbling and incredibly uplifting.What is so special about Wonder too, is that it is a book for every reader.Anyone who has the technical ability to read it could enjoy it immensely. Wonder is definitely on my list of best books ever.Wonder will make you do a double take about the way you look at the world and treat people.Wonder is simply wonderful.
- We Sat Down