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Wonder

by R.J. Palacio

"Wonder" is R.J. Palacio's debut novel, published in 2012, about August "Auggie" Pullman, a ten-year-old boy born with a severe facial difference (Treacher Collins syndrome) who has been homeschooled his whole life. When his… more

First published 2012 · 310 pages · English

29 quotes ★ 4.35 (1,216,124) Fiction

Quotes from the Book

I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives.
Kinder than is necessary. Because it's not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed.
Courage. Kindness. Friendship. Character. These are the qualities that define us as human beings, and propel us, on occasion, to greatness.
Now that I look back, I don't know why I was so stressed about it all this time. Funny how sometimes you worry a lot about something and it turns out to be nothing.
MR. BROWNE'S SEPTEMBER PRECEPT: WHEN GIVEN THE CHOICE BETWEEN BEING RIGHT OR BEING KIND, CHOOSE KIND.
The things we do outlast our mortality. The things we do are like monuments that people build to honor heroes after they've died. They're like the pyramids that the Egyptians built to honor the pharaohs. Only instead of being made of stone, they're made out of the memories people have of you.
If every 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 really would be a better place. And if you do this, if you act just a little kinder than is necessary, someone else, somewhere, someday, may recognize in you, in every single one of you, the face of God.
Sometimes I think my head is so big because it is so full of dreams
The best way to measure how much you've grown isn't by inches or the number of laps you can now run around the track, or even your grade point average-- though those things are important, to be sure. It's what you've done with your time, how you've chosen to spend your days, and whom you've touched this year. That, to me, is the greatest measure of success.
It’s not enough to be friendly. You have to be a friend.
no, no, it's not all random, if it really was all random, the universe would abandon us completely. and the universe doesn't. it takes care of its most fragile creations in ways we can't see. like with parents who adore you blindly. and a big sister who feels guilty for being human over you. and a little gravelly-voiced kid whose friends have left him over you. and even a pink-haired girl who carries your picture in her wallet. maybe it is a lottery, but the universe makes it all even out in the end. the universe takes care of all its birds.
AUGUST PULLMAN'S PRECEPT Everyone deserves a standing ovation because we all overcometh the world. --Auggie
When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind. - Dr Wayne W. Dyer
Jack, sometimes you don't have to be mean to hurt someone.
My mom smiled at me. Her smile kind of hugged me.
I wish every day could be Halloween. We could all wear masks all the time. Then we could walk around and get to know each other before we got to see what we looked like under the masks.
Funny how sometimes you worry a lot about something and it turns out to be nothing.
I actually like how doctors talk. I like the sound of science. I like how words you don't understand explain things you can't understand.
Here’s what I think: the only reason I’m not ordinary is that no one else sees me that way.
...your deeds are like your monuments. Built with memories instead of stone.
It's like people you see sometimes, and you can't imagine what it would be like to be that person, whether it's somebody in a wheelchair or somebody who can't talk. Only, I know that I'm that person to other people, maybe to every single person in that whole auditorium. To me, though, I'm just me. An ordinary kid.
We carry with us, as human beings, not just the capacity to be kind, but the very choice of kindness.
Learning who you are is what you're here to do.
That's how it is in heaven. It's just love, and no one forgets who they love.
the universe takes care of all its birds.
I think we're too young to be dating. I mean I don't see what the rush is." Summer says. "Yeah, I agree," said August. "Which is kind of a shame, you know what with all those babes who keep throwing themselves at me and stuff?
AMOS CONTI'S PRECEPT Don't try too hard to be cool. It always shows, and that's uncool.
Some things you just can't explain. You don't even try. You don't know where to start. All your sentences would jumble up like a giant knot if you opened your mouth. Any words you used would come out wrong.
It's what you've done with your time, how you've chosen to spend your days, and whom you've touched this year. That, to me, is the greatest measure of success.

Did you know?

  • Wonder was R.J. Palacio's first novel, written under a pen name to keep it separate from her career as a book designer.
  • The idea was sparked when the author's young son reacted with distress to a child with a facial difference outside an ice cream shop.
  • The novel is narrated from several characters' points of view, not just Auggie's.
  • The book helped launch the "Choose Kind" anti-bullying campaign inspired by its precepts.
  • Auggie is depicted as having Treacher Collins syndrome, a genetic condition affecting facial development.

About R.J. Palacio

R.J. Palacio is the pen name of Raquel Jaramillo, an American author and graphic designer born in New York City in 1963. Before writing, she spent decades designing book covers and served as an art and editorial director in children's publishing; Wonder was her debut novel.

More about the author →

About the book

"Wonder" is R.J. Palacio's debut novel, published in 2012, about August "Auggie" Pullman, a ten-year-old boy born with a severe facial difference (Treacher Collins syndrome) who has been homeschooled his whole life. When his parents enroll him at Beecher Prep for fifth grade, Auggie must navigate a mainstream school for the first time, facing stares, whispers, and outright bullying as he tries simply to be treated like an ordinary kid.

The story is told through multiple first-person perspectives, moving beyond Auggie to voices such as his older sister Via, his friends, and his classmates, so that readers see how a single boy's presence ripples through the people around him. Its central themes are kindness, empathy, friendship, self-acceptance, and the difference between how people look and who they are, crystallized in the school precept to choose kind.

Wonder became a runaway bestseller and a fixture of school reading lists, spawning companion books and the Choose Kind anti-bullying movement. It was adapted into a 2017 feature film directed by Stephen Chbosky and starring Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, and Jacob Tremblay, cementing the book's place as a modern classic of middle-grade fiction.

Key characters

  • August "Auggie" PullmanTen-year-old protagonist with a facial difference starting mainstream school
  • Via (Olivia) PullmanAuggie's protective older sister, entering high school
  • Jack WillClassmate who becomes one of Auggie's closest friends
  • SummerKind classmate who befriends Auggie by choice
  • Julian AlbansClassmate who bullies Auggie
  • Mr. TushmanThe middle school director at Beecher Prep
  • Mr. BrowneEnglish teacher known for his monthly precepts

Book details

First published
2012
Length
310 pages
Reading time
4 hours
Genre
Fiction
Goodreads rating
4.35 (1.2M ratings)
First line
“I know I'm not an ordinary ten-year-old kid.”

Series & reading order

  1. 1 Wonder
  2. 2 Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories

Movie & TV adaptations

  • IMDb
    Wonder 2017

    Feature film directed by Stephen Chbosky, starring Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, and Jacob Tremblay

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