Wonder (novel)

From the outside, I might look like any other book on the shelf. I have a sturdy cover, crisp paper pages filled with black ink, and I wait quietly for someone to pick me up. But don't be fooled by my stillness. Inside, a whole universe is waiting for you. It’s a universe of feelings, big and small, of unexpected friendships, and the incredible journey of a very special boy. I hold a secret between my covers, a story about the importance of looking past what you see on the outside to find the real heart of a person. I am a book about kindness, courage, and being true to yourself. My name is 'Wonder'.

My story didn’t begin in a writer’s cozy office with a cup of tea. It began on a busy city street with a moment that could have been forgotten, but wasn't. My creator, a wonderful woman named R.J. Palacio, wasn’t even planning to write me. One day, she was at an ice cream shop with her son when they saw a child who had a facial difference. Her own son got scared, and in her rush to leave so she wouldn't upset the other child, she felt she had made a difficult situation even worse. She felt terrible about it. That feeling stuck with her all day and into the night. She couldn’t stop thinking about that moment and realized it was a chance to teach a powerful lesson about kindness and understanding. She imagined what it must be like for that child every single day. So, that very night, she sat down and began to write. She poured all of her thoughts, her regrets, and her hopes onto my pages. I wasn’t born from a perfect idea; I was born from a real, messy, human moment of misunderstanding, but I grew into a story about empathy.

At the very center of my pages, you will meet a boy named August Pullman, but everyone calls him Auggie. In many ways, Auggie is just like any other ten-year-old boy. He is funny, smart, loves Star Wars more than anything, plays video games, and adores his dog, Daisy. But there is one thing about Auggie that makes him different. He was born with a condition that makes his face look very different from other kids' faces. Because of all the surgeries he needed, he was homeschooled his whole life. But my story is about what happens when Auggie decides to go to a real school for the first time, starting the 5th grade at Beecher Prep. Can you imagine how scary that must have been? I share all of his worries about being stared at, his secret wish to be invisible, and his incredible bravery in just trying to make one good friend. But I don't only tell you Auggie's story. I let you see the world through other people's eyes, too. You get to hear from his older sister Via, who loves him but also struggles. You hear from his new friends, Jack and Summer, and even from kids who aren't so kind at first. I do this so you can understand that one person’s story can send ripples out and touch so many other lives, changing them in ways they never expected.

My journey truly began after I was published on February 14th, 2012. Suddenly, I wasn't just an idea in R.J. Palacio’s mind anymore. I was a real book, and I started traveling everywhere. I flew from bustling bookstores to quiet town libraries and, most importantly, into classrooms all over the world. I became more than just a story to be read alone; I became a conversation to be shared. Inspired by a line from my pages, I helped start something amazing called the 'Choose Kind' movement. Teachers started reading me aloud to their students, and kids began talking about what it truly means to be kind, not just when it’s easy, but when it’s hard. My real purpose isn’t just to tell you about Auggie Pullman. It’s to remind you that even though we all look different on the outside, we all want the same things on the inside: to be seen for who we are, to be accepted, and to have a friend. I may be a quiet book on a shelf, but my story is a loud and happy reminder that one small act of kindness can start a ripple that changes the world.