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Wonder
Wonder
Jan 15, 2026 7:14 PM

Author:R J Palacio

Wonder

'My name is August.

I won't describe to you what I look like.

Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.'

Ten-year-old August Pullman wants to be ordinary. He does ordinary things. He eats ice-cream. He plays on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside.

But Auggie is far from ordinary. Born with a terrible facial abnormality, he has been home-schooled by his parents his entire life, in an attempt to protect him from the cruelty of the outside world. Now, Auggie's parents are sending him to a real school. Can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all?

Narrated by Auggie and the people around him whose lives he touches, Wonder is a frank, funny, astonishingly moving debut to be read in one sitting, pass on to others, and remember long after the final page.

Reviews

The breakout sensation of 2012... Wonder is destined to go the way of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time... dark, funny, touching. No Tube carriage will be without a copy this year

—— The Times

Emotionally rewarding... funny, touching, honest

—— Daily Mail

Gripping - I'd really recommend it to anybody. It's a young adult book book about a little boy who's born with a disfigured face, written from his point of view... charming, brutal and brilliant

—— Observer

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

—— Independent

Tremendously uplifting and a novel of all-too-rare power

—— Sunday Express

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

—— Bella

For anyone who has ever worried about their child's vulnerabilities, Wonder will strike at your heart

—— Daily Telegraph

In its assured simplicity and boldness (reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird), it also has the power to move hearts and change minds

—— Guardian

When the kids have finished with this, the adults will want to read it

—— Financial Times

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

—— Malorie Blackman

The recent death of Iain Banks left a gaping hole in contemporary literature, but nowhere was the loss felt more than in his native Scotland. Banks took ordinary situations and rendered them extraordinary; a talent that fellow Scot Sue Peebles, whose first novel won both the Scottish and Saltire book awards, shares in spades… The "sacred geometry" of ageing and the timeless measuring out of love are what sustain this subtle, beautiful book.

—— Catherine Taylor , Guardian

Deeply humane tale of memory, loss and the struggle to understand a family’s past… It’s a novel of generous warmth

—— Ben Felsenburg , Metro Herald

A beautiful, brilliant novel destined to cement Sue's place as one of the leading lights of the Scottish literary scene

—— Waterstones

Peebles' keen eye for social observation adds a comic touch to the narrative, expertly showing how black humour is used in bleak times.

—— Rowena McIntosh , The Skinny

Peebles writes poetic prose, capturing Aggie's imaginative character and her need to find meaning in the puzzle of circumstances she finds herself in. The insight into dementia and its impact upon a family is poignant, with Aggie desperate to recapture the history of a beloved Gran who is disappearing in front of her eyes. The novel strongly evokes the Scottish countryside, its link to the past and the secrets it keeps. The story may be a slow burner, but keep going because its gentle pace builds up to a satisfying conclusion

—— Penny Batchelor , We Love This Book
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