“Wonder” is such a household name, so kudos to r.j palacio for not milking its fame but instead coming up with a book that explores the lives of secondary characters that appeared in “Wonder”.

Except that Julian (the bully), Christopher (Auggie’s oldest friend), and Charlotte (Auggie’s welcome buddy) take center stage in each story and emit main character energy. We learn how Julian was provoked to be mean to Auggie and subsequently made to feel remorse over his bullying actions, how Chris reconnected with Auggie, and how Charlotte dealt with emerging and fading friendships alike. I teach at a primary school, so I feel that Palacio has captured the psyche of elementary graders perfectly. I can imagine my students reacting and responding in the exact way her characters did. I think it’s a cool reminder of just how complicated the social webs children live in can be as they weave in and out of situations, trying to find themselves and friends who will accept them.

I persisted in finishing this because it’s the kind of book that I would like my children read when they are older. Drama abounds in the pages, but their voices still feel endearing (as opposed to whiny), so my son should resonate with the feelings and thoughts of these characters. The confessional tone employed in certain instances is not quite appropriate for the likes of the all-mighty national exam. (Too many and’s! No sense of control!) But I will want him to read it anyway because I thought Palacio had written an exemplary book on pre-adolescent nature.