帕拉西奧齣生並成長於紐約市，現和丈夫、兩個孩子以及兩條狗一起生活在紐約布魯剋林。她畢業於帕森設計學院，主修插畫，創作《奇跡男孩》前，曾擔任平麵設計藝術主管多年，年輕時曾夢想成為像聖埃剋蘇佩裏、莫裏斯•桑達剋這樣的童書作傢、插畫傢。《奇跡男孩》是她的處女作，卻一舉成名，連續超過一百二十周蟬聯《紐約時報》童書排行榜榜首。

I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.

August Pullman was born with a facial deformity that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER , now a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.

"Wonder is the best kids' book of the year," said Emily Bazelon, senior editor at Slate.com and author of Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy . In a world where bullying among young people is an epidemic, this is a refreshing new narrative full of heart and hope. R.J. Palacio has called her debut novel “a meditation on kindness” —indeed, every reader will come away with a greater appreciation for the simple courage of friendship. Auggie is a hero to root for, a diamond in the rough who proves that you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.

Join the conversation: #thewonderofwonder

From the Hardcover edition.