White Bird: A Wonder Story (A Graphic Novel)

Now a major motion picture, starring Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson! R. J. Palacio’s unforgettable graphic novel debut is a story about the power of kindness and unrelenting courage in a time of war.

SYDNEY TAYLOR AWARD WINNER • A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER


In R. J. Palacio's bestselling collection of stories Auggie & Me, which expands on characters in Wonder, readers were introduced to Julian's grandmother, Grandmère. Here, Palacio makes her graphic novel debut with Grandmère's heartrending story: how she, a young Jewish girl, was hidden by a family in a Nazi-occupied French village during World War II; how the boy she and her classmates once shunned became her savior and best friend.

Sara's harrowing experience movingly demonstrates the power of kindness to change hearts, build bridges, and even save lives. As Grandmère tells Julian, "It always takes courage to be kind, but in those days, such kindness could cost you everything." With poignant symbolism and gorgeous artwork that brings Sara's story out of the past and cements it firmly in this moment in history, White Bird is sure to captivate anyone who was moved by the book Wonder or the blockbuster movie adaptation and its message.

Praise for White Bird:

"At once expressive and chaste, an elusive but ideal combination." —New York Times

"A story that shows the impact of the Second World War and the rise of fascism on what had been a pastoral, fairy-tale childhood, with White Bird pulling no punches in connecting that historical moment to what’s happening in the world today." —The Hollywood Reporter

Extraordinarily powerful.... White Bird does not shrink from depicting the terror and violence of the Nazi occupation for younger readers, and respects the ability of those readers to handle strong material.” —Forbes

"A must-read graphic novel that is both heart-rending and beautifully hopeful."Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"R.J. Palacio brings to life the nature of heroism and the real risks we face today." —Meg Medina, Newbery award-winning author of Mercy Suarez Changes Gears

"Rare, superb, timely, and timeless." —Mark Siegel, author of the 5 Worlds graphic novel series

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224 pages

Average rating: 9.77

13 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Anonymous
Dec 04, 2023
10/10 stars
2013 is starting to really be the year of great reads. Wonder was recommended by a blog by NRG Joan of Dark. Since I was hemming and hawing about what to read next, I just checked my library for all the books she recommended and Wonder popped up as an e-book.

What a wonderful book! I wish I did have the time to sit and read it in one sitting but it didn't work out that way. I actually loved this so much that I chose not to go to Half Price Books during a lunch with a friend, just so I could keep reading this. So I sat in my car, eating Indian food from a food truck and read. Perfect. Lunch.

Wonder is about a family, The Pullmans, but it revolves around the little boy, August. He was born with severe facial deformities and was homeschooled his entire life. This book covers his first year in a mainstream school as a fifth-grader. Despite the many, many surgeries he has had, he is still very much different from everyone else.

The book has sections for the kids. August is first, then we hear from his older sister, Olivia, his friends, her friends, etc. All the kids have a point of view about August and the Pullman family.

Obviously, school is very rough. It's never easy being different from the other kids (oh, this brought back bad memories of school) but August is a champ.

Wonder really did my heart good. I got teary but I was mostly very proud of August and his friends and family. HIGHLY recommend.

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