Congratulations to R.J. Palacio! This past Sunday her debut Middle Grade novel Wonder remained on the New York Times Best Sellers List for the 108th week. That's over two years straight! If you haven't read Wonder, I highly recommend it. The fictional story follows August Pullman, a boy born with severe facial deformities, during his first year attending a mainstream school. The triumphs and pitfalls of his fifth grade year are told from multiple perspectives including August's, his older sister's, his new friends', bullies', and other life acquaintances'. It's a fascinating, heart-swelling, tear-inducing, and just plain lovely story. Middle Grade at its finest, if you ask me.

Last September I was lucky to meet R.J. Palacio at an author signing at Barnes & Nobles in TriBeCa. Ms. Palacio spoke about her experiences writing Wonder and read from her latest book, 365 Days of Wonder, which (if you have read Wonder, this will make sense to you) is a collection of Mr. Browne's precepts. A Manhattan native herself, Ms. Palacio was warm and honest as she answered questions from an eager group of fans comprised of children and adults alike. She shared a story about a memorable interaction with a little girl outside a Manhattan ice cream shop which lead her to write Wonder, how Natalie Merchant's song influenced the story, and when she found time to write (during the wee hours after her two children fell asleep and before she had to leave for her own demanding job in publishing).

I was excited to learn that she has also written a short story called The Julian Chapter. Interestingly enough, it was originally part of Wonder, but during revisions she extracted it because she felt that Julian's perspective quickly took over the novel. I guess it's always a great sign if your antagonist is as fully-formed and intriguing as your other more lovable characters.

Congratulations again to Ms. Palacio. I truly hope she is working on her next book at this very moment!

~Micah