The Julian Chapter: A Wonder Story by RJ Palacio

Wonder: The Julian Chapter by R.J. Palacio – 84 pages

Book Blurb:

Over 1 million people have read Wonder and have fallen in love with Auggie Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face. Now readers will have a chance to hear from the book’s most controversial character—Julian. From the very first day Auggie and Julian met in the pages of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wonder, it was clear they were never going to be friends, with Julian treating Auggie like he had the plague. And while Wonder told Auggie’s story through six different viewpoints, Julian’s perspective was never shared. Readers could only guess what he was thinking. Until now. The Julian Chapter will finally reveal the bully’s side of the story. Why is Julian so unkind to Auggie? And does he have a chance for redemption?

My Review: 4 stars

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This is the perfect companion book to Wonder. My first wish is that all 5^th graders would read Wonder as part of standardized curriculum and then of course read this wonderful follow up from inside the world of Julian, the bully. What a great idea the author had to keep Julian’s emotions, home life and feelings silent in Wonder and then give the reader a chance to get to know him better… after we’ve made a judgment call on him. Sort of reminds us of Julian making a judgment call about Auggie before he knew him and his fabulous self! I think this book offered a wide-angle lens at how much today’s kids’ poor behavior stems from parenting choices, placing blame and giving kids the easy way out.

Quotes I liked:

I do not like to dwell on the past. Life is ahead of us. If we spend too much time looking backward, we can’t see where we are going!”

– “There’s no rule book that tells you how to act in every given situation in life, you know? So what I always say is that it’s always better to err on the side of kindness. That’s the secret. If you don’t know what to do, just be kind. You can’t go wrong.”