R. J. Palacio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids R. J. Palacio
Palacio at the 2023 National Book Festival
Born	(1963-07-13) July 13, 1963 (age 61) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Author

Raquel Jaramillo Palacio (born July 13, 1963) is an American writer and graphic designer. She is famous for writing many books for kids. Her most well-known book is Wonder. This book was so popular that it became a movie in 2017. Famous actors like Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson starred in it.

Palacio's Writing Journey

R.J. Palacio started her career as an illustrator. She designed covers for many books. She worked on hundreds of book covers for both fiction and non-fiction stories. She also drew pictures for some children's books that she wrote herself. For about 20 years, she wrote books at night. She did this after her day job as a designer. Her first books were board books for young children. These were published under her birth name, Raquel Jaramillo.

After her book Wonder became a huge success worldwide, Palacio wrote more books related to it. In 2014, she published 365 Days of Wonder. This book is a collection of quotes about kindness. It also includes letters and emails from the characters in Wonder.

Auggie & Me came out in 2015. This book has three short stories. They are told from the viewpoints of Auggie's friends, Christopher and Charlotte. It also includes a story from Auggie's classmate, Julian.

We’re All Wonders (2017) is a picture book. It is for younger readers. This book tells Auggie’s story from his own perspective.

White Bird (2019) is a graphic novel. A graphic novel is like a comic book but with a longer, more complex story. This book tells the story of Julian's grandmother. She was a young Jewish girl. She hid from the Nazis in France during World War II. A movie based on White Bird is set to be released in October 2024. It stars Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, and Bryce Gheisar. Gillian Anderson and Helen Mirren are also in the movie.

In 2021, a big publisher announced her new novel, Pony. They planned to print 500,000 copies. This book is her first novel that does not feature characters from the Wonder world.

About R.J. Palacio's Life

Raquel Jaramillo Palacio was born in New York City. Her parents were immigrants from Colombia. She went to the High School of Art & Design in Manhattan. Then she studied design at the Parsons School of Design. She spent a year studying in Paris, France. During that time, she traveled a lot around Europe. After her travels, she returned to New York.

Today, she lives in North Carolina. She lives there with her husband, Russell Gordon. He is an art director for children's books. They have two sons named Caleb and Joseph.

Awards and Recognition

R.J. Palacio has received many awards for her books.

• In 2013, she won the Christopher Award for Wonder.
• In 2014, she received the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award.
• Wonder was on The New York Times Best Seller list. This means it was one of the most popular books sold.
• It was also on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list.
• Wonder won the Maine Student Book Award in 2014.
• It also won Vermont's Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award in 2014.
• In 2015, it won the Mark Twain Award.
• It won Hawaii's Nene Award in 2015.
• The book also received the Young Hoosier Book Award in 2015.
• It won the Junior Young Reader's Choice Award for 2015.
• In Illinois, Wonder won both the Bluestem and Caudill Awards in 2014.

See also

In Spanish: Raquel Palacio para niños