R. J. Palacio is the pen name of American author Raquel Jaramillo, best known for her acclaimed novel ‘Wonder‘. From her background as an artist designing book covers to her career as director of children’s books in various publishing companies, Palacio’s path to publishing the bestselling book that touched the hearts of millions worldwide seems as much fated as serendipitous.
Life Facts
- R. J. Palacio was born on July 13, 1963, in New York City, United States.
- She attended the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan, Parsons School of Design, and the American University in Paris.
- She has worked as a designer and art director in Scribner, Holt, and Workman Publishers.
- She published her best-selling debut novel, ‘Wonder‘ in 2012.
- Palacio is married to Russell Gordon, an executive art director at Simon and Schuster Children’s Books, and they have two sons.
Interesting Facts
- R. J. Palacio is a pseudonym. The author’s real name is Raquel Jaramillo.
- She attended the same elementary school and was friends with children’s book author Meg Medina.
- Palacio first had a career as an artist before she became an author.
- Palacio’s debut novel ‘Wonder‘ was a runaway success, selling over 16 million copies.
- R. J. Palacio designed book covers for writers like Thomas Pynchon, Sue Grafton, and Salman Rushdie.
Famous Books by R. J. Palacio
- ‘Wonder‘ – This is R. J. Palacio’s most successful work, a bestseller that sold 16 million copies. It follows the story of August Pullman, a ten-year-old boy with facial disfigurement who begins school for the first time and faces a different challenge: how to fit in socially with classmates who see him as different. He is discriminated against but makes friends, and as he endures in school, he gradually becomes accepted. ‘Wonder‘ deals with themes like schoolyard bullying and the benefit and importance of kindness and empathy in our social interactions. It has also inspired a social movement, the Choose Kind movement, which encourages and sponsors schoolchildren to undertake charitable projects.
- ‘White Bird‘ – This is a historical fiction graphic novel by R. J. Palacio. It features Sara Blum, a Jewish girl who is in hiding from the Nazis in occupied France during World War II. Sara escapes from her school and takes refuge with the family of a schoolmate, Julien, a boy with a disability. Julien is discriminated against in school, but his courage and kindness move him to hide, even though this exposes them to danger. The book teaches that sometimes it takes courage to be kind.
- ‘Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories‘ – This is a companion book to ‘Wonder‘, and the three short stories in the book shift focus from Auggie to other characters in the ‘Wonder’ story. In The Julian Chapter, Julian visits his grandmother, who lives in France and escaped the Nazis in occupied France. She teaches him a lesson on acceptance of people different from himself. In Pluto, Christopher, August’s friend, learns his mother has an accident and wonders if he contributed to this, as he was mean to her shortly before the incident. In Shingaling, Ximena challenges Charlotte on whether she is genuinely being kind or whether she is only acting in a socially acceptable manner. These stories elaborate on the world of ‘Wonder‘.
- ‘Pony‘ – This R. J. Palacio novel departs from the August Pullman universe and is set in a small American town just before the American Civil War. The twelve-year-old protagonist, Silas Bird, lives with his father and a ghost. However, their peaceful life is unsettled when bandits kidnap his father. To track the bandits, Silas enlists the help of his ghost companion, Mittenwool, an Arabian pony, and a U.S. Federal Marshall he encounters. The story is a coming-of-age tale that highlights the courage and friendship of a boy in a quest to free his captured father.
Early Life and Career as an Artist
R. J. Palacio was born on July 13, 1963, in New York City, United States. Her parents, Marco and Nelly Palacio Jaramillo, were Columbian immigrants. She grew up in Flushing, Queens, and attended P.S 22, where she met and became friends with fellow children’s author Meg Medina.
Palacio attended the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan, where she developed her early interest in art. She continued her art education at Parsons School of Design and spent a year at the American University in Paris.
Before becoming a successful author, R. J. Palacio had a career in design. When starting, she was torn between choosing a career in writing or illustration. She settled for illustration and worked as an art director and graphic designer, contributing to book cover designs and drawings.
R. J. Palacio began as a freelance illustrator before her debut as an art assistant in Scribner and worked for a brief period at St. Martin Press. She became a creative director at Holt in 1990, where she spent seventeen years. At Holt, she moved from design to editorial and developed an interest in children’s literature. In 2006, she moved to Workman Publishing as an editorial and creative director of the children’s book department. In her career in design, Palacio has published illustrations in The New York Times, worked on the covers of over 1000 books, including notable authors like Rushdie and Pynchon, and did illustrations for her picture books.
Later Life, Wonder, and Writing Career
The inspiration to write ‘Wonder‘ came to R. J. Palacio from an experience she had with her children encountering a girl with a craniofacial disease at an ice cream shop. Her younger son, who was three then, was upset and began to cry. To spare the girl and her mother from embarrassment but also partly to separate from the discomforting situation, Palacio got up and took her kids away. However, the incident stayed with her, and she could not help but wonder what life could be for the girl if Palacio’s reaction was a common experience.
She immediately became obsessed with the idea and began working on ‘Wonder‘. Palacio began to write every day after returning home from work and having a little sleep. She would wake at night and write for about two hours, and the book’s first draft was completed in eighteen months.
When ‘Wonder‘ was published in 2012, R. J. Palacio did not imagine it would be the runaway hit success it is. It has since been published in 55 languages, sold over 16 million copies, and spent over 500 weeks on The New York Times middle-grade bestseller list. It won over ten awards, including the 2013 Christopher Award, the 2015 Mark Twain Award, and the Junior Young Reader’s Choice Award for 2015. The book was adapted into a movie directed by Stephen Chbosky and starring Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts, and Owen Wilson, which became both a critical and commercial success.
R. J. Palacio is married to Russel Gordon, executive art director of children’s books at Simon and Schuster. They live with their two sons and two dogs in North Carolina.
Literature by R. J. Palacio
Explore literature by R. J. Palacio below, created by the team at Book Analysis.
