Palacio, R. J. (1963-…), is the pen name of Raquel Jaramillo, an American children’s author. She gained popularity with her first children’s novel, Wonder (2012). The novel became an international bestseller. Its reputation spread with the success of a motion-picture adaptation, also called Wonder, in 2017.
Wonder is a sensitive portrait of 10-year-old August Pullman, known as Auggie. Auggie was born with facial differences. He was homeschooled through the first four grades and then entered the fifth grade in a regular school with other children his age. The book describes how the boy deals with the reactions of his new classmates to his appearance. The story is told from several points of view, including those of Auggie, his classmates, his sister Via, and others. The story has been widely praised as a plea for compassion, understanding, and tolerance. Its title comes from the song “Wonder” (1995) by the American singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant.
Raquel Jaramillo was born on July 13, 1963, in New York City, New York. She studied at the High School of Art and Design in New York City and then attended the Parsons School of Design (now part of the New School). Jaramillo worked as an illustrator and then as the art director for several major book publishers. She wrote and illustrated several children’s picture books published under her birth name, including Look Baby Books: Dream Baby Dream (1998), Last Summer: A Little Book for Dads (2004), and Bobo Glove and Book (2008). She later chose her mother’s maiden name, Palacio, as a pen name.
Palacio has written several books featuring characters from Wonder. They include 365 Days of Wonder (2014), Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories (2015), and We’re All Wonders (2017). She both wrote and illustrated White Bird (2019), a graphic novel. The book takes place during World War II (1939-1945), when Auggie’s classmate’s grandmother was a child in France. A motion-picture adaptation of White Bird was released in 2023. Palacio also wrote Pony (2021), a historical adventure novel in which a boy sets out to rescue his father with the help of a pony and a ghost.
