Auggie and me three wonder stories by RJ Palacio

Auggie and me is the companion volume to Wonder (cover below) and so before you pick up Auggie and me it is essential to read Wonder - a very popular book in our school library.

RJ Palacio explains :

"What this book is, preisely, is an expansion of Auggie's world. The three stories in Auggie and me - The Julian Chapter, Pluto and Shingaling, all originally published as short ebooks - are told from the perspective of Julian, Christopher and Charlotte, respectively. ... Auggie and me is not a sequel in a traditional sense".

For this review I thought I might link to the thoughts of other reviewers who have made the comments I would have made but in a far more eloquent way.  Each of these quotes contains a link :

Like millions of people worldwide, I fell in love with Wonder.  I was so excited to read more from R.J. Palacio when I got the offer to read Auggie & Me.  I am not usually a huge fan of short stories, but the three stories in Auggie & Me are short stories done right.

After reading all three of them in a row, I think that Palacio has written three lovely, insightful looks at what it means to be show grace, humility and empathy, but most importantly: what it is to live, and learn from one's mistakes and life choices. 

Palacio doesn’t fall into the trap of merely repeating or rehashing what happens in Wonder. She gives us Julian away from school, away from the drama and tension of Auggie. Being in Julian’s head is both confronting and illuminating.

... the stories are explorations of kindness, each character demonstrating how it takes bravery to be kind, how, in the tricky business of navigating new situations, “it’s always better to err on the side of kindness.”  Not only a companion to Wonder, but a wonder in itself.

I did not plan to read this book in one sitting but I just couldn't put it down.  I especially enjoyed the section about Auggie's old friend Christopher and his personal struggles with his loyalty to Auggie and the pressures of new friends.  You might like to watch these two videos - an interview with RJ Palacio and the publisher trailer for The Julian chapter.  We also have 365 days of Wonder in our library - this book was given to me as a special gift by a group of our teachers last year.