The Wonder World - Palacio

Every once and a while I finish a stand alone novel and wish there were more. It's not an uncommon thing for writers to write additional short stories and vignettes in a beloved world. However, they often go unpublished or languish in some collection somewhere that only printed 200 copies. Palacio made it easy, she published them...or at least three of them. None of them stand well on their own, but they are great supplements to Wonder once you've read that.

Julian - is a lost chapter from the perspective of the bully. Julian is the kid who just can't adjust to the way Auggie looks and lashes. Most of the real action of the chapter happens after Wonder concludes when Julian is in France with his grandmother. I liked this chapter because, while it didn't excuse Julian's actions, it went a good ways into offering an explanation for why bullies do what they do.

Pluto - is about Auggie's oldest friend Chris. Oddly enough, while Auggie is definitely a part of Chris's story, this chapter is really entirely about Chris. What does it mean to be a friend of someone living with disfigurement? How do you protect them? Should you? These are tough questions for adults. Being a middle schooler and having to figure them out is probably tougher

Shingaling - is about Charlotte. Charlotte, like Julian and Jack Will, was made a welcome buddy to Auggie at the beginning of the school year. I think that Charlotte tends to represent how most people respond to these sorts of issues. She is not cruel to Auggie the way Julian is, but she also doesn't really befriend him either the way Jack Will and Summer do. She sort of hovers in a vaguely genial neutrality which is what I think most people end up doing. She's not a bad person at all, she just gets uncomfortable and doesn't know what to do. So, she does nothing really. I think most of us find ourself there. It takes courage to invite attention and comment by befriending the uncomfortable. That's what makes Shingaling such an important addition to the Wonder collection.

All three chapters have since been collected into a single volume called Auggie & Me. They are all a worthwhile read.