The Julian Chapter
by R.J. Palacio
Series: Wonder #1.5
Published: May 13th 2014
(84 pages)
A brand new, exclusive chapter from the bestselling, award-winning, and critically acclaimed novel Wonder.
Over 1 million people have read Wonder and have fallen in love with Auggie Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face. Now readers will have a chance to hear from the book's most controversial character—Julian.
From the very first day Auggie and Julian met in the pages of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wonder, it was clear they were never going to be friends, with Julian treating Auggie like he had the plague. And while Wonder told Auggie's story through six different viewpoints, Julian's perspective was never shared. Readers could only guess what he was thinking.
Until now. The Julian Chapter will finally reveal the bully's side of the story. Why is Julian so unkind to Auggie? And does he have a chance for redemption?
While Wonder never came across as preachy, I felt like The Julian Chapter did. It talks about Julian’s motives for bullying August which was fear. I could understand fear of seeing something unexpected and even unpleasant to look at. That kind of fear goes away with time, though, as you get used to it. So maybe that’s why R. J. Palacio added the nightmares Julian had from the way August looked. Sill, I felt like it was a bit much to go that far.
Most of this short story is Julian’s grandmother telling him a long story about her childhood during World War II. This is what made it feel preachy. She also points out to Julian point blank that he’s just scared of August but I had already figured that out by that point. So…yeah. Julian changes his ways so this story acts as a kind of Epilogue to Wonder. Happily ever after, the end, blah. I think kids could learn from this story about not judging too quickly and being kind even when it’s hard. But for me, it didn’t have the same magic that Wonder did. Wonder was inspiring and lovely but never preachy. Sill, I think this is probably worth reading especially if you are curious about what happens to Julian. It also has few things Julian did that we didn’t find out about in Wonder. I like when short stories offer interesting insights like that.
Did you like this short story? Did it feel preachy to you?
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About R.J. Palacio
R.J. Palacio lives in NYC with her husband, two sons, and two dogs. For more than twenty years, she was an art director and graphic designer, designing book jackets for other people while waiting for the perfect time in her life to start writing her own novel. But one day several years ago, a chance encounter with an extraordinary child in front of an ice cream store made R. J. realize that the perfect time to write that novel had finally come. Wonder is her first novel. She did not design the cover, but she sure does love it.
My name is Jessica. I love to read Young Adult and classic literature. I’ve been a book blogger for six years and I haven’t gotten tired of it yet. I’m a very curious reader. Writing about all the questions and thoughts I had while reading a book is the best hobby ever.
I love the Julian chapters. I thought it was great insight to his character, and I LOVED his grandma’s story. I think Julian got the eye opener he needed.
Yes definitely amazing I have no idea how many times I’ve read it
I didn’t think it was preachy at all. I really loved the Julian chapters. I thought it helped me understand and like him better. It also reminded me that sometimes, kids are a product of their parenting. His mother and father were almost worse than Julian. Luckily and maybe conveniently, he had a grandma that helped him see past that.
That is true. I thought his parents were much worse than he was.
The copy I had didn’t have the Julian chapters so I didn’t read them. Our book club was torn about them though. Some people felt like you and others loved them.
Aww, I’m sorry to hear that. I haven’t picked it up yet…I probably will anyways, but preaching is the death of books for me. I can’t stand it when I feel like the author is trying to get me to accept a message, not ask questions about the issues discussed in the book!