[...] choose kindness."

"In Wonder, R.J. Palacio tells the story of Auggie, a tough, sweet, 10-year-old boy, who was born with distorted facial features — a 'craniofacial difference' caused by an anomaly in his DNA.

     Palacio tells NPR’s Michele Norris that the book was inspired by a real life encounter with her own kids six years ago. They were at an ice cream store when they sat next to a little girl with a severe facial deformity. […]
     Palacio started writing the book that night. She says the characters came to her fully formed. The book opens as Auggie enters school and the story unfolds from several points of view — we get the perspective of his sister, his parents, his best friends, the do-gooders and the mean kids. One of Auggie’s teacher challenges the kids: 'When given the choice between being right, or being kind, choose kind.'
     And at the center of all these stories is the same challenge Palacio faced back at the ice cream store: How to confront the discomfort around difference; How to 'choose kindness.'”
— OPB
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