NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� R.J. Palacio's next book is a world apart from her million-selling debut 鈥淲onder.鈥�
Random House Children's Books announced Thursday that Palacio's 鈥淧ony鈥� will be published Sept. 28, with an announced first printing of 500,000 copies. The story of a young boy's 鈥渉arrowing yet distinctively beautiful journey鈥� in the mid-1800s, 鈥淧ony鈥� is Palacio's first novel that doesn't feature characters from 鈥淲onder,鈥� a contemporary story of a fifth-grader with a disfigured face that was inspired in part by the Natalie Merchant song of the same name.
鈥淲onder鈥� came out in 2012 and is the basis for a handful of spinoffs, including a picture book and a graphic novel. It was adapted into a 2017 film starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson and has sold more than 12 million copies, according to Random House.
鈥�'Pony' has been with me for quite some time, partly because it took me a while to figure out how to tell an epic tale in only 60,000 words, but mostly because it鈥檚 a very personal story for me," Palacio, 57, said in a statement. "From the time I was very young, my greatest fear had always been that I鈥檇 somehow be left alone. It鈥檚 not an uncommon childhood fear, and this novel is about facing that fear, but it鈥檚 also about realizing that the connections we make in our lifetimes never really end.
鈥淪o, yes, it鈥檚 a story of resilience and courage, an adventure story in the most classic of ways, part American western, part ghost story 鈥� but for me, ultimately, it鈥檚 a story about love.鈥�
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This story has been corrected to show the author's age is 57.
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