Customer Reviews

Wonderstruck

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gold Star Award Winner!

Ben, a young boy, feels lost and alone ever since the death of his mother. Even though he lives with his aunt and uncle, he doesn't feel like he belongs. When loneliness get too much, Ben sneaks next door to the house he lived in with his mother and begins to look for something, anything to make him feel better.

When he finds a mysterious note that could possibly lead him to the father he's never known, he has to make the decision whether to follow his heart or stay where he is.

Rose, a young girl, feels lost and alone in a house with her stern father. With her mother out of the picture and her older brother living in New York, she is completely cut off from everyone. After one too many disagreements with her father, Rose decides to strike out on her own to New York City to find some peace of mind.

Both Ben and Rose find themselves at the American Museum of Natural History - only 50 years apart. Ben's story takes place in 1977 and Rose's story takes place in 1927. Ben's story is told in words, while Rose's story is told in pictures.

Brian Selznick does a masterful job combining two journeys to create one amazing story. A winner!

Reviewed by: Karin Librarian

This is the second book now that I've read by Brian Selznick and I have to say that he is brilliant! The way that he juxtaposes the text and the art, both of which move the story along, is amazing.

In Wonderstruck, he tells two stories: one of Ben, a ten year old boy in Minnesota whose mother has just died, is told in the text; and the other of Rose, a deaf girl fifty years earlier, is told in the pictures. These stories are weaved together beautifully to form a singular, beautiful story.

The characters and the emotion in the book are wonderful. I found that I really felt for both Ben and Rose and their impossible situations. Selznick uses both art and words to focus in on what is important and to help us sympathize with the characters.

Like the Invention of Hugo Cabret, this book appears to be long, but it is not. It has so many wonderful illustrations, this book has over 460 pages of them, that it is actually a fast read. However, I found myself lingering over the pictures, taking in the details and enjoying how well done they were.

I highly recommend this book for both kids and adults. The book would be good for middle grade and up and for those who like a well told story with adventure and touching humanness.

I bought it for my granddaughter and she loves it. I was just told by her father that this is the book she wanted for Christmas so I bought it.

Reason for Reading: I loved The Invention of Hugo Cabret and have just been waiting for Selznick to follow it up with something similar.

Following the same "genre-breaking form" he established in The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Selznick returns to the half text/half wordless picture book to tell two parallel stories set fifty years apart until they eventually merge together into the same tale. The first story set in the 1970s features Ben whose mother has just died in a car accident; he's never known who his father was and after looking around his mom's room he discovers some clues to his identity. He runs away to New York in search of the man he's never known. Fifty years earlier in the 1920s, we are introduced to Rose, a young girl with a fixation on a silent movie star who feels trapped in her own home. She too runs away to New York to find a friend named Walter, who will hopefully help her escape her strict father. Eventually the two stories catch up to each other and merge into one story.

Ben's story is told purely in text using roughly about 200 pgs., while Rose's story is told in the remaining 400-odd pages in wordless illustrated sequences. As each story alternates, the reader switches gears from reading words to gazing enraptured at the illustrations. The artwork, needless to say in superb! Selznick has created another masterpiece in this hybrid of novel and picture book. The story is compelling and touching. The characters lovable and real. My only beef would be that Hugo Cabret included with the illustrations photos and movie stills; Wonderstruck is pure illustration. I think the topic, themes and time period would have lent themselves well to including this type of media as well, especially considering one of the 1920s characters is a famous silent film/stage star. Otherwise a pure delight! Of the two I liked Hugo better but this is a worthy follow up and still deserving of a top rating. Looking forward to seeing Selznick continue in this fascinating format in a future book.