Title: Wonderstruck Author: Brian Selznick
Ages: 9 and up
Advanced Reading CopyRelease Date: September 2011
Plot:
This novel contains two stories, each told from the viewpoint of two people, Ben and Rose. Set fifty years apart, in two different locations, Ben's story is told in words, and Rose's story is told in illustrations. Both stories intertwine, giving the reader insight into the past and present of both characters. Ben, a young teen who has just lost his mother, longs to learn about a father he has never known. Rose, born deaf, longs for her mother's attention and to have a life outside the protective confines of her home. With twists and turns of discovery, both characters make their way to New York City, which is the beginning of how Rose's life in 1927 will eventually affect Ben's life in 1977.
Review:
Wow. I love when this is the first thought I have when I close a book at the end of its story. I don't know what impressed me more, the illustrations, the combination of one story told in words offset by another told in illustrations, or the intertwining story line. Okay, it was all three. And because of all three, I couldn't put the novel down...I sat and finished it from cover to cover in one sitting...what a great way to spend an afternoon! The illustrations are absolutely beautiful; there's something about the black and white effects of pencil sketches that draws the eye to study them. There is one illustration toward the end of the novel that depicts a "Cabinet of Wonders," an early form of a museum. I think I stared at the double page picture of this beginning museum for nearly fifteen minutes-- there was so much to look at.
When this novel first arrived in my class room I showed it off to my students and it was immediately snatched up by two girls who wanted to see if they could figure out Rose's story by simply studying the pictures. Their conclusion about her story was pretty accurate, I must say.
A definite must read, and a must see!
--Ms. Plisko
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