Wonderstruck

Title: Wonderstruck

Author: Brian Selznick

Published: 2011

Pages: 617 (with more than half of them being illustrations)

Opening Lines: "Something hit Ben Wilson and he opened his eyes.  The wolves had been chasing again and his heart was pounding.  He sat up in the dark room and rubbed his arm.  He picked up the shoe his cousin had thrown at him and dropped it on the floor."

Two stories, set fifty years apart, are told in this unique and mesmerizing book.  A young boy named Ben, who recently lost his mother, is now living with his aunt and cousins.  He has never known his father.  The house he now lives in and the house he used to live in are eighty-three steps apart.  Ben sometimes goes over there to reminisce about his mom.  One night while he was over there during a thunderstorm, he finds a book about museums titled Wonderstruck.  Intrigued by the inscription, "To Danny, Love M.," along with a special bookmark, and a few other trinkets, he sets off on a quest to find out who his father is.  

The other part of the book is the detailed, and enchanting illustrations that tell the story of Rose, who many years ago set off on her own adventure to experience life in the big city.  Wanting to get away from her own suburban life and the many troubles she faced there, she longed to not only live in the city, but also to study at a special school for the deaf.

Join Ben and Rose as their stories intersect in this amazing tale.  The author, Brian Selznick, won the Caldecott Medal for his previous book The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  Let me know if you are able to check either of them out!

xoxo,
Kelly