Title: Wonderstruck
Author: Brian SelznickPublisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: September 13th, 2011
Page Count: 640
Genre: pseudo-graphic novel, historical fiction/contemporary (two points of view)
Audience: middle grade
Source: bought
Rating: 4.5 I would take this book for a day at the museum followed by ice cream
Goodreads Summary:
Ben and Rose secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother's room and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on desperate quests to find what they are missing.
Set fifty years apart, these two independent stories--Ben's told in words, Rose's in pictures--weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder. Rich, complex, affecting, and beautiful--with over 460 pages of original artwork--Wonderstruck is a stunning achievement from a uniquely gifted artist and visionary.
My thoughts: First off, this book is half full-spread artwork, half prose. Rose's story is told through pencil drawings that stretch across both pages and is interspersed throughout Ben's story, which is told through words. The pages fly by when you're reading! I felt a connection to Ben right from the start as we learn he has just lost his mother and doesn't know his father. He's living with his aunt, uncle, and cousins, and the poor boy doesn't feel welcome at all. His quest to find answers leads him to New York City from Minnesota, all alone I might add. He makes a friend there who tries to help him, but urges him to stay in NYC rather than returning home. Both are young boys (tweens) and their characters are very realistic. I took a little longer to warm up to Rose simply because you don't get as much info on her at the beginning as you do about Ben. Also, you have no idea what these stories have to do with one another. But don't worry - they come together in the end!
This story doesn't have a nice and neat, all strings tied up, we know exactly what's next for Ben kind of ending. And I appreciated that because it felt real and true to the story. It's the beginning of a coming-of-age story, but you know that the future is out there waiting for Ben, and even though you close the book not really knowing what's next, you're left with a feeling of hope that Ben will be okay. It's a bittersweet ending because you learn things you wish weren't true, but it all feels right. I think to have it any other way would feel incredibly false. Overall, I think this book definitely targets that middle grade audience, but I see it appealing to reluctant readers at middle grade level and up; the combination of artwork and prose as well as the mysterious atmosphere imparted by the side-by-side storylines pulls the reader in, and I think it is very capable of encouraging non-readers to search out more books. (Sorry for getting a little teacher-y there!) Selznick has another book, recently made into a movie, called The Invention of Hugo Cabret which I'm also excited to read. I love his innovative style and the writing is both lovely and real.
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