Wonderstruck

I am absolutely wonderstruck, amazed, blown away (you get the point) by Brian Selznick’s latest novel, Wonderstruck. I see this getting either the Caldecott or Newbery award. I am a huge fan of Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret; this one is even better! Selznick creatively tells two stories set fifty years apart. Rose’s story begins in New Jersey in 1927 and is told through remarkable illustrations. Ben’s story begins in Minnesota in 1977 and is told through text. Rose, a deaf girl tired of being locked away from the world, heads to New York City in hopes of finding the one person who can save her. Ben, a boy who recently lost his mother and loves to collect things, finds clues that may help him find the father he has never known. His search leads him to New York and the American Museum of Natural History. You must read this book to see how Selznick magically brings the two characters together and takes his readers to the must-see sites of New York City during that time. You will be wonderstruck as well!