Wonderstruck, by Brian Selznick

Brian Selznick. Wonderstruck. New York: Scholastic Press, 2011. 637 pages. ISBN 9780545027892.

I read Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret a few years ago and loved the way Mr. Selznick combined both written and drawn storytelling. His newer book, Wonderstruck, is no less impressive. It tells the story of Ben, a young boy whose mother was killed in an accident a few months ago. He's living with his aunt, uncle, and two cousins when he is hurt in an accident. Either permanently or temporarily (we're not sure) made deaf by a lightning strike, Ben takes off for New York City where he hopes to find his father. His only clue is a book, Wonderstruck, with a bookmark from a bookstore on the Upper West Side, but when he gets there he finds the store has long been closed. Despondent, he sneaks into the American Museum of Natural History where he befriends another young boy, Jamie, whose father works at the museum.

While Mr. Selznick tells Ben's story through short prose passages of just a few pages each, he intersperses Ben's story with Rose's, which he tells solely through black and white pencil drawings. While Ben's story is set in 1977, Rose's is set in 1927. She's also deaf, and lives a lonely existence in Hoboken with an absentee mother (a famous actress). One day Rose takes off to try to find her mother at a theater in the city. Angry, her mother is ready to send her home, but Rose runs off and hides in the same museum that Ben hides in 50 years later. She's found there by her older brother Walter, who works at the museum. Walter takes her to his home and gives her a copy of Wonderstruck.

Near the end of the book Ben's and Rose's stories converge and we learn about how the two are connected. The story continues to be told in alternating sections of prose and pencil drawings.

This book has mystery and suspense, and a great deal of heart. The drawings are intricate and really wonderful. It's amazing how much of the story can be told just through drawings. I really loved this book; I like the characters, the plot, the writing, and the illustrations. Intended for ages 9 and up, I think this would be of interest to anyone who likes good storytelling and illustrated books.