Wonderstruck (Schneider Family Book Award - Middle School Winner) (originale 2011; edizione 2011)

Let's be honest: If not for the fact that I work in the Children's Department of the local library, I would have never picked up a copy of Brian Selznick's Wonderstruck. I would have not paid $16 dollars - that's $14 off cover price - for this insanely thick children's book. I may not have even beaten myself over the fact that it took me four days to read rather than the one night/one morning time span it should've taken me (my eyes do get tired). However, I can't say I didn't enjoy the book. Hell, it might be a brick but it's still a damn good book.

The novel follows to characters. Ben, a partially deaf boy who becomes fully deaf after an accident during an electrical storm and recently suffered the loss of his mother after a car accident; and, Rose, a young deaf girl who dreams of escaping her father's house in order to find a place in the world. The two stories are set fifty years apart - Ben's taking place in the 70's while Rose lives in the 20's.

Having never read anything by Selznick before - and if the price of this book is any reflection, it'll take another mandatory reading to get me to pick up anything by him - I don't know much about his style. Whether or not The Invention of the Hugo Cabret follows the similar structure is beyond me. See Ben's story is told through conventional storytelling - you know, with words - while Rose's story takes a more primal spin - with pictures.

It's a sweet story of two kids looking for their place in the world with a mixture of pop culture, Deaf culture, arts, history, and nature. The art work is beautiful and its detail is breath taking. Selznick has a way to keep his readers captivated and wanting more, while dropping subtle clues as it leads you down the path. ( )

Read this one back in 4th grade, very proud of myself. ( )

I read this because I want to see the film next week, and initially I was intimidated by the 600 pages. But don't be--I read this in a matter of hours, as Selznick deftly uses white space, and half the story is told through illustration. My heart broke a handful of times as I read this, but that could be because deaf culture has been in my orbit since high school and is now part of my family. I loved it. ( )

I read all 600-plus pages in one sitting, which is less impressive when you consider that many of the pages consist of illustrations. I was tempted to tell the author that there's another book about children hiding out in a world-famous Manhattan museum, but he mentions From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler in his discussion---well worth reading---after the story. I was also reminded of The Bridges of Madison County.

There are a lot of loose ends, unanswered questions, but that's the way life works: the ending is satisfying---Ben has learned more about his past and has new, good options for his future. And I've learned a lot more about the 1964 World's Fair and the American Museum of Natural History.

Given Selznick's interest in Deaf Culture, I'm surprised there wasn't more about it in the book. He does show, in just one picture, how talkies created a gulf between deaf and hearing people, who can now enjoy dialog that the deaf no longer can.

Having a deaf girl's story told only in pictures and the other story told in words, which I hear as I read them, was a clever way to contrast the ways different people see/approach the world. ( )

This book is a masterpiece. I liked it even more than Hugo Cabret, which I didn't think was possible. I'm super excited I got to read the ARC, but I can't wait for it to come out in hardback so I can read it again. I'm totally star-struck by Brian Selznick, he is a genius. ( )