Wonderstruck

Author: Brian Selznick

Book review written by StorySnoops.com

This is the story of Ben and Rose.  Fifty years apart in time, they are each struggling at home and face further challenges because they are deaf. In 1927, Rose longs for a mother who just can't be there for her. In 1977, Ben longs for a mother who recently died and a father he has never met. With hope in their hearts, both children leave home alone in search of their dreams in New York City. When their stories become intertwined, Ben and Rose discover something wonderful that they hadn't even set out to find.

Here is the scoop:

Written by the highly decorated author of The Adventures of Hugo Cabret, Wonderstuck is another beautifully conceived novel that alternates between pictures and words. The illustrations that tell the story of Rose communicate as powerfully as the words that tell the story of Ben. Both characters run away from home on parallel journeys--one in search of an absentee mother, and the other in search of the father he has never met. The fact that they are deaf does not stop either child from pursuing their dreams or overcoming obstacles. There is an interesting theme about a person being like a cabinet of wonders in a museum. Each person has the opportunity to curate the objects that go in their cabinet in order to tell the story of who they are. Readers who enjoy science will delight in this story's primary setting--the Museum of Natural History in New York City.  Wonderstruck could be enjoyed either by an independent reader or as a classroom read-aloud.

Happy reading!

-The StorySnoops