Wonderstruck

Wonderstruck
By Brian Selznick
Scholastic Press, 2011. 637 pgs. Middle Grade fiction

In 1927, Rose, who is deaf, longs for a life beyond her home, where she spends her time collecting pictures of a famous actress. Fifty years later, twelve-year-old Ben, whose mother has recently died, loses his hearing and finds that the father he never met may be living in New York City, so he runs away from home to find him. In New York, he meets Jamie, a boy his age who spends his time at the American Museum of Natural History. Ben, fascinated by the museum, comes to find that it might reveal the secret of his father's identity.

Ben's and Rose's stories are told alternately throughout the book, Ben's in words and Rose's in pictures, and then they intertwine at the end. The artwork is stunning, and I liked the way the stories came together....although I don't know that I actually would have liked the book as a child. I think it's one that advanced readers or those interested in art will like. The art is kind of what sold it for me; the text didn't pull me in as much.

3 stars. Clean read.