by Brian Selznick
Wonderstruck starts out about a little boy in 1977 who has lost his mother. Unsure how to cope living with relatives that seem to feel more obligation to take him in than actual love, he goes back to the house he and his mother shared. He is on the phone when it is struck by lightning and becomes deaf. As we are learning pieces of his story the prose (words) will stop and pictures will tell the story of a deaf girl in 1927 who feels very trapped, finding solace in following the career of actress Lilyan Mayhew. I spent the whole book entranced by both characters and wondering how they could possibly be connected. When I found out, I was delighted and touched.
Audience:
About 3rd grade. It is a really thick book, but so much of the story is told with only pictures that reading it won't be a problem for younger children.
What I Love:
The title of this book is very fitting. It comes in the text from Ben (the little boy) reading a book about how the purpose of museums is to leave someone 'wonderstruck' but expands to include the wonder of discovering the world and oneself. It is about feeling lost and alone, then finding a friend and becoming part of something more than yourself.
I don't think I have any words for the pictures, they are gorgeous and they really are worth a thousand words each:
Cautions:
This story is meandering at best. There are several ideas that aren't really tied together in the end-the idea of museums and the idea of reaching higher than oneself for instance. I think the author purposely left out a few conclusions to allow the audience to decide what certain things mean.
Wonderstruck starts out about a little boy in 1977 who has lost his mother. Unsure how to cope living with relatives that seem to feel more obligation to take him in than actual love, he goes back to the house he and his mother shared. He is on the phone when it is struck by lightning and becomes deaf. As we are learning pieces of his story the prose (words) will stop and pictures will tell the story of a deaf girl in 1927 who feels very trapped, finding solace in following the career of actress Lilyan Mayhew. I spent the whole book entranced by both characters and wondering how they could possibly be connected. When I found out, I was delighted and touched.
Audience:
About 3rd grade. It is a really thick book, but so much of the story is told with only pictures that reading it won't be a problem for younger children.
What I Love:
The title of this book is very fitting. It comes in the text from Ben (the little boy) reading a book about how the purpose of museums is to leave someone 'wonderstruck' but expands to include the wonder of discovering the world and oneself. It is about feeling lost and alone, then finding a friend and becoming part of something more than yourself.
I don't think I have any words for the pictures, they are gorgeous and they really are worth a thousand words each:
Cautions:
This story is meandering at best. There are several ideas that aren't really tied together in the end-the idea of museums and the idea of reaching higher than oneself for instance. I think the author purposely left out a few conclusions to allow the audience to decide what certain things mean.
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