Wonderstruck: If Only the World was Organized

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Why did I read it?

Because The Invention of Hugo Cabret (same author and style) was awesome, and because we just talked about it at TeenBookWorms =D

What happened?

Even though they are separated by 50 years (Rose's tale starts in 1927, and Ben's starts in 1977), Ben and Rose have a lot in common. Both of their fathers aren't in their lives, they have a hard time connecting to those around them, and they are both deaf. They also have a passion for New York City, and collecting things around them.

But, their stories are also different. Rose's parents don't think it is safe for a deaf child to be unattended in a large city and Ben has just lost his Mom and is stuck living with his Aunt and Uncle. So, when Rose sees an article about her famous mother, and Ben finds a note relating to his long-lost father, they both start off on adventures to find a place to belong, and answer the questions beating inside their heads.

What did I like or not like?

Similarly to Hugo, this book does a really good job of showing the wonder and awe that a child's world has. It also shows how important it is for kids to have caring adults in their lives, and to know where they fit.

This book was also really cool because also similarily to Hugo, part of it is told in text like a novel, and the other parts are told in pictures, kind of like a flip chart.

Another unique part of the story was the many references to Deaf culture, libraries and museums. These are typical plot elements, and that made the story all the more fascinating.

Finally, even though the novel starts as two distinct stories, we find by the end that Rose's and Ben's stories are much more connected than we originally thought, and they both find a part of what they are looking for in each other.