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.

I Am J: A Boy's Story (who was born as a girl)

I Am J by Cris Beam

Why did I read it?

I just started another library science class this summer, and it is Children's Literature for a Diverse Society. I am J is a new book that just rolled across my desk, and it fits right along with the themes of my class.

What happened?

J might have been born a girl, Jeni, but he has known his entire life that it was a mistake. He knew that if gender was assigned, that his was assigned incorrectly. J has plodded through his life, stuck with a body that he hates and that continues to betray him. But that is all about to change.

After a certain incident with his best friend, J starts to question how he's been living. Instead of existing as a head trying to avoid his body, he wants to start making changes to his body so it is closer to what he knows he is.

But, that decision starts to dissolve his relationships with his friends, his family, and the future that he had initially planned. While that is the case, J knows this is something he has to do, and while he will try to get those other pieces back, he knows he has to be himself.

What did I like or not like?

My first assignment for my summer class is talking about books on diversity and whether they serve as a window to another culture, or a mirror about myself. These kinds of books do both for me. I am not very familiar with the LGBTQ world, so Will Grayson, Will Grayson and I Am J were a very eye-opening window into how this community thinks and exists.

But on the other hand, both books made me think about my own ideas on these topics, and how we all question who we are and who we are going to become. So, they also served as a mirror.

P.S. This book deals with a transgender main character, discussions of sex and sexual identity, and has some cussing.