Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Wonderstruck

Selznick, B. (2011). Wonderstruck. NY: Scholastic Press.
YA / Graphic Novel

2012 Schneider Family Book Award Winner (Middle Grade Category)


Amazingly, there were even more drawings in Wonderstruck than in The Invention of Hugo Cabret! The book has an equally spectacular mix of drawings and writing to carry forward a dual storyline, one set in 1927 and the other set in 1977. 

The two seemingly separate stories, placed many years apart, weave and parallel each other and end-up coming together in a very satisfying way. In The Invention of Hugo Cabret, I really studied many of the drawings because they were so elaborate and had much to say, whereas in Wonderstruck,  I flipped quickly through more quickly because they were more focused on a single subject. The wolves, for example, are illustrated in a sequence of drawings that keep zooming in closer and closer, until you are looking very closely into its wild eye.  The level of detail is incredible -- every space on the page is taken.

Loved this book and will keep it on my shelf for my granny days.

Scholastic has a great website dedicated to Wonderstruck where you can see some of the fabulous illustrations from the book (those WOLVES!!) and learn all kinds of things about the book.  Here is their video with Selznick talking about it. Enjoy!


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