BookDragon Books for the Diverse Reader

Since Brian Selznick’s remarkable Wonderstruck has been out for almost a year, this may be rather old news for you. However, if, like me, you’re crawling out from that comfy rock and need an unforgettable fix to take back under, here’s your perfect next choice. Oh, goodness gracious, me-oh-my … where do I even begin to share the awe-filled wonder?

So I knew absolutely nothing about the story before I flipped back the front cover … (I did mention that rock, right?). The one thing I was well aware of was that given how magnificent Selznick’s last solo tome was – The Invention of Hugo Cabret which won the 2008 Caldecott Medal (and no, I never saw the film version) – I would need to make some time to savor his latest …

Here’s a bare minimum: two people, two generations apart, two cities, one intricately woven magical journey. Ben Wilson, of Gunflint Lake, Minnesota, is grieving the loss of his mother. He finds among her things a bookmark with a name and address that sends him on a faraway journey all by himself to New York City. Fifty years earlier, Rose Kincaid of Hoboken, New Jersey, escapes her silent world and flees across the river to the uncertain wilds of Manhattan. Both will discover secrets and shelter in museums … both will be forever wonderstruck with all that they discover. Their adventure beckons …

Before you close the back cover, make sure to read every word of the “Acknowledgments,” as Selznick shares further revelations there … from deaf vs. Deaf, to 1927 drawings, to the 1977 New York blackout, to the importance of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. You’ll want to know, I promise … it’s all about being fully wonderstruck.

Readers: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Adult

Published: 2011