Word Out 2014

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Reviewed by Elisa (Richview YAG)

Ben misses his mother. A lot. Ever since the car crash, he has been living with his aunt, uncle, and cousins. There’s nothing wrong with them, but it’s just not the same. Maybe there’s something wrong with Ben. After all, he’s the kid who people call “Alien” and “Turtle”. He loves learning new things and is obsessed with space. One time he even bought glow-in-the-dark stars and black paint, and made an observatory in his room! Ben is also deaf in one ear, making it easier to tune out the world than to be apart of it. Then he sees a person’s silhouette in the window of his old house, one night, and she looks exactly like his mother! Could it be her?

Rose hates being stuck in her room, and she hates that her paren'ts make her stay there. Just because she’s deaf doesn’t mean she can’t walk, does it? Who’s to say that she can’t go to New York? It’s right across the water, and Rose is a capable girl. What could happen?  

The name Brian Selznick might be familiar to some; he wrote and illustrated the award winning novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret (later made into the Academy Award winning movie Hugo) His new novel Wonderstruck is cut from the same cloth, completely with simple text, stunning illustrations, and a heartwarming plotline. The size of the book may be daunting, but it is the easiest 610 pages one may ever read. The writing flows remarkably well, making this book a treat for all audiences, teens included.