“We are all cabinets of wonders.”

I cannot put into words what a work of art this book is. This story is told in two halves, Ben in words and Rose in illustrations. Both stories are told at the same time, with both children going on a similar journey at the same time which defiantly helps with the flow and marries the two together.

Bens story begins in Minnesota in June 1977, he's currently living with his aunt and uncle after the death of his mum. One night he finally goes back to his home and finds a bookmark in his mothers things. Ben decides it's time to find his dad, and heads to New York.

Rose starts off in New Jersey in October 1927, she's unhappy and alone as her she is kept inside because she is deaf. Her only visitor is her tutor. Like Ben, Rose sets off to New York to find actress Lillian Mayhew who she's watched in silent movies and is now performing on the stage.

This book and its story is beautiful, it may be for children but it hit me on such an emotional level. The emotions conveyed in the illustrations were unbelievable.

Despite Wonderstruck's 630 pages, over 460 of those pages are illustrations, but I still believe this fact attests to Wonderstruck's ability to keep its reader engaged and entertained.

I enjoyed this book because of the following reason;

Wonderstruck is two stories in one: it is Ben's story, and it is Rose's story. With the former's being told in words, and the latter's being told in illustrations, this textile tale takes two youngsters, a book, a turtle, a bookstore, a museum, and several supporting characters and blends them perfectly to ultimately make one beautiful, symmetrical story.
As the story carefully unfolds, we learn that Ben is deaf in one ear, and Rose is deaf completely. Ben has recently lost his mother, and is now anxious to find out all he can about his father, whom his mother never told him about. After finding a few clues in his mother's bedroom, Ben goes off to New York in search of his father.
Meanwhile, Rose, always feeling like she doesn't belong anywhere, is obsessed with a movie starlet. Thanks to a newspaper article, Rose ends up going to see this actress during one of her stage shows in New York.
Although their stories are fifty years apart, both characters go on almost the exact same journey and end up in many of the same places, and the reader is left feeling nothing short of amazement when all is revealed and each character finds what they've been so desperate to have which is love and a sense of belonging.

This book had a very unique writing style compared to all the other books that i have read over the past few years of my life which was why it caught my eye. 

I recommend this book to a reader who is looking for a writing style different than the usual type.

Wonder struck is very good book but i can get confusing at times but the base story is wonderful their are 2 stories unfolding before you side by side. The 2 main characters are Rose which is told in pictures, and Ben which is told in words.Both of them have something missing in their life and they went to New York to try to find what they are missing.

My favorite character is Rose. Even though there are many setbacks in her life like being deaf, not knowing sign language and not being allowed to see her mother she disobeyed her father so that she could go to New York to see her very famous mother. When she goes though all the trouble of affording the boat to go to New York she gets scolded for coming to see her. Then she hides out in a museum as she does not want to go home.

In the end we find out that Rose was Ben's Grandma and they took a tour around the museum she bought and told Ben of her mother and her backstory.What makes this book great is how the 2 stories seem to connect to each other, even though one takes place 50 years ahead of the other.

What I have learned from the book is that despite all the hardships and problems we have we must never give up the will to continue in life and in anything good thing we do as eventually it will pay off.

I was totally charmed by Wonderstruck because I went into it totally blind as to what it contained. I had a clue from the bolt of lightning on the front cover but even that was just a tiny portion of this stellar novel. The reader follows a boy on a journey from his small town into the bustling metropolis of New York City as he tries to find a clue to his origin story. Once again we are treated to detailed illustrations of not only the New York of the 1970s but of the 1920s as well. And a large part of the novel takes place in one of my favorite places in NYC: The American Museum of Natural History. There's a description of early museums and cabinets of curiosities (look out for a post in the future about this in more detail) which entrance as well as educate. Selznick explores Deaf culture, survival against all odds, and how we are all connected to one another. There is a grounding in true historical events which lends an extra dimension to the narrative. 10/10

I address you all tonight for who you truly are: wizards, mermaids, travelers, adventurers, and magicians. You are the true dreamers. 

Brian Selznick

Happy birthday, Brian Selznick! The award-winning writer and illustrator of The Invention of Hugo Cabret showed signs of artistic brilliance at a very young age. After the family dog ripped the arm off his troll doll, Selznick made a prosthetic replacement limb out of clay.