Selznick,
Brian. Wonderstruck. New York:
Scholastic Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-545-02789-2
SUMMARY
After his mother's death, twelve
year-old Ben feels alone and longs to
find his father. With only two clues to guide him - a small book about
museums and a bookmark with a brief message to his mother from his father - Ben leaves his
Minnesota home for New York City. Young Rose, isolated from the world except through what she reads in newspapers and sees through her bedroom window, leaves her New Jersey home and her father to go to New York City so that she may find her mother, a famous silent movie actress. The two deaf children lives parallel each other, but are separated by an expanse of 50 years. Time, though, has a strange way of looping and interconnecting in order to complete circles, and it is in the American Museum of Natural History that Ben and Rose find what they seek.
ANALYSIS
Wonderstruck perfectly describes the
feelings of a reader who finishes Brian Selznick’s latest novel for children. In
his novel, he tells his readers about two children, Ben and Rose. Each child
has a life separated from each other by both location and time. Ben lives in
Minnesota during the 1960s and 1970s, and Rose lives in New Jersey during
the 1920s. Selznick uses two formats for each storyline: pencil illustrations to
tell Rose’s story, and the written word to tell Ben’s story. Each story stands
by itself, yet Selznick balances them perfectly so throughout the book a delicate
dance between the two stories emerges. The two stories will meet, part, and
repeat this pattern until they finally come together in the end.
Both
children face the same obstacles in their lives. Rose is completely deaf, and her father keeps her inside to protect her. She spends her time in her bedroom reading and collecting newspaper
articles about her famous mother, a silent-movie star whose career keeps her
from her family. Rose uses the old newspapers to build a miniature model of New York City, where she longs to be with her mother. Ben, born deaf in one ear, loses hearing in his other ear after a tragic,
freak accident. A few months before the accident, he lost his mother in a car
accident. The night he lost his hearing, he found a card that suggests his
father lives in New York City. Both children throw caution to the wind and set
out to take on New York City in order to find their parents.
The setting
of Rose's story, New York City in the 1920s, marks the final days of silent movies. Even without occasional intervals of script common to silent-movies, the audience could easily understand the movies' plots through clever use of action in scenes and the actors' emotions and thoughts by their facial expressions. Selznick uses this
same dramatic technique in his artwork to tell Rosa's story. Selznick’s illustrations accurately depict Rose’s hearing impairment and her emotions as she
journeys to New York City in her silent world. The careful detail in the illustrations allow the
reader to interpret events by using sight – just as young Rose must do
in her silent world.
Ben,
however, had partial hearing before he became completely deaf and is able to talk. This causes complications when he arrives in New York City. He orally asks questions, but he is unable to understand what people say back to him. Like Rose, he cannot read lips nor is he familiar with sign language. However, both children are able to read, which allows them to understand what other people are saying when they use writing to communicate with the children.
The resiliency of both Rose and Ben to overcome the communication barrier with other people in order to find answers to their questions gives them the determination to find their absent loved ones. In the halls of the American Museum of Natural History, they find not only answers - but an unexpected meeting of two people whom not even time could keep apart forever.
The resiliency of both Rose and Ben to overcome the communication barrier with other people in order to find answers to their questions gives them the determination to find their absent loved ones. In the halls of the American Museum of Natural History, they find not only answers - but an unexpected meeting of two people whom not even time could keep apart forever.
AWARDS/REVIEWS
ALA Notable Children’s Books, 2012
Parent’s Choice Gold Award, 2011
Scheider Family Book Award, 2012
School
Library Journal starred, August 2011
Kirkus
Reviews starred, July 2011
“Selznick plays with a plethora of
interwoven themes, including deafness and silence, the ability to see and value
the world, family, and the interconnectedness of life.” Booklist starred, August 2011
CONNECTIONS
Visit the following website to learn how to finger spell the alphabet. You can even see how to finger spell your name.
The website also includes an interview with Brian Selznick about Wonderstruck.
http://www.scholastic.com/wonderstruck/stars.html
The website also includes an interview with Brian Selznick about Wonderstruck.
http://www.scholastic.com/wonderstruck/stars.html
The following web page includes a link to informative essays about places and scenes from Wonderstruck.
http://www.wonderstruckthebook.com/
PERSONAL RESPONSE
While reading Wonderstruck, I was amazed how well Selznick was able to create two stories and then merge them together. After finishing the book, I went back to reread Rose's story. Then, I reread Ben's story. After finishing both for the second time, I truly appreciated the genius put into creating this novel. Each story stands by itself - and the artwork just continues to draw the reader into Rose's story.
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