Wonderstruck in Pick-a-Shelf

Sep 03, 2011 Luann rated it really liked it

Shelves: childrens, fiction, 2012, libraries, schneider-family-award

I really liked The Invention of Hugo Cabret, so I expected to like this one as well. So I was surprised to have a few problems with this in the beginning. Brian Selznick tells two stories that are seemingly not connected and that take place years apart. One story is told only in pictures of a deaf girl who sneaks out to see a movie of her favorite movie star. The other story is told only in words of a boy who is deaf in one ear. His mother has recently passed away and he is living with his aunt I really liked The Invention of Hugo Cabret, so I expected to like this one as well. So I was surprised to have a few problems with this in the beginning. Brian Selznick tells two stories that are seemingly not connected and that take place years apart. One story is told only in pictures of a deaf girl who sneaks out to see a movie of her favorite movie star. The other story is told only in words of a boy who is deaf in one ear. His mother has recently passed away and he is living with his aunt and uncle and two cousins.

I think part of the reason for my problem is that while the two stories didn't connect at all in the beginning, there were times when it cut from one story to the next with coincidental connections. They are the type of cut from one scene to the next that you sometimes see in a movie when it is telling two stories. They don't usually bother me in a movie, but I'm not used to them in a book. I'm not sure why I let them bother me so much! In a second read, I don't think they would bother me at all.

I was also worried about how the stories would eventually connect. I knew that the two stories would have to connect at some point, but they seemed so very far from each other - in time and place and storyline - that I wasn't sure I would like how they were brought together. Of course I should have trusted Brian Selznick. He did a fabulous job of making me care about both stories, and when they did finally connect, I loved it! I guessed part of how they would connect together, but not all of it, which I also really loved.

This should have been an easy book for me to love with how much libraries and museums were integral in the story. And bonus, I've actually been to the Unisphere in New York! The problems I had with the book in the beginning were on my end and not a problem of the book at all. Fans of Hugo Cabret will definitely want to read this. Anyone who loves a great story and wants to see an interesting concept of two stories told at once, one in pictures and one in words, should definitely read this.

I know this will be at least as popular in my library as Hugo Cabret, if not more. I'm constantly being asked for "the big book that is mostly pictures." The students LOVE to carry around a GIANT book that they can actually get through quite quickly. The fact that this tells a fabulous story which starts with wolves won't hurt at all. Now they will have to tell me WHICH big book with pictures they want to read. ...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Lindsey rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, childrens, historical, graphic-novel, 2012-spring-challenge, 2013, 2013-summer-challenge

I really enjoyed this! I love how the book goes from a small blip of civilization in the wild to an isolated place in one of the most famous and crowded buildings in one of the most famous and crowded cities in the world. It's amazing how Selznick was really able to connect these two completely opposite places. (view spoiler) I really enjoyed this! I love how the book goes from a small blip of civilization in the wild to an isolated place in one of the most famous and crowded buildings in one of the most famous and crowded cities in the world. It's amazing how Selznick was really able to connect these two completely opposite places. (view spoiler) It was genius how Ben's story was told in text mostly at first and then Rose's story was told almost all in pictures, but I do wish I could have seen more of Ben's life in Minnesota. (view spoiler)

This was read at such a coincidental time for me. I am about to make probably my final visit to my grandparents' cabin in west-north-west Minnesota on a lake because they have both recently died, unfortunately, and it's probably going to be sold. The small glimpse into Ben's life in Minnesota felt very similar to the time I've spent on that wondrous lake. Just by setting this in northern Minnesota had me wonderstruck!

I found myself dreaming about the cabins on Gunflint Lake and the library there. What a slice of heaven that must be! (My grandpa had a sign hanging on the garage at his cabin, "Bit o' Heaven." He was born on the side of Minnesota opposite of the cabin - in Duluth. He spent most of his life in the Chicago area, but Minnesota was always where his heart was.) To me, Minnesota is one of the most magical and peaceful places with all its clean, beautiful lakes and small town charm, and I have nothing but fond memories of the many summer trips I took there as a child.

Another small coincidence is that my husband is (mostly) deaf in one ear, like Ben was at the beginning of the book.

And another strange coincidence - The day I finished this book, I started reading a Nicholas Sparks book published in 2005 where the male lead is a writer for Scientific American and travels from NYC, where he lives, to a small town in North Carolina to write a story on a local phenomenon. He meets and falls in love the small town's librarian! I love when my reading connects like that.

Edited to add: Forgot to add to my coincidence list that right before I read this I was thinking about planning a trip to the Field Museum in Chicago, which is similar to the New York museum in this book. And my birthday is also very close to Ben's birthday. Enhancing my dreams of trips to Minnesota and seeing the wonders of the city makes this a great summer read! ...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Harold Ogle rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery, ya, history, orphan

I enjoyed this book pretty well. I can't help but compare his to The Invention of Hugo Cabret, but I'm having difficulty deciding which one I liked better. They're both very well realized books, one (Cabret) a mystery set in the world of silent cinema, and the other (Wonderstruck) about another young boy engaged in a mystery, trying to discover details about his past. But The Invention of Hugo Cabret was essentially a picture book, which alternated telling the narrative between conventional chap ...more

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Jul 29, 2020 Susan rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, graphic-novel, juvenile

I had a grudge against this book right from the beginning: the format seemed simply too gimmicky to me. The artwork didn't appeal to me all that much, and I couldn't figure out why Rose's part should be told in pictures while Ben's was told in words. It was their stories that gradually won me over. Both Ben and Rose were easy to care about, if not very complex characters. I also appreciate that the author obviously did his homework, both about museums and about Deaf people, and his care for both ...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Kathy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite-covers, children, young-adult

Yes, it really is that good. The reports and reviews of its excellence do not exaggerate. As a museum lover, it appeals to me on so many levels, especially that desire to get behind the scenes of what is available to the public and explore unhindered a world of historical magic. Selznick's presentation with the text and illustrations telling two stories and their blending is nothing short of genius. I did read it through in one setting, with only a minor break. I am simply in love with this stor ...more

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Jan 10, 2018 Rebekah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: child-at-heart, 2018, 5-star-reads, page-to-screen-read-first

Amazing story. The portion told entirely through pictures is just as poignant and rich as the written portion. Because half of it is in pictures it’s a very very quick read, which demanded an immediate reread. Loved this book and immediately added all of Selznick’s books to my to read list.

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