Wonderstruck

I Can’t Wait For…The Marvels by Brian Selznick

/ zackids / 1 Comment

Brian Selznick’s books are absolutely stunning!  I love his artwork and the way that he tells a story using a combination of illustration and text.  The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck are some of my favourite books and they’re the sort of books I love just holding.  They are huge books but this is because of the way that Brian Selznick likes to tell his stories, alternating between pages of text and pages of illustration.

Brian Selznick has a new book being released in October, called The Marvels.  I can’t wait to hold it in my hands and read what is sure to be an amazing story.  Here is the cover, blurb and book trailer:

The journey begins on a ship at sea in 1766, with a boy named Billy Marvel. After surviving a shipwreck, he finds work in a London theatre. There, his family flourishes for generations as brilliant actors until 1900, when young Leontes Marvel is banished from the stage. Nearly a century later, Joseph Jervis runs away from school and seeks refuge with an uncle in London. Albert Nightingale’s strange, beautiful house, with its mysterious portraits and ghostly presences, captivates Joseph and leads him on a search for clues about the house, his family, and the past.

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

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The Invention of Hugo Cabret is one of my favourite books because of the way that the story is told.  The ‘creator’ Brian Selznick uses a mixture of words and illustrations to tell the story.  One minute you’re reading the words and the next you’re looking at the amazing illustrations to try and piece the story together. Brian has used the same storytelling technique in his new book, Wonderstruck.

Wonderstruck is the story of two children, set fifty years apart.  Ben’s story is told using words and is set in 1977 and Rose’s story is told completely in pictures and is set in 1927.  Ben has never known his father, but when he discovers some clues in his mother’s bedroom to who his father is, Ben sets out on a journey to discover the truth.  Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook and Brian’s illustrations reveal her own journey.

Wonderstruck is an absolutely amazing book!  I love the idea of telling two different stories in two different ways.  When I was reading Ben’s story I could see the images in my head, but when I was ‘reading’ Rose’s story I was putting each of the images together to figure out her story.  The book looks huge but I read it all in one go because over half the book is made up of Brian’s stunning illustrations.  He only uses pencils, but he creates some unbelievable effects.  When you look at the faces of the characters you can see exactly what they are feeling, whether it is excitement, anger or sadness.  One of the pages is just someone pointing their finger and you know exactly what it means.  Reading Rose’s story is like watching a silent movie because you have to work out what is happening yourself.  Wonderstruck is one of those books that leave you smiling and you’ll want to read it again and again, just to enjoy Brian’s illustrations.