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Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Middle Grade Review: Wonderstruck

http://motherdaughterbookreviews.com/kid-lit-blog-hop-51/
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Title: Wonderstruck
Author: Brian Selznick
Publisher: Scholastic, 2011, 640 pages
Source: Library

Publisher's Summary:
Ben and Rose secretly wish for better lives. Ben longs for his unknown father. Rose scrapbooks a famous silent actress. When Ben finds clues and Rose reads enticing news, the children independently run to New York for what they are missing. Ben's story in words, Rose's in pictures, come together in deafness.

Review:
I read this book because it was a book of the month pick for the Great Middle Grade Reads group on Goodreads.com a few months ago. I had glanced at it at some point, and not been grabbed by it. But people's comments made me think I needed to look closer, and I'm glad I did. The book was not at all what I had expected (I had somehow--maybe from a few of the pictures that zoomed in on eyeballs--gotten the impression that the book was a fantasy). It is a magical story--but one completely grounded in the real world.

The structure of the book is a large part of what makes it magical. The two parallel threads are told, one in words, the other strictly in pictures, until they come together at the end and words and pictures meet. Rose's story, told in pictures, is surprisingly complete, with the addition of a few short notes (incorporated into the pictures). It can be read very quickly, but most of the pictures also reward a more careful study. Ben's story is very straight-forward, and the way the two connect is no surprise, but still a delight.

Recommendation:
Like any good middle-grade book, this is a good read for all ages. But it may offer one thing for certain readers who struggle: it is a big, fat, impressive-looking book that is a great deal shorter than it looks! The written part is very easy to read, and broken into bits small enough to be managed by readers for whom it doesn't come easily, and the pictures of course tell their story to readers and non-readers alike. I could see this helping a struggling reader to gain confidence.

Full Disclosure: I checked Wonderstruck out of my library, and received nothing from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." 

15 comments:

  1. I think it's funny how some big fat books end up not being as long as they appear. I should read this to my kids! Thanks for linking to the KLBH!

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    1. Well....read WITH your kids! They'll have to study the pictures themselves. Depending on their ages, it could be a good way to practice thinking about story and narrative!

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  2. Wow, what an interesting concept. I have heard about this book and now I believe I must read it. Thanks for a great recommendation and for joining us on the Kid Lit Blog Hop

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    1. That was sort of my reaction when I started reading reviews of it, J. It ended up sounding like a magical story, rather than the story about magic I'd thought it was. And it is!

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  3. Sounds interesting. I'm all for helping those that struggle with reading

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    1. Yes! I think this will reward middle-grade readers at just about any reading level. They do have to be able to manage the text, but it's broken up small enough to make it seem doable.

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  4. Looks like I am going to have to pick this one up. Thanks for the review.

    Naila Moon from Kid Lit Blog Hop
    http://readingauthors.blogspot.com/

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  5. I have a lot of students who have fallen in love with Huge Cabret and Wonderstruck precisely because of that "big-looking book" appeal but scaffolded by all those amazing pictures. So excited he has another book coming out, eventually!

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    1. I would imagine that a book like that takes even longer than most to create.

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  6. I love this book! I have included it in my children's literature course I teach before and the students love it! They are amazed at how fast they can read it. I loved Hugo Cabret, but this one, with its two stories converging was just brilliant as well. I appreciate your descriptions of it as a "magical story." I completely agree! Hopping over from the Kid Lit Blog Hop! Katie @ Bookish Illuminations (http://bookish-illuminations.com/2015/01/08/middle-grade-review-donuts-absolutely-almost-2014-lisa-graff/)

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    1. Yes--I've looked a little dubiously at some of the books that incorporate pictures that way, but using them to create a parallel story is so imaginative, I had to admire it!

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  7. It's funny that you commented on the link, as a reviewer I tend to look at the number of pages when schedule reviews and often times is the really long ones that take the shortest amount of time to read. I've seen this book around, but haven't had the change to read it. Going to have to check it out. Thanks for linking it to the hop.

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    1. Yeah, I admit I'd been a little put off by how thick the book was (and it is--not one to cart about with you!). But I read it very quickly, and it was well worth the weight of hauling it home and back to the library :D

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  8. I can't for the life of me get my daughter to read this one! I pointed it out at the library and she sent "meh". What!? Interestingly, she also was not a big fan of Hugo Cabret. I'm wondering psychologically if she's thinking that those kind of books are not for "serious" readers (like herself! lol) I just don't get it... Thanks for linking in the Kid Lit Blog Hop!

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