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I'm Wonderstruck

Today is the long anticipated release of Brian Selznick's Wonder Struck!

I am a big fan of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which won the 2008 Caldecott Medal and will be turned into a movie directed by Martin Scorsese and released November 23.  

Playing with the form he created in The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick once again sails into uncharted territory and takes readers on an awe-inspiring journey.

Ben and Rose secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother's room and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on desperate quests to find what they are missing.

Set fifty years apart, these two independent stories--Ben's told in words, Rose's in pictures--weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder. Rich, complex, affecting, and beautiful--with over 460 pages of original artwork--Wonderstruck is a stunning achievement from a uniquely gifted artist and visionary.

NPR has a great story, Wonderstruck: A Novel Approach to Picture Books.

Horn Book has a nice review and The Atlantic's review includes lots of illustrations from the book.


Best of all, listen to Brian Selznick talk so passionately about his creative process in the video below. Enjoy!


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