Wonderstruck

Selznick, B. (2001). Wonderstruck. New York, NY: Scholatic.

This amazing story told in the dynamic and creative way that only author Brian Selznick can do is about a boy named Ben.  He's recently been displaced because of the death of his mother, but he doesn't know that he will soon encounter a person who will change his idea on family. The reader quickly realizes that Ben's isn't the only story told in this book.  Amidst the pages of the novel, there are drawings that tell another tale - Rose's.  Rose is a deaf girl who is also yearning for another life.

Wonderstruck can be used in a cross-curricular fashion.  Art teachers and English teachers alike can come together to create a similar work by allowing for the words or illustrations convey a story that intertwines and is just as compelling.

For parents at home, Wonderstruck is a story of healing.  When Ben discovers that his story converges with Rose's is a moment of family mending and coming together.  This novel has themes of love, forgiveness, and reunification.