Wonderstruck

Selznick, B. (2011).Wonderstruck. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Ben is a boy that just lost his mother and has never met his father.  He now lives with his aunt, uncle, and cousin, who's house happens to be close to his old house on Gunflint Lake, Minnesota in 1977.  One night, when he is desperately missing his mother, he sneaks over to his old house.  He discovers a book called Wonderstruck, a bookmark from New York City with a message  to his mom on the back,  along with a locket with a man's picture inside. He decides that the picture is his  father, and he lives in New York City from the message on the back of the bookmark signed by Danny. While there, he gets electrocuted when his house is struck by lightning.  While in the hospital, he runs away for New York to find his father.

Rose is a girl who is deaf that lives in Hoboken, New Jersey, across from New York City in 1927. She longs to see her mother, a famous movie star, in New York City.  She runs away one night to find her mother in New York.  Her mother is not happy to see her and wants her to go back home to her father.  But Rose runs away to see her older brother who works at the museum.

These two characters both search for a place to belong.  The book tells of both of their stories simultaneously.  Ben's story is written in words.  Rose's story is told through illustrations. 

In part three of the story, Rose is now an old women.  The story concludes with discovering Rose is Ben's grandmother. 

This book has beautiful illustrations that tells the story of Rose.  Though Rose doesn't speak until the third part of the book, her story and emotions are captured in the illustrations.   In the third part of the book,  both Ben and Rose are in both the illustrations and written words as their stories come together.  Selznick tells a wonderful story of loss and looking for a place to belong.