Magnificent Middle Grade Week: Wonderstruck

Since school has either started or is about to start for all the little munchkins out there, we decided that we would do a week of Middle Grade books.

First up is Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick.  It's going to be published on September 13th by Scholastic Press.

Set fifty years apart, two independent stories—Ben's told in words and 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.

Ever since his mom died, Ben feels lost.
At home with her father, Rose feels alone.

He is searching for someone, but he is not sure who.
She is searching for something, but she is not sure what.

When Ben finds a mysterious clue hidden in his mom's room,
When a tempting opportunity presents itself to Rose

Both children risk everything to find what's missing.



First off, don't let the size of this book intimidate you.  It's over 600 pages, but well over half of those pages are illustrated.  Many of the pages with writing on them have very little writing on them.  It was actually a very quick read. 

I really liked this book.  I happened to really enjoy how the two stories entertwined.  It was very clever.  I liked the way Rose's story was told almost entirely in pictures.  It was an interesting technique.  The illustrations in this book were wonderful.

From the viewpoint of a parent I didn't have any concerns about children reading this book.