Book Review: Wonderstruck

From Brian Selznick, the creator of the Caldecott Medal winner THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET, comes another breathtaking tour de force.

Playing with the form he created in his trailblazing debut novel, 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.

I picked up Wonderstruckby Brian Selznick because I loved The Invention of Hugo Cabret so much. And I loved Wonderstruck even more. The story is imaginative and the illustrations are gorgeous. Above is an image from early in the book where Rose escapes her home. 

Rose is a little girl living in New Jersey in the 20's. She has only her father, as her mother left years prior. Rose is confined to her home. She's deaf, and her parents are afraid that she could get hurt out on her own. But she is strong-willed. She makes her way to the Natural History Museum in NY.

Ben is a little boy living fifty years later, in the late 70's. He recently lost his mother and never knew his father. He's deaf in one ear until an accident leaves him completely unable to hear. When he finds a clue to where his father may be, he makes his way to NY and finds himself in the Natural History Museum. Below is an image from the book of one of the exhibits.

The children have much in common and should they have lived at the same time, they'd probably be best friends. Brian Selznick switches between Ben's story and Rose's until their stories overlap. It's a beautiful story which left me teary-eyed. I can't wait to see what else this amazing author/illustrator will come up with. 

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Books vs. Movies: Hugo Cabret

Orphan Hugo Cabret lives in a wall. His secret home is etched out in the crevices of a busy Paris train station. Part-time clock keeper, part-time thief, he leads a life of quiet routine until he gets involved with an eccentric, bookish young girl and an angry old man who runs a toy booth in the station. The Invention of Hugo Cabret unfolds its cryptic, magical story in a format that blends elements of picture book, novel, graphic novel, and film. Caldecott Honor-winning author-illustrator Brian Selznick has fashioned an intricate puzzle story that binds the reader like a mesmerist's spell.

I have seen The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick on the shelves of book stores for a while now. But I must admit that I had never really paid attention to it until I realized a movie based on the novel would soon be hitting theaters. When I checked it out on Goodreads I found a review by one of my favorite authors, Maggie Stiefvater, who said she loved the book. So I checked it out from my library. I read it in only a few hours. Despite its length, it's a quick, easy read. And I would say probably close to 3/4 of the book is pictures.

The story of Hugo Cabret is beautiful and sad and marvelously entertaining. He lives with his drunk of an uncle in the walls of the train station after his father dies. He has no other family, and then his uncle disappears, but Hugo continues to keep the clocks at the train station running. He becomes a thief to keep himself as fed as he can and to fix his automaton. Before his father died, they began work on a small mechanical man who ran with clockworks. And Hugo continues on their work.

There are some interesting twists and turns, and many of the characters were much more than they initially showed up. As lovely as the story was, the images made it that much more charming. While this book is not written in comic form, it is definitely a graphic novel of sorts. The images are just as important to the story as the words.

Since I enjoyed the book so much, I had to see the movie in theaters. The movie has a shortened title. Just "Hugo". The actors were great, especially Asa Butterfield who starred as Hugo Cabret. In addition to the acting, the effects were great. They weren't over the top, as I've heard many say. I think they were perfect.

According to IMDb, author/illustrator Brian Selznick makes an appearance. I'll have to look for him next time.

As far as movie adaptations of a book go, this one was really close. The order of events weren't changed much. They added and subtracted little. They did, however, cut one of the major supporting characters from the movie. But they did well explaining things, small but important details that are often left out were well done here. My understanding of why so many stories are changed when turned into movies is because pacing in a book is different than pacing in a movie. While I found the book exciting, the movie was somewhat less so. It dragged in a few places.

So... read the book, and then see the movie. Don't miss out! Both were enjoyable.

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Graphic Novel Review: Clubbing

A spoiled, rebellious London girl takes on the stuffy English countryside in CLUBBING. The crime: Getting caught with a fake I.D. at a posh London nightclub. The punishment: Spending the summer at her Grandparent's stuffy country club. But Charlotte "Lottie" Brook, best known for her mile-high platforms, an expendable wi-fi account and an unbridled passion for classic lit, will end up doing more than just serving time in country boot camp. In between avoiding the strange locals and cake decorating contests, Lottie will narrowly escape romance and end up solving a murder mystery on the 19th hole of her Grandparent's golf course.

Clubbing by Andi Watson is a graphic novel published by Minx, an imprint of DC Comics. Minx graphic novels are targeted at teen girls, and, unfortunately, was short-lived, with only twelve novels published, and leaving three unpublished (including the sequel to Clubbing). The other two were eventually published.

Charlotte is sent to live with her grandparent’s after she is caught with a fake I.D. Lottie arrives in her goth clothing (which I loved seeing), her cell phone, iPod, and other gadgets every teen girl needs. She’s different from the rest of the crowd in this town, until she meets a group of kids that she thinks she’d fit in with. When she and hottie Howard stumble upon a corpse, Lottie suspects her almost friends.

Part of this novel is cute and funny and part is completely ridiculous. However, I really enjoyed reading Clubbing, and the art was fantastic. While this book is no longer being printed, you can still find it at comic book stores and Amazon.

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