Wonderstruck

Another fantastic novel in words and pictures by Brian Selznick (author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret)! I was wonderstruck by this story just as Mr. Selznick said he was when he went on a backstage tour of the American Museum of Natural History in New York.  He said he knew then that he would have to write a book set there (p. 630).

This book takes you on two adventures, one through words and the other through pictures.  They are set 50 years apart but run parallel until they intersect paths.  This is what had me in such awe.  What a creative genius!   It is full of mystery as Ben, who lives in Minnesota and dreams of wolves, but longs to find his father, and Rose, who lives just outside of New York City and dreams of a mysterious actress who she keeps a scrapbook about.

It is also a story of family, love, and special objects for collecting, not for their monetary value, but their sentimental value.  We learn about museums, curators, and cabinets of wonders.  What would you put in your cabinet?  It would be a fun activity to make your own cabinet of wonders or your own museum box, like Ben's.  You could either plan it on paper or actually make one.  You could even make a model of something which includes hidden objects from your life, like the New York City model. 

A Cabinet of Wonders

Brian Selznick's illustration of a Cabinet of Wonders