Wonderstruck, by Brian Selznick

Selznick has, yet again, woven together a seamless and wondrous story. Two children's lives overlap, though, their stories take place fifty years apart. Ben and Rose both searching for something that they are missing in their lives. Ben yearns to develop a relationship with a father he has never known and Rose tries to get the attention of her mother who always seems to be too busy for her. Rose finds distraction in collecting anything and everything about a famous actress. Each child finds clues that lead them on a journey to find what they yearn for.

Not only do they share parental difficulties, but both children are deaf. Selznick sheds light on the impact the transition from silent to talking films had on the deaf community, since it left them no longer able to enjoy the movies. Wonderstruck also melds together the world of words and pictures, as Rose's story is told in pictures and Ben's is relayed in words. There is true magic in how Selznick brings together the two stories in the end that will leave the reader flipping back through the book to rethink and revel in the story they have just experienced.