Wonder Struck

                                                                                         March 21, 2018


Wonder Struck is a historical fiction book written by Brian Selznick.

This book is about Ben and Rose who both wish for better lives. Ben a young boy who can only hear with one ear, and Rose an elder women that is deaf both  have hard times getting around. Ben dreams of his father that he has never met or knows anything about, Rose on the other hand dreams about an actress whose life she tells in a scrapbook. Throughout the book both characters have independent stories Ben’s are told through words and Rose’s in pictures. My favorite part of this book is when Ben and Rose visit the panorama in the city of New York. This is my favorite part because Ben and Rose get to spend quality time together and the panorama has a hidden meaning under each building. 

The main character is adventurous, I know this because Ben took a trip to New York in search of his father. Without an adult or guardian he traveled from Gunflint Minnesota to New York City. Although he was going to NY in hope of meeting his father most kids wouldn’t travel out of state by themselves especially to somewhere completely new. Ben also faced a challenge of traveling by himself and being deaf, he didn’t know sign language and didn’t have anyone  to guide him through a big city. Part of the meaning behind being adventurous is  wiling to take risks. Ben took risks for traveling by himself while being unable to  communicate, for knowing that finding his father would be a mission but still  
looking for him, and for not having as much money, although there was risks he decided to take them because he was adventurous and was willing to take risks.

I really enjoyed reading this book because of the illustrations and the very descriptive details. Although I liked it I will say that there was times when it got very confusing because I wasn’t sure what exactly was going on. For those of you guys that decide to read the book you should know before reading it, that there is two stories told in the book from two different people. The two main characters Ben and Rose both have their own stories, Ben’s is told through words in 1977 and Rose’s in pictures fifty years earlier. It was overall a great book but I feel that if I’d known this information before it would’ve made reading the book a lot easier. Now I’m wondering, would you ever go out of state by yourself?