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---------------------------------- Recipient of Peach’s Picks Award Top Ten Favorite Books Summer 2011 |
Illustrator: Brian Selznick
Peach’s Picks Rating:
Year of publication: 2011
City of publication: New York
Publisher: Scholastic Press
ISBN: 978-0-545-02789-2
Author website: No personal website located, but information about the author/illustrator can be found at http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/about_brian_bio.htm and http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3180
Illustrator website: See "author website" information
Media used for illustrations: Pencil on paper
Annotation: Ben, a 12-year-old boy, runs away from his home in Minnesota to New York City in search of his father. There he meets Rose who has her own compelling tale.
Personal reaction to the book: If you enjoyed The Invention of Hugo Cabret, you will like this book even more. Selznick has again created a most unique picturebook/novel. This book tells two stories that eventually become one. First, the reader is introduced to Ben, a 12-year-old partially deaf orphan, living with relatives near Gunflint Lake, Minnesota in 1977. Ben’s mother recently died. Her death has left him grieving and wondering about the father he never knew, the father his mother never spoke of. A series of incidents including a lightning strike that leaves Ben completely deaf, propel him into running away from home to New York City, where he hopes to locate his father. Ben’s story is told through text. Shortly into the book the reader is introduced to Rose’s story. Rose is a deaf girl living in Hoboken, New Jersey during 1927, whose mother and father are divorced. From her bedroom window Rose gazes across the river to New York City longing for the beautiful actress mother who left her behind as well as personal freedom. Rose runs away from New Jersey and joins her older brother in New York City. Rose’s story is told through illustrations. The action in Ben’s story takes place from June-July 1977. The action in Rose’s story predominately takes place in 1927, but by the conclusion of the book, both characters are happily united in 1977. The illustrations are black and white crosshatched drawings in the style of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Each illustration is a two-page spread that tells a story separate from the text. At the same time the text and the illustrations of the two separate stories complement and offer clues that drive each story forward. Eyes play a major role in the illustrations. They are vividly realistic and convey deep emotions. The illustrator uses shadows and light to emphasize pivotal points he wants to make in Rose’s story. Selznick brilliantly transitions the text to the illustrations and back again, weaving the stories to a more than satisfying ending. I highly recommend reading this unique picturebook. Be sure to read the "Acknowledgments" and "Select Bibliography" for insights into Selznick's creative process.
General curricular connections:
- Literature
- Creative writing / write the next chapter in Brian's life
- Art / study of Brian Selznick's artwork
Recommended grade levels:
The book has not yet been reviewed by School Library Journal and Booklist
Peach's Picks recommends the book for grades 5 and up
The book has not yet been reviewed by School Library Journal and Booklist
Peach's Picks recommends the book for grades 5 and up
Awards/Recognitions: None as of this date
Note: The copy of this book is an advance reader's copy. The book is scheduled for publication in September 2011. This entry applies to the assignment criteria to review books published during 2010-2011.
Simile: Page 126; “Lightning kept flashing, momentarily illuminating the room like flashbulbs on a camera.”
Simile: Page 264; “Everyone everywhere seemed to be a different color, as if the cover of his social studies textbook had come to life around him.”
Simile: Page 329; “…Ben marveled at the life-size dioramas cut like windows into the dark walls.”
Simile: Page 407; “Behind their reflections, from certain angles, the animals peered out like ghosts from the Serengeti.”
Symbolism: Pages 356-357: Rose makes a wish, writes it on a piece of paper, and places it on the meteorite in the museum – Rose is wishing on a star
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