Filled with WONDER

Last night, I experienced the familiar "can't sleep" syndrome, but it wasn't due to one of your typical reasons.

No, I was busy being struck with wonder...

Brian Selznick's book Wonderstruck had me on the edge of my seat. I didn't move a muscle, except to constantly flip the pages...all 600+ pages worth. (Don't worry - over half of those pages were a story told in pictures like the one below.)

The picture pages told the story of a young girl, Rose, who is very discontent with her life at home. Her mother ran off, and she lives with her father. On top of everything, she's deaf, and she's forced to adapt into a hearing world.

Interwoven is a story told in words (see example below).

With these words, the story of Ben is told. And it's a sad one, as he is forced to live with his aunt and uncle (who, actually, are nice people) because his mother died in a car crash and he never knew his father.

Set 50 years apart, the stories of these two young people are actually quite similar (to tell you more than that would be to rob you of the treat that comes with reading it yourself), and the way that the author seamlessly interweaves the stories left me breathless.

As I approached the climax, I think my gut knew what would happen before I actually realized what was happening on the pages in front of me. My heart kept beating faster and faster, and my fingers couldn't keep up with the turning of pages. What an experience!

(Please note, this should NOT be read as a Nook/Kindle book.)

I recommend this book highly - Enough cannot be said because, again, to do so would be to spoil the beauty of both words and pictures that make this story come to life. Read it, and pass it on. (I've already put it into the hands of one of my fourth grader's, from whose hands I know it will be traveling tomorrow or the next day.)

Talk about it.

Experience its wonder, for it is a story most wonderfully told.