Brian Selznick is an American author and illustrator who with the use both his writing and art skills, is able to tell beautiful and unique stories. He does an extensive amount of research and uses a great attention to detail to create his plots which helps him portray more realistic and captivating characters and stories. Readers will not only experience a wonderful story and beautiful artwork but will also leave his novels with a little bit of knowledge and some interesting background information. An author whose books are perfect for all ages from primary school children to grown adults, everyone will be able to gain a different experience from his amazing novels.
Here are his three most well known works:
The Invention of Hugo Cabret:
A Caldecott Medal winning tale of an orphan boy living at the train station, who spends his days as the station’s secret clock keeper as well as working on his private project involving a mysterious writing machine. An intriguing story told from the perspective of a young boy that is written in a creative style and accompanied by detailed black and white illustrations to support to the text. It is told through both the past and present moments of Hugo Cabret’s life that lead to how he became the way he is as a person. It also explores all the interesting characters that Hugo interacts with at the station and how these people connect to his own personal mission of finding out what the writing machine will write.
Intertwined within the story, there is also an underlining theme of the importance of film in Hugo’s life as well as those around him, which makes the plot quite intriguing. It is a story of discovery, that is filled with hope, wonder, curiosity and knowledge that will fill its readers with many emotions and will keep them intrigued until the very last page.
Wonderstruck:
An interweaving story about Ben and Rose who both want more from their lives than they currently have. After the passing of his single mother, Ben discovers a book during a storm that may lead him to his unknown father. Thus begins his journey to discover more about himself, who his father may be and why he has been having such terrifying dreams. As Rose constructs an in depth scrapbook of a famous actress and makes buildings out of paper, She thinks about how she wants to escape her life in New Jersey. She takes the courageous journey to New York by herself to find the one person who cared for her, Walter.
Told in a dual perspective style that is separated by 50 years, Brian Selznick tells two stories and how they connect with Rose’s tale being set in 1927 and completely told through the illustrations and Ben’s tale being told through the writing and set in the year 1977. A beautifully told story about bravery, family, love and overcoming barriers that will fill the readers with overwhelming emotions over how two stranger’s stories can come together to create one beautiful message of hope and acceptance.
The Marvels:
A novel containing two different stories that puzzle together to create one. The first of the two is the tale of Billy Marvel who is the sole survivor of a ship wreck in 1766. After being rescued, he follows a career in a London Theatre where he begins his family’s legendary history of generations of amazing actors up until the year 1900. The second story is set almost a century later in the year 1990, where Joseph Jervis escapes from his boarding school to find his missing school friend and live with his intriguing uncle, Albert Nightingale in London. He arrives at the residence only to discover that there are strange things happening around the house that his uncle refuses to talk about. Here he begins his mission to discover more about his family history, his uncle’s strange behaviour and the mystery behind the house.
Told in two different styles, Selznick takes his previous works and creates a new way of storytelling. Beginning with over 400 pages of just illustrations to tell the Marvel’s tale and then a further 200 pages for Joseph’s story, readers will be captivated by this unique writing style and will also come to find the reason behind why it was written this way. A mysterious tale about family, legacy and love that will catch the readers by surprise with many twists and turns that will also keep them wanting more from these characters once the book has finished.