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I\u2019ve just finished reading Brian Selznick\u2019s Wonderstruck<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n The book\u2019s title is an apt approximation of how I felt by the end of the 600+ page book. Selznick\u2019s mixture of images and text is unlike anything other writers are doing. In Wonderstruck<\/em>, he extends his unique storytelling technique by offering parallel narratives that cross in ways that elevate the emotional depth of the work.<\/p>\n Currently, I\u2019ve been working on a chapter of my dissertation that, in part, looks at youth as curators and the transformative possibilities of this role. By taking ownership, labeling, collecting, and displaying ephemera within their communities, my students help guide a collective consciousness for their peers that establish opportunities for social improvement. The act of curation is a liberatory one. Or at least that\u2019s what I\u2019m arguing so far.<\/p>\n Wonderstruck<\/em> finds its protagonist desperately holding onto the artifacts that make up an unclear past in search of meaning amongst them. Selznick\u2019s narrative illuminates the personal \u00a0power of curation and imbues it with the same sense of wonder<\/a> that I attempted to achieve in the ARG<\/a> I created. The book opens up paths of discussion that I\u2019d love to someday host with students.<\/p>\n Though its written for junior readers (Ally has just clarified for me that it\u2019s \u201cJFIC\u201d), Wonderstruck<\/em> is a book that\u2013like his previous book The Invention of Hugo Cabret<\/a><\/em>\u2013should be read by just about anyone. And as much as I\u2019m looking forward to the Scorsese adaptation of Hugo Cabret this Christmas (the trailer<\/a> looks pretty great), I feel like Selznick\u2019s books deserve to be picked up and experienced page-by-page.<\/p>\nTell people this is awesome:<\/h3>