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kiraly 's review for:
The Marvels
by Brian Selznick
I've loved everything I've read by Brian Selznick, and this book is no exception. His gorgeous pencil drawings make up at least half of this book, and it wouldn't be the same without them. While I'm talking about the aesthetics, the cover is beautiful and the pages have gilded edges. It's one of those books you're almost afraid to touch, but you should because the story inside is delightful.
The story spans centuries, beginning with a shipwreck in 1766 and moving through generations. Pictures tell most of the story, with newspaper clippings and other documents filling in the details. By the time the book switches over to text the year is 1990, and the protagonist must piece together clues in order to figure out what happened in his family's past. The end result is bittersweet, but well worth the journey it took to get there.
Things that made me the most sad: Finding out who Billy really was, realizing the Marvels were fictional. Things that made me super happy: Finding out Frankie is a girl (this book needed more of them) and the addressees of her postcard at the end of the book. I was super happy to see a book with a gay protagonist and an openly gay adult role model without anyone having to comment on it or make it seem weird.
The story spans centuries, beginning with a shipwreck in 1766 and moving through generations. Pictures tell most of the story, with newspaper clippings and other documents filling in the details. By the time the book switches over to text the year is 1990, and the protagonist must piece together clues in order to figure out what happened in his family's past. The end result is bittersweet, but well worth the journey it took to get there.