Friday Memes: The Marvels by Brian Selznick

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

The Marvels by Brian Selznick. 664 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., September 15, 2015. 9780545448680. 

Publisher synopsis: In this magnificent reimagining of the form he originated, two stand-alone stories-the first in nearly 400 pages of continuous pictures, the second in prose-create a beguiling narrative puzzle.

The journey begins on a ship at sea in 1766, with a boy named Billy Marvel. After surviving a shipwreck, he finds work in a London theatre. There, his family flourishes for generations as brilliant actors until 1900, when young Leontes Marvel is banished from the stage.

Nearly a century later, Joseph Jervis runs away from school and seeks refuge with an uncle in London. Albert Nightingale's strange, beautiful house, with its mysterious portraits and ghostly presences, captivates Joseph and leads him on a search for clues about the house, his family, and the past.

A gripping adventure and an intriguing invitation to decipher how the two narratives connect, The Marvels is a loving tribute to the power of story from an artist at the vanguard of creative innovation.

First line: 

Pages 54-55:

Those of you familiar with Selznick's work will recall that he won a Caldecott Award for The Inventions of Hugo Cabret. It was also a National Book Award Finalist. He followed that three years later with Wonderstruck, which won a Schneider Family Book Award. Each of these books are heavily illustrated and tell a significant part of each story. The Marvels begins, as stated above, with nearly 400 pages of illustrations and they are not to be skimmed! Review coming this weekend!