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Wonderstruck is over 600 pages long and I read it in one sitting. Yeah, this book is 75% illustrations, but still it's no small fit for a children's book to keep my attention like that.

Brian Selznick intertwines two stories together in his Novel in Words and Pictures. 12-year old Ben lives in 1977 Minnesota and mourns the death of his mother. 50 years earlier a girl flees her New Jersey home and goes to New York. Ben's story is told entirely in words, and Rose's - in pictures.

Of course we know that these two stories of lonely children are bound to merge together, and they do. But the way they crisscross and link into each other along the way is a wonder. Both narratives are paced in the best possible way, making you want to read more, to learn more, to uncover the mystery faster.

I rarely enjoy such words/pictures combos, one medium almost dominates the other, but this time it is an organic union. Selznick's prose is simple but soulful, his pencil (I assume) drawings are vibrant.

A very sweet novel about friendships, families and desire to belong, and an unexpected ode to New York City and museums.