Age: 4th-6th grade

"Ben and Rose secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother's room and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on desperate quests to find what they are missing" (Goodreads featured review).

Selznick employs his unique format in an astounding way: two separate stories told 50 years apart (one words, one pictures) that begin with relatable themes and mood and ultimately weave together in plot line. While this idea was astounding with a great mystery unfolding, I feel like Ben's friend provided a weird adversary that deterred him from uncovering the mystery. Although this hiccup hurt the story for me, I still liked the book's presentation of Deaf history and culture, the unfolding mystery, the unique storyline, and the beautiful artwork.