Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Announcing Brian Selznick on Tour for "The Marvels." Yes, That's the Author of "The Invention of Hugo Cabret." Mark Your Calendar for Monday, October 12, 7 pm, at Alverno's Pitman Theatre.

The news just went out in our email newsletter. Boswell is hosting an event with Brian Selznick, author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck, as part of the launch tour for The Marvels. Yes, Brian Selznick is the Caldecott-Award-winning author whose best known work was adapted to become the beloved film Hugo. And yes, because this is a book about theater, we're having the ticketed event on Monday, October 12, 7 pm, at the classic Pitman Theatre on the Alverno College campus, 3431 South 39th Street, at Morgan Avenue. Tickets are $35 and include admission plus a copy of The Marvels. All taxes and fees are included in this price. And while we generally don't have gift card options for offsite author events, we're making the option of a $20 gift card available on the night of the event only. Honestly, I can't imagine why someone would take the gift card. What a great gift a signed copy of The Marvels would make. Purchase your ticket on Brown Paper Tickets. This event is cosponsored by Scholastic Book Fairs.

We're over the moon about this book. Here's a recommendation from Boswellian Todd Wellman: "Selznick makes a structural departure from Hugo and Wonderstruck, placing panels as bookends to text and reworking the role of the drawn story. The books offers a compelling take on diversity, and in addressing diversity, shows the mix of healing, realization, and confusion that comes from helping others. The drawings in the first two-thirds of the book tell the story of how generations of a family came to be surrounded by the stage, whether at sea or grounded under a proscenium arch, until a fire threatens their legacy. The text, which makes up most of the remaining pages, offers a tale of a boy who runs away from boarding school to find his mysterious uncle. He hopes his uncle may help him find a lost friend, but he finds his uncle in mourning. In short time, the boy becomes obsessed with discovering his uncle’s secrets. Young readers will find the late-arriving twist that reveals the function of the pictures to be charming and captivating."

And here's a recommendation from Boswellian Jannis Mindel: "Brian Selznick's newest book The Marvels is a gem! As in Selznick's previous books, he blends both wordless pictures and written text to tell a complete story. The first part of the book uses the beautiful drawings to convey the story of a theatrical family, the Marvels, from the 18th through to the beginning of the 20th century. The second half of the narrative starts in 1990 as Joseph has run away from his boarding school to London to find his uncle Albert Nightingale. He not only finds his uncle but an enchanting and unique house filled with as many rooms as there are mysteries. These mysteries as well as Joseph's budding relationship with Albert are what eventually brings the two stories together into an ultimately beautiful and moving book. Brian Selznick has created a stunning and moving testament to the power of family and love."

There are so many reasons to attend this event, one of them being I saw a preview of the event at New York's Book Expo and was completely captivated. This is Brian Selznick's first visit to Milwaukee ever, at least according to our collective memory, and he's a delightful and charming entertainer. And if that isn't enough, Scholastic has promised us a special bonus for all event attendees, a special map of London that plays such an important part of The Marvels. Educators should contact their Scholastic Book Fair rep about an additional benefit if you use the special password they'll provide for you.

What more can I say? This is truly a special evening. Brian Selznick's Marvels tour at Alverno College's Pitman Theatre, Monday, October 12, 7 pm; get your tickets now. There are two great ways to get there via freeway, either take the Holt exit on I43/94 and go west to 39th Street (Holt merges into Morgan) or take the Miller Park Way exit on I94, which turns into South 43rd Street.


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