The Marvels

Title:

The Marvels

Author:

Summary:

In 1766, a boy, Billy Marvel, is shipwrecked, rescued, and goes on to found a brilliant family of actors that flourishes in London until 1900--and nearly a century later, Joseph Jervis, runs away from home, seeking refuge with his uncle in London, and is captivated by the Marvel house, with its portraits and ghostly presences.

General Note:

Told in two stand-alone stories, the first nearly 400 pages of continuous pictures, and the second in text.

Physical Description:

603 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Genre:

Action and adventure fiction.

Subject Term:

Families -- Juvenile fiction.

Actors -- Juvenile fiction.

Theater -- Juvenile fiction.

Actors and actresses -- Juvenile fiction.

Theaters -- Juvenile fiction.

Geographic Term:

London (England) -- History -- Juvenile fiction.

Great Britain -- History -- Juvenile fiction.

Publisher:

Scholastic Press,

Publication Date:

2015

ISBN:

9780545448680

Publication Information:

New York : Scholastic Press, 2015.

Call Number:

M SELZNICK

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003095455	Middle Fiction	SELZNICK	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Don't miss Selznick's other novels in words and pictures, The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck , which together with The Marvels , form an extraordinary thematic trilogy! A breathtaking new voyage from Caldecott Medalist Brian Selznick. 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 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, runaway Joseph Jervis 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 stories connect, The Marvels is a loving tribute to the power of story from an artist at the vanguard of creative innovation.

Author Notes

Brian Selznick is a Caldecott-winning author and illustrator of children's books born July 14, 1966 in East Brunswick Township, New Jersey. He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and then worked for three years at Eeyore's Books for Children in Manhattan while working on his first book, The Houdini Box. Selznick received the 2008 Caldecott Medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret. He also won the Caldecott Honor for The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins in 2002. Additional awards include the Texas Bluebonnet Award, the Rhode Island Children's Book Award, and the Christopher Award. The Invention of Hugo Cabret will be made into a film by director Martin Scorsese to be released in 2011. Other titles by illustrated by Selznick include: Frindle, The Landry News, Lunch Money, Wingwalker, and Baby Monkey, Private Eye.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-6-This brilliant journey through time in words and pictures is also a story of a theatrical family and their fortunes. This heavy tome opens to tell of one family, the Marvels, from 1766 to 1900 as their connection to the Royal Theatre in London begins and perhaps ends. In the first half of the book, all of this complex history is vividly conveyed through illustrations, with minor hints from playbills, cards, and letters that appear as part of the art. Selznick's ability to convey the passing of time and connections among characters is remarkable. Characters appear, shine, and disappear throughout the years, but certain motifs recur no matter where the spotlight is focused. The second portion of the story is conveyed entirely in text, building on the same themes but taking place in 1990 in a very different London, where the echoes from the past are particularly embodied in 13-year-old Joseph, a boarding school runaway searching for his uncle's house. He soon meets Uncle Albert, who seems less interested in getting to know his nephew than in the preservation of an anachronistic Victorian house which is more museum than home. The echoes from the earlier history are haunting, requiring Joseph to delve into the secrets of Uncle Albert and of the house without giving away his own. Selznick ends with a satisfying section of illustrations that embody the maxim of this family, "You either see it or you don't." VERDICT Complex, entertaining, and full of gorgeous art and writing, this is a powerhouse of a book.-Carol A. Edwards, Denver Public Library, CO © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Selznick imagines an alternate backstory for a real English tourist attraction, the Dennis Severs' House: 10 meticulously curated rooms that suggest what life might have been like for a family of Huguenot silk weavers in 18th-century London. The first 500 pages are double-page pencil drawings that (almost) wordlessly tell the story of the Marvel family, beginning with a 1766 shipwreck and following successive generations as they gain fame in London's theater community. As he did in his Caldecott Medal-winning The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Selznick uses a telescoping point of view with great success, bringing the audience effortlessly from the general to the specific, from wide shot to close-up. The next 200 pages are prose, jumping forward to 1990 when a boy named Joseph Jervis has run away from boarding school in search of an uncle he has never met. Uncle Albert, who lives in a home maintained in much the same way as the Dennis Severs' House, has been reclusive ever since losing his "beloved" to AIDS, but Joseph and the neighbor girl he befriends, Frankie, refuse to stay away. Viewed narrowly, it's a love letter to the Dennis Severs' House, but readers won't need preexisting knowledge of the museum to enjoy this powerful story about creating lasting art and finding family in unexpected places. Ages 8-12. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.