The Boy of a Thousand Faces

True to his style, Selznick has incorporated "real" photos of mythical monster mysteries as well as of real actors from classic movies. His own illustrations fit right in, which is a testament to his ability to capture the reality of a moment in both word and picture. Stylistic elements of the story mirror that of the classic films, using language that evokes suspense and flurry similar to the build up of villagers into mobs in film classics (or, as more recently parodied in the Wallace and Gromit spoof, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit). It is a return to a time of innocence in a neighborhood where people are safe, Halloween is fun, costumes are home-made and appropriate. A time absent of today's hustle and bustle, and where children are allowed to be....well, children. Another excellent book from Brian Selznick that we highly recommend! See full review against character education guidelines plus parent/teacher activities at [...] and our commentary for discussion at [...].

This is a fun book about the magic movies have over people and their memories. A 10 year old boy is obsessed with having a thousand faces just like Lon Chaney. He watches many films and tries to recall all the faces that Lon Chaney had in different films. No one can really capture in their mind what Lon Chaney really looked like because he preferred to appear in character and the films are what lives on. I am a teacher and I defintely want to read this book and show The Phantom of the Opera to them. It is a great introduction to popular culture, and silent films. Lon Chaney was a very gifted actor and he was a pioneer in movie makeup. It's nice that Brian Selznick, a member of the Selznick family of movie fame, remembers him so fondly. I also remember taking out 8mm movies out of the library and showing them on our Super 8 projector. They were edited versions of The Mummy, Phantom of the Opera, The Wolf Man etc. without sound or music. We loved them, and borrowed them again and again. What memories they have for me.

The story is about a boy and his movie make-up. He lives in a town where no one believes in Halloween and monsters....except for him...In the beginning he was "alone" in a town of non-beleivers. Until the beast arrived, everyone beleived....~ErinAge 11

I thought this was a wonderful book. It had everything a kids book should have, mystery, adventure and best of all it dealt with Halloween, every kids delight, even at 43!