In typical Brian Selznick fashion, The Marvels pulls you in with the beautiful illustrations and leaves you racing through the pages to find out what happens. Its incredible how Selznick can so thoroughly tell a story through sketches. This tale opens with illustrations detailing the various generations of Marvels, a famous acting family in London, then picks up with text following young Joseph's journey to his uncle's in London to discover himself. The Marvels is similar to Selznick's other stories (Hugo & Wonderstruck) in the fact that a young boy is featured prominently on a journey to figuring out who he is and where he comes from, but the twists and turns of the plot make it all its own. 
 This book definitely seemed a little more "mature" than the others - maybe more of a 5th a 6th grade book, while I've recommended Hugo and Wonderstruck to some 3rd and 4th graders. It's by no means inappropriate, it just seems like a little too much for younger kids to digest.