This book is long—2 inches thick. Its length derives from the over 100 illustrations created by the author, which interleave with the text in a complementary, not redundant, fashion. The book alternates between telling the story visually, with an almost silent-picture feel, and telling it in text (made all the more vivid by the preceding illustrations). The story itself immediately draws you in and combines a great young adult tale (or two!) with some fascinating history of the early filmmaking world. Clocks, magicians, automata, and the dreamland of film all combine to create a wonderful reading experience.