An excellent source applicable to Essex-class ships in general is Anatomy of the Ship: The Aircraft Carrier Intrepid, by John Roberts, published by the Conway Maritime Press in England and distributed in the U.S. by the Naval Institute Press.
This was one of the first volumes in the superb Anatomy of the Ship series. It contains just about everything a modeler could want in order to build a model of the Intrepid in her World War II configuration: hull lines, deck plans, propulsion system, armament, etc., etc. Mr. Roberts is a superb draftsman, and includes literally hundreds of detail drawings of guns, directors, antennas, etc., etc. The catch is that the book deals in detail with one specific ship, at one specific time period. There's basic information in it about the modifications she underwent (the reconfigured island, hurricane bow, angled deck, and so on), but the real intensely detailed coverage focuses on how she looked in about 1944.
If you want to model the Hornet in her WWII configuration this book will be a terrific resource; you'll just need to figure out how the two ships differed. (I suspect they didn't differ a great deal. Both were "short-hull" Essex-class ships. The Intrepid was CV-11 and the Hornet was CV-12. They were built simultaneously by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock, and launched about two weeks apart. I'm sure there were differences between them - probably in anti-aircraft armament and radar antennas, if nothing else - but you probably could nail those down with photos.) If you're more interested in how the Hornet looked in her later years, you'll need to do considerably more digging.
One thought: you didn't mention what scale you're interested in. Dragon seems to be working its way through the various permutations of the Essex class in 1/700 scale; the presently-available releases cover pretty thoroughly the versions up through the mid-1950s. The company hasn't yet gotten around to a version with the angled deck and hurricane bow, but I strongly suspect at least one such kit is on the way. Murphy's Law, as applied to the world of ship modeling, says that the day after you finish your scratch-built model, Dragon (or some other company) will release a kit that looks just like it.
You also might want to check the availability of resin kits. There have been several angled-deck Essex-class resin kits over the years; they're expensive, and usually require more work than a state-of-the-art plastic kit, but certainly less than scratch-building.
One other thought: The Floating Drydock offers several sets of plans for short-hull Essex-class ships, including one set devoted specifically to the Hornet: http://www.floatingdrydock.com/MasterPlan.htm .
Hope that helps a little. Good luck.