The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Selznick, Brian, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Scholastic Press, 2007, 533 pg.

Summary: This novel of pictures and words tells the story of Hugo, a clockmakers son, whose father dies. He must go live with his drunken uncle who tends to the clocks at the train station. Set in Paris, France in the year 1931, the reader follows Hugo as he secretly lives in the walls of the station and tends to the clocks after his uncle disappears. Hugo steals to survive as nobody knows that he is doing the job of his missing uncle. Although his uncle continues to get paid, Hugo cannot cash the checks because they are in his uncle’s name. Hugo steals from a local toy shop so that he can work to fix a broken automaton that his father had worked so hard on when he was alive. When he is caught stealing and his notebook is stolen, Hugo meets a mysterious girl and begins to uncover the mysteries of cinema, magic, and trusting in others. He repairs the automata and it draws a mysterious picture that Hugo does not know the meaning of. Suddenly Hugo’s secret is discovered and he is arrested! The police do not believe him and instead label him a thief. With the help of the toy shop owner and the mysterious girl, Hugo just might be set free, but time is running out.

Evaluation: I found this novel to be a visual masterpiece. Brain Selznick aimed to make a book feel like watching a movie and he more than succeeded. I was amazed by how the pictures where part of the story and moved it along, rather than just supplementing the words. I found this to be a unique reading experience that I hope can be replicated by other authors as well.

Annotation: Time is running out for Hugo. The fate of his future depends on a picture drawn by a magician’s tool.

Significance of Book: This book breaks down the meaning of picture book. At over 500 pages it looks like a novel, but reads like a movie. Not following really any traditional rules of a novel or picture book, this book is a new format in print.

Genre/subject: fiction, magic, cinema

Awards:

National:

• · ALA Notable Children's Books: 2008
• · Caldecott Medal: 2008
• · Horn Book Fanfare: 2007
• · Indies Choice Book Award for Middle Reader: 2008
• · IRA Children's Choices: 2008
• · NY Times Best Illustrated Books: 2007

State:

• · Hawaii: Nene Award Nominees: 2010
• · Hawaii: Nene Award Nominees: 2011
• · Iowa: Children's Choice Award Nominees: 2010
• · Kentucky: Bluegrass Award Nominees: 2008
• · Missouri: MarkTwain Award Nominees: 2010
• · New Jersey: Garden State Children's Book Award Nominees: 2010
• · New Jersey: Garden State Teen Book Award Nominees: 2010
• · New York: 3 Apples Book Award Nominees: 2009
• · North Carolina: Children's Book Award Nominees: 2008
• · Ohio: Buckeye Award Nominees: 2008
• · Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Award Nominees: 2010
• · South Dakota: Prairie Pasque Award Nominees: 2010
• · Tennessee: Volunteer State Book Award Nominees: 2010
• · Texas: Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominees: 2009
• · Wisconsin: Golden Archer Award Nominees: 2009
• · Wisconsin: Golden Archer Award Nominees: 2011

Why I selected the book: I was very intrigued by the number of pictures in this novel and wanted to find out what type of reading experience could be had from a book drawn like a movie.

Price: $24.99