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The Invention of Hugo Cabret
by Brian Selznick
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About This Book
ISBN13: 9780439813785 |
Awards
Winner of the 2008 Caldecott Medal
Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.
With more than three hundred pages of original drawings, and combining elements of picture book, graphic novel, and film, Brian Selznick breaks open the novel form to create an entirely new reading experience. Here is a stunning, cinematic tour de force from a boldly innovative storyteller, artist, and bookmaker.
Review:
"Here is a true masterpiece — an artful blending of narrative, illustration and cinematic technique, for a story as tantalizing as it is touching.Twelve-year-old orphan Hugo lives in the walls of a Paris train station at the turn of the 20th century, where he tends to the clocks and filches what he needs to survive. Hugo's recently deceased father, a clockmaker, worked in a museum where he discovered an automaton: a human-like figure seated at a desk, pen in hand, as if ready to deliver a message. After his father showed Hugo the robot, the boy became just as obsessed with getting the automaton to function as his father had been, and the man gave his son one of the notebooks he used to record the automaton's inner workings. The plot grows as intricate as the robot's gears and mechanisms: Hugo's father dies in a fire at the museum; Hugo winds up living in the train station, which brings him together with a mysterious toymaker who runs a booth there, and the boy reclaims the automaton, to which the toymaker also has a connection. To Selznick's credit, the coincidences all feel carefully orchestrated; epiphany after epiphany occurs before the book comes to its sumptuous, glorious end. Selznick hints at the toymaker's hidden identity (inspired by an actual historical figure in the film industry, Georges Mlis) through impressive use of meticulous charcoal drawings that grow or shrink against black backdrops, in pages-long sequences. They display the same item in increasingly tight focus or pan across scenes the way a camera might. The plot ultimately has much to do with the history of the movies, and Selznick's genius lies in his expert use of such a visual style to spotlight the role of this highly visual media. A standout achievement. Ages 9-12." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Review:
"With characteristic intelligence, exquisite images, and a breathtaking design, Selznick shatters conventions related to the art of bookmaking....This is a masterful narrative that readers can literally manipulate." School Library Journal (Starred Review)
Review:
"It is wonderful. Take that overused word literally: Hugo Cabret evokes wonder....The result is a captivating work of fiction that young readers with a taste for complex plots and a touch of magic...can love." John Schwartz, The New York Times Book Review
Review:
"This hybrid creation...is surprising and often lovely....[B]ookmaking this ambitious demands and deserves attention..." Booklist
Review:
"Brian Selznick's book is a lush hybrid of a creation, a blend of novel and graphic novel that invites you to linger over each page, but also inspires a hunger to know more that keeps you turning the pages." Children's Literature
Review:
"There is a lot to like in The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and for young film buffs reading it, it is worth studying for the deft use of perspective and the scenes of great tension, as effectively fleshed out in pictures as words." San Francisco Chronicle
Review:
"The problem is that Selznick...is really not much of a writer....[M]ost of the time, the prose has a one-foot-in-front-of the-other quality that's about as interesting as watching a clock hand move..." The Washington Post Book World
Review:
"Beautiful, full-page black-and-white illustrations are interspersed throughout the book....Part mystery, part feel-good drama, and part picture book for older readers, this novel will fly off the shelf simply because of its visual appeal." VOYA
Synopsis:
Combining elements of picture book, graphic novel, and film, Caldecott Honor artist Selznick breaks open the novel form to create an entirely new reading experience in this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery. Illustrations.
Synopsis:
Orphan, clock keeper, thief: Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. Combining elements of picture book, graphic novel, and film, Caldecott Honor artist Selznick breaks open the novel form to create an entirely new reading experience in this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery. Illustrations.
What Our Readers Are Saying
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Average customer rating based on 4 comments:
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Allison, February 2, 2008 (view all comments by Allison)
A great book! This is one of my favorite books of all time!
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jin, August 25, 2007 (view all comments by jin)
I loved this book! Some of the story is told by pages of words, like most novels. Other pages tell a portion of the story through wonderful black and white drawings. I think this book will appeal to students from grades 5 through 8. While it is an easy read, the unique presentation of the story allows the book to appeal to students with a large range of reading ability. It is different and can pull in the interest of higher and lower level readers. The artwork pulls in the students who love to draw. The inferences required by the story will be easy for most. As you near the end of the story you realize the presentation of the story relates to the story line. Be sure to read the introduction. It establishes the setting. (Some students always skip introductions.) I initially passed over this book when I was selecting new material. The thickness of the book made it appear too demanding for some of my students; the cover and title just did not appeal to me. I am glad I gave it a second look; it is one of my favorite books.
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crowyhead, May 18, 2007 (view all comments by crowyhead)
This is a beautiful novel, told mainly in pictures. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, and the whole look and feel of the book is wonderful. My only complaint is that the story ends up feeling somewhat slight and convenient. I think the problem is that since this is a very thick book, I instinctively expected a complex plot, when in reality the text is probably approximately novella-length.
View all 4 comments
Product Details
- ISBN:
- 9780439813785
- Author:
- Publisher:
- Scholastic Press
- Subject:
- General
- Subject:
- History
- Subject:
- Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories
- Subject:
- Family - Orphans & Foster Homes
- Subject:
- Robots
- Subject:
- Mysteries & Detective Stories
- Copyright:
- 2007
- Publication Date:
- March 2007
- Binding:
- Hardcover
- Language:
- English
- Illustrations:
- Y
- Pages:
- 533
- Dimensions:
- 8.53x5.85x2.18 in. 2.64 lbs.
- Age Level:
- 08-12
