The Invention of Hugo Cabret

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Selznick, Brian. 2007. THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN: 9780439813785


2. PLOT SUMMARY

Hugo Cabret lives a life full of secrets and he is only twelve years old. Living within the walls of a Paris train station during the 1930s, Hugo struggles to survive by stealing and secretly maintaining the clocks within the station. His only solace is the memory of his loving father and the desire they both shared to repair an old automaton his father uncovered in a nearby museum. Now that his father is gone, Hugo is even more determined to unlock the mystery of the magical machine. However, he soon discovers that the device holds an even deeper meaning to others.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Brian Selznick creates a unique reading experience by incorporating a combination of text, black and white drawings, and frames from old film footage in this book of over 500 pages. The Invention of Hugo Cabret has a film-like feel, with action sequences represented in pictures that often draw the reader closer and closer into scenes. Selznick provides the reader with a little bit of everything—a well-crafted mystery, an appreciation of art, as well as some history on the birth of film making and life in early twentieth century Paris.


4. AWARDS WON AND REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• 2008 Caldecott Medal Winner
• Horn Book (starred) (September 2007): “The interplay between the illustrations and text is complete genius, and themes of secrets, dreams, and invention play lightly but resonantly throughout.”
  
• The New York Times-John Schwartz (2007): “…a captivating work of fiction that young readers with a taste for complex plots and a touch of magic.”
• Kirkus Reviews (starred) (January 15, 2007): “The book, an homage to early filmmakers as dreammakers, is elegantly designed to resemble the flickering experience of silent film melodramas.”
• Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (2007): “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.”

5. CONNECTIONS

• Despite being called a picture book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret is aimed for middle school audiences (ages 9 to 12).

• Children may be interested in learning more about Paris, automatons, magic, clockworks, and the history of the movies.

• Children can create their own movies (e.g., with iMovie) by using a combination of video footage, drawings, narration, and text--similar to the cinematic feel of the book.

• Children can learn more about George Melies and his films by visiting:

http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/about_georges.htm

• Children can learn more about automatons by visiting:

http://www.fi.edu/pieces/knox/automaton (a site provided by author Brian Selznick in the acknowledgments section of the book)