ORPHAN, CLOCK KEEPER, AND THIEF, twelve-year-old Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlock with an eccentric girl and her grandfather, Hugo's undercover lfe, 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.
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About the Author
Brian Selznick is the illustrator of the Caledcott Honor winner, The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, and the New York Times Best Illustrated Book Walt Whitman: Words for America, both by Barbara Kerley, as well as the Sibert Honor Winner When Marian Sang, by Pam Muñoz Ryan, and numerous other celebrated picture books and novels. Brian Selznick lives in Brooklyn, New York and San Diego,California.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By Jon Bond
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover
At my grand old age of 16, people questioned me immediately when I picked up this book at the school library. Actually, when I reserved it (3 day loan, yet 6 week wait- it is very popular!) Littered with pictures and amounting to just 30000 words (there is a word count!) the complexity of such a book is questionable, particularly for someone of my age group. What is immediately striking though is that any previous doubts will be immediately dispelled, the moment you lay eyes on the first illustration; an artistic masterpiece in itself that filled me with envy. It really is the case that a picture can tell a thousand words. Occasionally 20 pages go by with just solid artistic brilliance and the brain registers it completely as a story, as if words were accompanying these images. The nature of this story telling makes it totally suitable for a member of any age group. A child of little imagination could truly envisage the city of Paris springing to life from these pictures, where as an adult could look into the subtleties of the world dipicted through the drawings. It really is delightful.
In the city of paris in the 20th Century a boy, Hugo Cabret, whose mind is geared to repairing anything, is essentially left to fend for himself. He has a goal though, and that is to repair a mysterious automaton that looks as if it could be the key to writing a secret note. It was his father's desire to see what is written, but now it is down to Hugo Cabret to finish the job. Oddly this storyline isn't the most major plot in the book. Despite the considerably short length, this is only a small section of the story, which later on, evolves into a novel that takes some of real history and twists of fiction and gives a beautiful insight in the history of cinematography. It sounds bizarre, and I suppose it is, but everything that makes this book what it is,at first appearance is strange.
Despite its size (at an excess of 500 pages) the 'shortness' of the story really helps it to drive along at a constant and action-packed concept. There are no overused epic adventures, or clichéd fables in this book. Whilst, admittedly, Hugo spends much of the time with the motive of finding his palce in the world, it is just a subtle undercurrent of all the rapidly occuring events throughout the book. As a masterpiece of art, a childrens book, or a quick read on the commute to work, this book is beautiful and a combination of the complex and the simple that will really make it appeal to all.
In the city of paris in the 20th Century a boy, Hugo Cabret, whose mind is geared to repairing anything, is essentially left to fend for himself. He has a goal though, and that is to repair a mysterious automaton that looks as if it could be the key to writing a secret note. It was his father's desire to see what is written, but now it is down to Hugo Cabret to finish the job. Oddly this storyline isn't the most major plot in the book. Despite the considerably short length, this is only a small section of the story, which later on, evolves into a novel that takes some of real history and twists of fiction and gives a beautiful insight in the history of cinematography. It sounds bizarre, and I suppose it is, but everything that makes this book what it is,at first appearance is strange.
Despite its size (at an excess of 500 pages) the 'shortness' of the story really helps it to drive along at a constant and action-packed concept. There are no overused epic adventures, or clichéd fables in this book. Whilst, admittedly, Hugo spends much of the time with the motive of finding his palce in the world, it is just a subtle undercurrent of all the rapidly occuring events throughout the book. As a masterpiece of art, a childrens book, or a quick read on the commute to work, this book is beautiful and a combination of the complex and the simple that will really make it appeal to all.
41 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Fans of thrilling books are fond of calling them "page turners." Why? Because you can hardly wait to see what happens next. Those are the books that keep you up late at night to get to the end.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret delivers a whole new kind of pager turner, one where you not only want to see what happens next . . . but where the act of turning the page often gives you powerful glimpses into the story. How? Hand-drawn images tell a story in motion using many motion picture techniques (close-ups, fades, and pans). A sequence of images might go on for 40 pages (as the opening sequence does) before providing any dialogue. Unlike a graphic novel, there is no dialog or narration on the images. Since you don't know if the next turn of a page will reveal an image or text, you also have that extra dimension of surprise. The other difference from the traditional page turner is that this book won't take you that long to read. It's more like the duration of a motion picture than of reading a 525 page novel. So don't let the book's bulk intimidate you.
The story takes place in the early days of the Depression in Paris. Hugo Cabret is a 12-year-old boy who loses his parents and is taken in by his uncle, a timekeeper in a railway station. The uncle makes Hugo do all of the work, but won't even feed Hugo who has to turn to stealing in order to eat. When the uncle disappears, Hugo is left to fend for himself. But Hugo has a dream. He will repair an automaton (an early type of robot) that he rescued from a museum fire. Part of his thievery is aimed at taking parts from a tiny toy store in the station to help rebuild the automaton. One day Hugo is caught! That capture sets new wheels in motion that will change the lives of the key characters permanently.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret evolves like an unfolding mystery. Be cautious that you don't read reviews that reveal too many details. It would be very easy to spoil this story for you!
Although the publisher's indication is that this book will appeal to 9-12 year olds, I also think that younger children would enjoy having this book read to them, especially those who show a fondness for mechanical things. But most adults will find the book to be at least as interesting as the 9-12 year olds will. That's true both because the story is compelling and because of the novel story-telling methods.
The illustrations deserve special comment. These were produced after a lot of care to reflect the scenes of the time. I could recognize the sources of many images from various sources: photographs, paintings, museums, train stations, and motion pictures. Those images echoed in my memory to give the book an extra sense of authenticity, reality, and relevance. The drawings themselves continually reminded me of Seurat's early work while also capturing many of the better aspects of early comic book art.
The experience of reading the story is much like following a labyrinth in a haunted castle: It's always unclear where we are headed, but the trip itself seems quite rewarding. The black-and-white images nicely capture the mood of the characters and of the times as many noir films did in using lots of light and shadow. In fact, the images here could be story boards for a motion picture.
Be prepared for the magic!
The Invention of Hugo Cabret delivers a whole new kind of pager turner, one where you not only want to see what happens next . . . but where the act of turning the page often gives you powerful glimpses into the story. How? Hand-drawn images tell a story in motion using many motion picture techniques (close-ups, fades, and pans). A sequence of images might go on for 40 pages (as the opening sequence does) before providing any dialogue. Unlike a graphic novel, there is no dialog or narration on the images. Since you don't know if the next turn of a page will reveal an image or text, you also have that extra dimension of surprise. The other difference from the traditional page turner is that this book won't take you that long to read. It's more like the duration of a motion picture than of reading a 525 page novel. So don't let the book's bulk intimidate you.
The story takes place in the early days of the Depression in Paris. Hugo Cabret is a 12-year-old boy who loses his parents and is taken in by his uncle, a timekeeper in a railway station. The uncle makes Hugo do all of the work, but won't even feed Hugo who has to turn to stealing in order to eat. When the uncle disappears, Hugo is left to fend for himself. But Hugo has a dream. He will repair an automaton (an early type of robot) that he rescued from a museum fire. Part of his thievery is aimed at taking parts from a tiny toy store in the station to help rebuild the automaton. One day Hugo is caught! That capture sets new wheels in motion that will change the lives of the key characters permanently.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret evolves like an unfolding mystery. Be cautious that you don't read reviews that reveal too many details. It would be very easy to spoil this story for you!
Although the publisher's indication is that this book will appeal to 9-12 year olds, I also think that younger children would enjoy having this book read to them, especially those who show a fondness for mechanical things. But most adults will find the book to be at least as interesting as the 9-12 year olds will. That's true both because the story is compelling and because of the novel story-telling methods.
The illustrations deserve special comment. These were produced after a lot of care to reflect the scenes of the time. I could recognize the sources of many images from various sources: photographs, paintings, museums, train stations, and motion pictures. Those images echoed in my memory to give the book an extra sense of authenticity, reality, and relevance. The drawings themselves continually reminded me of Seurat's early work while also capturing many of the better aspects of early comic book art.
The experience of reading the story is much like following a labyrinth in a haunted castle: It's always unclear where we are headed, but the trip itself seems quite rewarding. The black-and-white images nicely capture the mood of the characters and of the times as many noir films did in using lots of light and shadow. In fact, the images here could be story boards for a motion picture.
Be prepared for the magic!
53 of 56 people found the following review helpful
By K. Aziz
Format:Hardcover
When I first discovered this book I wasn't that impressed, I can remember my dad showing it to me at the book shop, I had a quick look inside and saw some pictures in black and white and thought, 'NAH!! THIS IS NOT MY KIND OF BOOK!! and walked away.
However my dad went ahead and purchased it for me. I reluctantly picked up the book and to started to read the first chapter and to my amazement I found it to be extremely interesting. This story is well written and the illustrations complimented the story telling process. I was genuinely surprised that I read a book that was about CLOCKS!!! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and for me it is right up there with the Harry Potters series.
However my dad went ahead and purchased it for me. I reluctantly picked up the book and to started to read the first chapter and to my amazement I found it to be extremely interesting. This story is well written and the illustrations complimented the story telling process. I was genuinely surprised that I read a book that was about CLOCKS!!! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and for me it is right up there with the Harry Potters series.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it!!!
A precious edition of a great book with excellents ilustrations on black and white. You should see it and then you'll enjoy the movie much more.
Published 5 days ago by Ishegan
5.0 out of 5 stars
for my granddaughter
we bought this for our granddaughter for her birthday and she didnt put it down till she had finished it
Published 7 days ago by robert freeman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
this man's a genius the skill of the drawings is amazing and the story line really catches at the kids minds and makes them think and experience the whole gamut of human life -... Read more
Published 13 days ago by Mrs. J. Gibbs
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant Book to read with children
This is an excellent book to read with older children. I am using it with my Year 5 class alongside our topic on France
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. Sm Clarke
5.0 out of 5 stars
Heartwarming!
I bought this as a present for my 9 year old niece. To say that she was underwhelmed would be an understatement! Read more
Published 1 month ago by Chukkaman
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful and unusual book.
I had one bought for me and loved both the story and the illustrations so bought one for my grandaughter. She also loved it.
Published 3 months ago by Janet
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb
My 9 year old daughter loves this book, the illustrations are fabulous and really add to the comprehension of the text
Published 3 months ago by dee
5.0 out of 5 stars
Liked It
I wanted this book as I had spent over 40 days acting in this film and although I knew the storyline, having met the author on set wanted to read the original.
Published 3 months ago by Mr. A. L. Honickberg
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you have seen the film, well worth getting the book
Arrived rapidly and well packed. A very interesting book, full of line drawings, black and white. I was told about this having seen the film version. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Stephen
5.0 out of 5 stars
absolutely love it
totally recomended, the quality of the book, the images, everything is grand, I love it and I am keeping it for when my daughter grows up and can read it
Published 4 months ago by morsimo
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