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Loading... The Invention of Hugo Cabretby Brian Selznick
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.  lalone | Jan 6, 2010 |  Maddy C. If there were more than 5 stars I would rate it higher! This book was sooo good and it is adventerous, sad, and hopeful. Once I picked this book up I didn't want to put it down!! (  ) dreamerenglish2 | Jan 6, 2010 | I read this charming and enchanting book in about an hour. It seems like quite the feat, but I didn't realize when picking it up that most of the pages are illustrations. The words and pictures tell the story of clockmakers, their apprentices, magicians, automatons, and the early days of film making. It is the story of love between fathers and sons, and between friends who love each other like family. Ultimately, it is the story of love and imagination. The setting is a 1930s French train station, and the main character is an orphan boy with a secret. I was instantly captivated by the boy and his secret. Though the story is moved forward by the words, the pictures are a lovely addition to the story. They may not be necessary, but it was wonderful to see the personalities come to life as images, to see two children glance at each other in a particularly meaningful way. The pictures also drew you in by narrowing in on a particular detail for emphasis. The stills from old movies were an additional bonus. It is a children's book, but an excellent one for adults to read to children before bedtime as the adults should get enjoyment out of it as well. (  )1  stacyinthecity | Dec 27, 2009 | Even though this book is chock full of coincidences and plot lines you can see coming from a mile away, I was completely drawn in by the amazing artwork. I loved the black/white drawings--such detail. It was great. (  ) mmillet | Dec 14, 2009 | Plot Synopsis Hugo Cabret, apprentice clockmaker, sometimes thief, machinist, and wannabe magician, has an obsession. An automata, found broken in a museum attic, may hold the answers to his universe, but first Hugo has to fix it. His obsession leads him to Georges Melies, the magician of early film. My Thoughts I have never experienced a book like this before. It is not an illustrated book: the images do not accompany the story; they help tell the story. It is not a graphic novel: the text and images are separated from each other. What it actually is, I do not know, but I would like to see more of it in children's literature. The images are a mix of pencil drawings of the story's characters and events and screenshots from Melies' films. The artwork is intricate even as it is simple, and I was continually impressed by the detail offered. The choice of what to visually represent was both appropriate and unique. Being a film instructor, I loved the inclusion of Melies, and the mention of other early film bigwigs such as Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and Jean Renoir. This book could be a wonderful jumping off point for kids to explore the world of film outside of contemporary blockbusters. It could spark or renew in them the connection between the big screen and the world of dreams. I'm even considering adding this book to my film course. I read the book in a little over two hours one evening, and I very much enjoyed the experience. It was unique, entertaining, and informative. Overall, I think the combination of images and text makes this a wonderful book for a young reader - or an imaginative older one. Memorable Scene: One series of images represents the drawings of Melies that Hugo and Isabelle find locked away. Light-exploding heads, fantastical beasts, mermaids, men popping out of ringed planets, knights riding fish, butterfly women, and flames grace the pages in a beautiful menagerie of dream scenes. Memorable Quote: If you've ever wondered where your dreams come from when you go to sleep at night, just look around. This is where they are made. ~said to a young boy in a film studio (  )1 EclecticEccentric | Dec 13, 2009 | 
Gr 3-6 Brian Selznick's atmospheric story (Scholastic, 2007) is set in Paris in 1931. Hugo Cabret is an orphan; his father, a clockmaker, has recently died in a fire and the boy lives with his alcoholic Uncle Claude, working as his apprentice clock keeper in a bustling train station. When Hugo's uncle fails to return after a three-day absence, the boy decides it's his chance to escape the man's harsh treatment. But Hugo has nowhere to go and, after wandering the city, returns to his uncle's rooms determined to fix a mechanical figure-an automaton-that his father was restoring when he died. Hugo is convinced it will "save his life"-the figure holds a pen, and the boy believes that if he can get it working again, it will deliver a message from his father. This is just the bare outline of this multilayered story, inspired by and with references to early (French) cinema and filmmaker George Méliès, magic and magicians, and mechanical objects. Jeff Woodman's reading of the descriptive passages effectively sets the story's suspenseful tone. The book's many pages of pictorial narrative translate in the audio version into sound sequences that successfully employ the techniques of old radio plays (train whistles, footsteps reverberating through station passages, etc.). The accompanying DVD, hosted by Selznick and packed with information and images from the book, will enrich the listening experience. Selznick's unique, visually arresting illustrated novel is transformed into an equally unique audiobook-plus-DVD presentation here. The story of 12-year-old Hugo Cabret—orphan, clockmaker's apprentice, petty thief and aspiring magician—and how a curious machine connects him with his departed father and pioneering French filmmaker Georges Méliès is full-bodied material for Woodman. The narrator dives in, reading with both a bright energy and an air of mystery—befitting the adventurous plot. Listeners will likely cotton to Woodman's affable tone and be fascinated by all the unusual elements here, including the sound-effects sequences (footsteps, train station noises) that stand in for Selznick's black-and-white illustrations, which appear like mini–silent movies in the book. Selznick himself takes over as host on the making-of style DVD, in which he divulges his love of film and his inspiration for the book, discusses (and demonstrates) his drawing technique and even performs a magic trick. The "chapters" of his interview are interspersed with excerpts from the audiobook, as he explains how the recording was a translation of both his words and pictures to sound. This inventive audio-visual hybrid will be a welcome addition to both home and classroom libraries. Ages 9-12. (Mar.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information Orphaned twelve-year-old Hugo Cabret lives in a train station in Paris in 1931, managing to survive by stealing food and keeping his uncle's disappearance a secret. Hugo runs the clocks in the city for his uncle and pilfers small toy parts in the hopes of fixing an automaton that he received from his father. Eventually his plan of surviving on his own fails, and he befriends a young girl and her grandfather, who owns a toyshop in the train station. The grandfather recognizes Hugo's talent for repairing machinery and employs him at the toy store. The girl's grandfather turns out to be the famous filmmaker Georges Melies, who adopts Hugo and fosters his love for magic. Selznick's artwork in this "novel in words and pictures" is stunning. Beautiful, full-page black-and-white illustrations are interspersed throughout the book and advance the story, often in critical areas of the plot. Readers will also love the still film images that are used when the characters discuss Melies's films. The novel is loosely based on the actual French filmmaker, and the credits section at the end gives more information about Melies, films from the early movie era, and automatons. 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.
Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0439813786, Hardcover)Book Description: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. Amazon.com Exclusive A Letter from Brian Selznick When I was a kid, two of my favorite books were by an amazing man named Remy Charlip. Fortunately and Thirteen fascinated me in part because, in both books, the very act of turning the pages plays a pivotal role in telling the story. Each turn reveals something new in a way that builds on the image on the previous page. Now that I’m an illustrator myself, I’ve often thought about this dramatic storytelling device and all of its creative possibilities. My new book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, is a 550 page novel in words and pictures. But unlike most novels, the images in my new book don't just illustrate the story; they help tell it. I've used the lessons I learned from Remy Charlip and other masters of the picture book to create something that is not a exactly a novel, not quite a picture book, not really a graphic novel, or a flip book or a movie, but a combination of all these things. I began thinking about this book ten years ago after seeing some of the magical films of Georges Méliès, the father of science-fiction movies. But it wasn’t until I read a book called Edison's Eve: The Quest for Mechanical Life by Gaby Woods that my story began to come into focus. I discovered that Méliès had a collection of mechanical, wind-up figures (called automata) that were donated to a museum, but which were later destroyed and thrown away. Instantly, I imagined a boy discovering these broken, rusty machines in the garbage, stealing one and attempting to fix it. At that moment, Hugo Cabret was born. A few years ago, I had the honor of meeting Remy Charlip, and I'm proud to say that we've become friends. Last December he was asking me what I was working on, and as I was describing this book to him, I realized that Remy looks exactly like Georges Méliès. I excitedly asked him to pose as the character in my book, and fortunately, he said yes. So every time you see Méliès in The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the person you are really looking at is my dear friend Remy Charlip, who continues to inspire everyone who has the great pleasure of knowing him or seeing his work. Paris in the 1930's, a thief, a broken machine, a strange girl, a mean old man, and the secrets that tie them all together... Welcome to The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Yours, Brian Selznick Amazon.com Exclusive
--Brian Selznick More from Brian Selznick
 The Boy of a Thousand Faces (retrieved from Amazon Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:42:34 -0500) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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Wikipedia in English (1)
Dear readers, 
Brian Selznick on a "Deleted Scene" from The Invention of Hugo CabretThis is a finished drawing that I had to cut from The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I was still rewriting the book when I had to begin the final art. There was originally a scene in the story where this character, Etienne, is working in a camera shop. On one of my research trips to Paris I spent an entire day visiting old camera shops and photographing cameras from the 1930's and earlier, as well as the facades of the shops themselves. I researched original French camera posters and made sure that the counter and the shelves were accurate to the time period. I did all the drawings in the book at 1/4 scale, so they were very small and I often had to use a magnifying glass to help me see what I was drawing. After I finished this drawing I continued to rewrite, and for various reasons I realized that I needed to move this scene from the camera shop to the French Film Academy, which meant that I had to cut this picture. I tried really hard to find ANOTHER moment when I could have Etienne in a camera shop, but, as painful as it was, I knew the picture had to go. I'm glad to see it up on the Amazon website because otherwise no one would have ever seen all those tiny cameras I researched and drew so carefully! 
Set in Paris France during the early 20th century. An orphan steals a toy from a store owner and risks his way of life.
This is an excellent and awesome book. I highly recommend it. (