I was immediately intrigued by the 544 page book that won the Caldecott Award, because Caldecott books are often less than 40 pages. The book jacket flap describes The Invention of Hugo Cabret as a book that combines facets of picture books, graphic novels, and film, and the result is a unique masterpiece that eludes traditional book description vocabularies. ( )

This is a touching story about an orphaned boy living in hiding in a train station in Paris. Hugo Cabret fixes the clocks in the train station, a trade he learned from his recently deceased father, who also left him the mysterious project of fixing the automaton, an amazing mechanical man who, after Hugo fixes, proceeds to draw a picture that will change Hugo's life. After meeting a new friend Isabelle, and her mysterious papa Georges, Hugo's life changes rapidly. He must find out who Georges Melies really is, or was in his past. He must learn to trust and confide in Isabelle, and he must figure out how to keep away from the station master who might throw him in an orphanage if he catches Hugo sleeping in the station at night. The plot is moved along so well with the beautiful & enticing illustrations done by the author himself. Many of the most action packed chase scenes are done completely visually, like a film. The book also opens and closes like a film. Selznick's passion & inspiration for old French films, the automaton, and magic are well communicated through this wonderful novel.

This hybrid graphic novel/written novel is a treasure. The Leprechaun brought it home one day and raved about it. I was simply floored by the scope of the project. So many illustrations. Such mystery.

The illustrations are top notch pencil renderings depicting Paris in the 30s. They work in tandem with the written part of the story, both passing off the baton of narration throughout the book. I found them charming and evocative. They especially make full use of graphic novel storytelling tools to convey mood, tension, and information.

The story is told in two parts. The first is for the reader and concerns the plight of young Hugo who is orphaned and surviving in a cold, adult world as he solves the mystery of the automaton. The second is more self-indulgent and features the author's fascination with French film maker, George Méliès. I found it less compelling. It is nonetheless still interesting.

The format of the book is a marvel and well-worth taking a look at. I am glad to have this book in my collection. My only complaint is that the characters are as flat as the paper they are drawn on. The heavy lifting for emotion and context is done through the nuance of illustration. The narration tends to be uninspired. Therefor the characters never more than puppets moved about a felt board by the author. I suspect this is because Selznick's forte is illustration, not writing. He may have been better served pursuing a more traditional graphic novel approach utilizing word balloons and letting the art carry the story completely.

That being said, I am still very impressed with the effort and look forward to his next project. This was a massive undertaking along the same lines as Shaun Tan's "The Arrival". Highly recommended. ( )

This huge book is a combination of a traditional novel and a picture book. The pictures are more than simply illustrations; they are part of the narrative itself and help to tell the story.

Hugo Cabret is a young orphan living with his uncle the clock keeper in a Paris train station. After his uncle disappears, Hugo, afraid of being discovered and taken to an orphanage, takes over his uncle's duties and cares for all of the clocks. He can't figure out how to cash his uncle's paychecks, so he steals food to survive.

When a cranky old shopkeeper catches Hugo trying to steal a small mechanical toy, the man forces Hugo to empty his pockets and takes Hugo's greatest treasure--a notebook filled with drawings made by his father that Hugo is using as a guide to fix the mysterious automaton that was nearly destroyed in the museum fire that killed Hugo's father.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a stunning work of art that incorporates elements of mystery, history, art, and film into a satisfying and moving story.

Don't miss this one! ( )

The story takes place in 1930's Paris. The title character is an orphan who is living on his own after the death of his father and the disappearance of his uncle. His father was a watchmaker and taught him the skill. Having the ability to fix things and superior hand and eye coordination is an imporant aspect in this story. Through the use of illustrations along with words the story is told. The illustrations are shown in a unique manner and the use of perspective is important.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret follows a young boy in 1920s Paris trying to solve a mystery involving automatons, early movies, train stations, and books. The format is similar to a silent movie; Selznick conveys much of the story in evocative pencil drawings supplemented with text. The result is a satisfyingly chunky book that reads quite easily; a good pick for struggling readers who want an impressive book to heft. More sophisticated readers may find the text overly simplistic, but still be charmed by the illustrations. ( )

This picture book follows the story of Hugo Cabret, an orphan intent on fixing his father's last project in the hopes that it would help him figure out what to do with his future. Hugo befriends Isabelle, a mischievous girl who picks locks, but helps him with the last piece to his invention. Isabelle's guardians turn out to be renowned movie makers and magicians who, through the help of the children, gain status back into the movie world.

This is a great example of integrating illustrations into novels. This book is more black and white pencil drawings than words. But it is elaborate and extensive. Hugo is a character to feel sorry for and George is a character to sympathize with. The story is sad, but brilliant.

In a class room, we could create something in science that may resemble an automaton, the device Hugo works so hard to repair. We could learn about simple machines, such as gears and levers. We could also dissect some magic and talk about illusions for fun.

This story is about a boy, Hugo, who lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station. But when his world as he knows it suddenly clashes when he meets a girl and a very bitter and grumpy old man, Hugo's undercover life, and his secret, are now in jeaopardy.
This book was ok to me. The pictures are kind of dark, but pretty good. I think young readers may have a hard time getting through the beginning of it, but if they stay with it, they will not be dissappointed. I think it is for the more advance reader of maybe fourth and fifth grade.
After reading the book, we could discuss the way the author/illustrator were concise in how the pictures related so well to the story. I could also ask the students how they might have drawn a particular picture instead of the way the illustrator did it.

This book is a fun and differbut but also great example of a historical fiction book because the story takes place in Paris in 1931. It takes place in a historical time and place but the story itself is fiction because it did not happen.
This book is about a young boy named Hugo who is 12 years old and an orphan. He now lives in a train station in Paris. His uncle used to make sure the clocks all were running at the same time but now Hugo keeps up the clocks. In his free time Hugo like to draw.
Age Appropriateness: Primary, Intermediate
Media: pen and ink ( )

A lovely children's book about mystery, clocks, automatons, magic and friendship. A sort of graphic novel with text. ( )

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Horn Book Review - http://www.hbook.com/magazine/reviews... ( )

This book is an excellent teaching guide on so many levels. The first several pages are purely illustrations in which you, as the reader, must interpret to start the story. Chapters are intertwined with large collections of illustrations, in which the story unfolds largely under the control of the reader.

Hugo Cabret, a 12-year-old orphan living in a Parisian train station, is desperately trying to connect the links between his most precious posessions: a treasured notebook, a cryptic drawing, and a mechanical man. He forms a friendship with a toyshop owner and a young girl and, through these relationships, is able to piece together this unexpected puzzle. ( )

The invention of Hugo Cabret was an interesting and very different book that I have read. It started well but got a bit slow as it moved on. The characters and plot were very well structured. ( )

It’s not every day that a 500+-page book wins the Caldecott Medal, awarded by the American Library Association “to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.” But then, this is no ordinary picture book.

Full review:
http://www.twentybyjenny.com/812Books... ( )

Wow! I have to admit the size of the book has not only scared many of my students away, but led me to procrastinate as well. Once into it, it is so worth it. The story is good. The illustrations are not only fantastic, but necessary in order to "get" the whole story. All ages should experience this creation. ( )

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
Amazing illustrations that tell an amazing story.

I know it has 500+ pages but more than half of them are wonderful pictures! ( )

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. From Good reads ( )

im spechless for this book! its just wonderful with a great ending (you see, im a movie freak thats one of the reasons i like this book). ( )

2008 Caldecott medal winner. Beautifully illustrated--true work of art. Story doesn't quite match the overall package. ( )

Hugo Cabret's invention, is, of course, not truly his invention but someone else's, which Hugo is repairing by stealing parts from a toymaker. This book, in essence an overlong picture book, is a touching story of age, youth, and the relentless progression of technology. Though its thickness may daunt young readers, those that venture to open it will discover it is thoroughly accessible. Selznick's pictures are dark but evocative and beautifully detailed. It is at least novel in form, if not earth-shattering in plot; worth a read. ( )

I’m completely enamored with the format of this book. Parts of it are told purely via illustrations – they take over the narration completely. Especially the chase-scenes are fascinating to “read,” because they get the adrenaline up, just as a chase-scene in a movie would. There are regular illustrations as well, but these action sequences are what makes the book really extraordinary.

The story itself is not that original, but Selznick’s research into the automaton and George Méliès’ films enhances it exponentially. I remember Méliès from my college film history classes and I was absolutely delighted when I realized his part in the story. At the first mention of A Trip to the Moon, the movie with the crash-landing on the moon, I was hooked and wanted to find out the connection between those imaginative, if a bit crazy, films and the book.

All in all, it’s a fantastic idea, beautifully executed, and I would recommend it to absolutely everyone I know.

Note: If you are a Smashing Pumpkins fan, their video to “Tonight, Tonight” was inspired by Méliès’ films.

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The Invention of Hugo Cabret was an interesting historical fiction read. Together with the story line and illustrations the book was quit unique. I enjoyed reading this story from start to finish. I never new where the story was going to go. A strength of this book was the plot. The author did a lot of research on this topic and it felt very realistic. I also loved the pictures. A weakness was character development. The characters seemed flat and dull compared to the action of the story. ( )

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is the story of an orphan boy named Hugo, who takes care of all the clocks in Paris. He has become a thief throughout his days of being an orphan. He steals a toy from the old man at the toy booth and gets caught and is made to work for the man. The man take's Hugo's notebook of drawings which includes drawings of the robotic man. He meets his granddaughter, Isabelle. Isabelle and Hugo become friends. Hugo's father had found and rebuilt the robotic man who needed just one key to turn him on so he could draw. It turns out Isabelle has the key on her necklace. They robotic man draws a picture of a moon with a rocket in it. It turns out that Isabelle's grandfather is a world famous director who had forgotten about movies.

At first this book seems really intimidating because of it's length. However the book is filled with gorgeous drawings. And it is has some very nonfiction truth about it. George Meliese was a world famous magician turned into a world famous movie maker who made one of the first movies ever.

I would have students research the "robotic man" and see if their really is such a thing. I would also show them George Meliese's movie.

I can't remember who recommended this one to me, so I apologize for not giving credit where it's due. I really liked this one a lot, though the book itself looked incredibly daunting at first... but it turns out the story is told through words and pictures, with beautiful pencil drawings telling half the story and written words telling the rest of the story. It jumps back and forth as necessary... much like an old silent film, where words weren't always necessary, but the narrative would later pick up for a bit when images weren't quite enough. The story itself is about a young boy who works at a train station, keeping the clocks going after his uncle disappears... and that's all I want to say about it for now. I'll let you discover the rest for yourself. :) ( )