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The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)

by Brian Selznick

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
9,352658785 (4.3)1 / 557
When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toyseller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized.
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» See also 557 mentions

English (641)  Spanish (3)  French (3)  Italian (2)  Portuguese (Portugal) (2)  German (1)  Danish (1)  Catalan (1)  Swedish (1)  Dutch (1)  All languages (656)
Showing 1-5 of 641 (next | show all)
La spalla fece muovere il gomito e il gomito trasmise altri movimenti in una reazione a catena, fino al polso e infine alla mano. Hugo e Isabelle ammirarono, con gli occhi spalancati per la meraviglia, la testa in miniatura dell’uomo meccanico che iniziava a muoversi con cautela… (251)

Ora pero’ inizia un’altra storia, perche’ le storie portano sempre ad altre storie, e questa ci portera’ dritti fino alla luna. (265)

Il cineasta Georges Melies inizio’ la propria carriera come illusionista e proprietario di un teatro parigino specializzato in spettacoli magici. La familiarita’ con l’illusionismo lo aiuto’ a capire subito la possibilita’ del nuovo mezzo di comunicazione. (364)
( )
  NewLibrary78 | Jul 22, 2023 |
The illustrations alone make this book an absolutely gorgeous read. ( )
  SRQlover | Jul 18, 2023 |
An incredibly imaginative story with evocative images. WOW. ( )
  Lindsay_W | Mar 20, 2023 |
A lovely tribute to Georges Milies, but more so a wonderful, subtle, and magical adventure story with themes fleshed out by Selznick's sketches that made me feel all warm and cozy and happy especially because of the appreciation for these early films.

The movie based on the book is also an almost perfect translation, with certain characters more realized than in the book for the sake of filling out the movie.

Also, for a 533-page book, it will take you about 2 hours to read, which is totally satisfying. ( )
  ostbying | Jan 1, 2023 |
Ahhh this book was SO GOOD. I liked it so much it's a new favorite. It includes a lot of my favorite things to read about: secretly sneaking around inside of city walls and buildings, mysteries that might change people's destinies, people who are geniuses at something awesome (in this case, putting together mechanical things), lock-picking (I really want to learn how to do that), dreams, gorgeous black and white illustrations, etc. Hugo is a mechanically talented boy with many secrets. What happens when he runs into an old man with similar mechanical talent and just as many secrets? Literary dynamite, that's what. Also, the man's goddaughter Louise is awesome and has just as many skills (the lock-picking with a bobby pin among them) and she's a bookworm so I love her. The story is told with tons of gorgeous black and white pencil drawings as well as photographs from old movies. TIOHC won the Caldecott Award that year, which caused an uproar since that award is for picture books and this book is a novel. However, the pictures are just as important to the story as the words are, so I'd say it counts. This book was fantastic and everyone should read it immediately, especially old movie buffs. 5/5 stars

"I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too." ( )
  Mialro | Dec 15, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 641 (next | show all)
The story is an engaging meditation on fantasy, inventiveness, and a thrilling mystery in its own right. No knowledge of early cinema is necessary to enjoy it, but for those who do know just a little, the rewards are even greater.
 
The carefully selected details make Hugo Cabret feel like, well, a machine, full of tiny interlocking parts, built to fuel a curious child’s lifelong infatuation with wonder.
 
The Invention of Hugo Cabret is full of magic ... for the child reader, for the adult reader, the film lover, the art lover, for anyone willing to give it a go. If you’re scared of the size or the concept, don’t be. Open your mind, pour Selznick’s creation in, and be reminded of the dream of childhood.
 
With The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the American illustrator/author Brian Selznick seems to have invented a new kind of book. It's at once a picture book, a graphic novel, a rattling good yarn and an engaging celebration of the early days of the cinema. All in black and white.
 
It is wonderful.
 

» Add other authors (9 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Selznick, Brianprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Paracchini, FabioTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Santen, Gert vanTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Woodman, JeffNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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For Remy Charlip and for David Serlin
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From his perch behind the clock, Hugo could see everything.
Quotations
Hugo felt sure that the note was going to answer all of his questions and tell him what to do now that he was alone. The note was going to save his life.
The coffee was hot, and as Hugo let it cool, he looked around the cavernous station at all the people rushing by with a thousand different places to go. When he saw them from above he always thought the travelers looked like cogs in an intricate, swirling machine. But up close, amid the bustle and the stampede, everything just seemed noisy and disconnected.
Hugo though about his father’s description of the automaton. “Did you ever notice that all machines are made for some reason?” he asked Isabelle. “They are built to make you laugh, like the mouse here, or to tell the time, like clocks, or to fill you with wonder, like the automaton. Maybe that’s why a broken machine always makes me a little sad, because it isn’t able to do what it was meant to do.”
“I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.”
When you wind it up, it can do something I'm sure no other automaton in the world can do. It can tell you the incredible story of Georges Méliès, his wife, their goddaughter, and a beloved clock maker whose son grew up to be a magician.
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When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toyseller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized.

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