The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
reviewed by Becky
The Invention of Hugo Cabret is like a delicious trail mix that I could not get enough of. The reason I say this is because the book, written and illustrated by Brian Selznick, has so many different elements in it --movies, pictures, history, suspense, mystery, foreshadowing, friendship, and a lot of surprises -- similar to the variety of ingredients in trail mix. Once you reach into the bag or begin this book, you never know what elements of the mix will be in your hand.
I could not stop reading this book, set in a train station in Paris and focused on a boy named Hugo, and his quest to finish an automaton -his father's favorite pastime before he passed away. I was so intrigued by the characters, who were easy to relate to, as well as the setting, which was so different from my normal life. Throughout the story, I loved that I was able to use my imagination with the incredibly-detailed pictures, as the words guided me through the story.
As you can see, this is a crowd-pleaser for all ages and genders. The book won the 2008 Caldecott Medal and already has been turned into a movie. I hope Brian Selznick will think about making this book the first in a series!
[Librarians's note: The excellent film adaptation is called simply Hugo.]
Posted by library at September 1, 2013 07:20 AM