THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET
by Brian Selznick
I really don't know where to start with this book. It's a piece of art and a unique reading experience. It's a graphic novel, a picture book a middle grade mystery. It's also a black and white movie on paper. It's all of these things and its pretty wonderful.
Twelve year old Hugo lives a secretive life in a Paris train station. When an eccentric girl and the owner of a toy booth invade that life, Hugo's secrets are put in danger. Hidden messages, a stolen key and a mechanical man all come together to form this unique story.
There are almost three hundred pictures in this extraordinary book - each a joy to look at. It's no surprise that it won The Caldecott Medal. It's cinematic and beautiful and definitely a book for keeps. I'd give it six stars if I could.
- Publisher : Scholastic; 1st edition (1 Oct. 2007)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 534 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1407103482
- ISBN-13 : 978-1407103488
- Reading age : 8 - 12 years
Email: sharontregenza@gmail.com
5 comments:
That book is certainly a work or art and it's a pleasure to see the title revisited here again. I always wonder how widely it was read and enjoyed though. Does anyone have expereince?
My worry was that the book suffered from being in the "I don't know what to do with it!" category as far as schools and parents were concerned.
The pages are so richly full of illustrations compared to the usual words only expectation, and maybe the thickness didn't work in a popular paperback format? I'd imagine strong glue would be needed to hold it together. Also the art work was in far more traditional than is usual within the graphic novels I've seen. A mystery!
Must add that the "Hugo" film was rather magical too! Must go and look at my shelves as I now feel that both versions are due another viewing. Thanks, Sharon.
Lovely post, Sharon - I've not seen the book, but my daughter was involved in the making of the film (she made the fabric-covered dragon!) so we have seen that and loved it. The book sounds magical too!
Hi Penny, I know what you mean. It is unique and I would assume librarians may have a problem filing it too. But it's that very uniqueness that I love so much. The publishers took a leap of faith with this one and I'm glad it paid off. I haven't see the film yet but will on your recommendation. Thanks, Penny
Hi Lynn, oddly the friend that bought it for me for Christmas also worked on the film. I must ask her about the fabric covered dragon. :)
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