Selznick, Brian.
THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET : A NOVEL IN WORDS AND PICTURES
New York : Scholastic, 2007
IL 3-6, RL 6.0
ISBN 0439813786

(2 booktalks)

Hugo lives secretly in the walls of the Paris train station. Orphaned, he now maintains the clocks in the station for his uncle who disappeared. More important, Hugo is trying to complete a project of his father's...rebuilding an old mysterious machine found in a museum attic. To get by, Hugo steals food from station cafés, and parts for the machine from a toy store booth in the station. All goes well until he gets caught by the toy store owner.... Here the story begins where Hugo is forced to befriend the toy store owner's grand daughter, help at the toy store, and unravel the mystery of the machine.

This novel is a beautiful, timeless tale told in a unique format. The book, over 500 pages, is at first intimidating, until you open it up. The opening sequence is a series of pictures, that seem like the opening of a silent movie, or a movie storyboard that blends perfectly into the text that follows. The book is about half illustrations that move the story forward. Brian Selznick's words and outstanding illustrations combine to create a classic, yet innovative book.  (Mark Bobrosky,  LMT, NBCT, Walter Reed Middle School Library

Booktalk #2

Hugo, orphaned and living with his mean uncle in a Paris train station, has to find some way to live when the uncle disappears. His father’s last project haunts him and causes him to steal from the station toymaker, who has a hidden past. All of a sudden his life spins out of control with people trying to help him, people trying to capture him and a new friend, Isabelle. As the giant clock wheels turn, bits of information fall into place and new understandings develop. You must pay close attention to the pictures as you watch Hugo struggle to solve several mysteries and find his place in the magical world beyond the clocks.  (Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Awards nominee, 2008-2009)