The Invention of Hugo Cabret
by Brian Selznick
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Book Reviews of The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Book Review: Innovative and original
Summary: 5 Stars
It's books like these that I'm excited about sharing with my daughter. I've found that children's literature is often far more elegantly written, more compelling, and instills more of a sense of wonder and the pleasures of reading in me than many an adult novel does. This novel fits the bill not only because it creates such a tantalizing mystery that is doled out in perfectly timed amounts but because it is also chock full of astonishingly beautiful sketches and some intriguing photos and stills from some of the first films ever made.
Selznick's book begins with a familiar device in children's literature: our hero is an orphan boy who is forced to fend for himself and who longs to connect to the spirit of his father. His dearest possession is a book full of sketches of the complex inner workings of an automaton that Hugo is convinced holds the key to his future. Hugo is a character for whom the reader can really fall. He is resourceful, smart, and truly pitiable. The book also contains a vivid cast of characters from the mysterious man who operates the train station's toy booth; to Etienne, the kind-hearted film lover; to Isabelle, the first person with whom Hugo forms any sort of connection since the death of his parents.
Perhaps the most predominate theme in the book is that of magic, although it's not magic of the wand-waving sort. Instead, the book explores the themes of the magic of new technologies as well as the magic of family, friendship, and love. Throughout the story there is a underlying theme about following one's passion.
The aforementioned sketches serve to enhance and enrich the story. There is a great deal of emotion and movement in the sketches and the book works not only as a form of literature but also as a form of art. Selznick is prodigiously talented and I spent a good deal of time just gazing admiringly at the way he managed to use black and white pencil sketches to capture the gleam in Hugo's eye during one of his happier moments. I felt I could take the sketches from the book, frame them, and hang them on my wall. This is a simply gorgeous work that adults and children alike are sure to enjoy.
Book Review: Different!
Summary: 5 Stars
I picked up this book because it was recommended by Amazon.com, and after reading the reviews, I figured I'd give it a try.
Well I wasn't disappointed. At first, I thought this would be a good read while I wait for the final Harry Potter book to be released. Because THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET is over 500 pages long, it seemed like a nice long read.
Going to a book store with friends, I looked at the book and was surprised to see that more than 80% of it comprised of drawings. So I was thinking to myself that a book with so many illustrations must be lacking in a strong story...I was wrong.
The story, which would equal about 70 or so pages (maybe less!) if printed in regular book form, centers around a small boy named Hugo Cabret. He loses his father in a freak accident and is sent to live with his drunken uncle in a Paris subway station. Soon after, his uncle disappears and Hugo is left to fend for himself. Everyday is a struggle for survival as he steals bread and milk from stores in the station, and continues to fix the clocks there--which was supposed to be his uncle's job. But as bleak as it may sound, Hugo manages to hold onto hope by becoming obsessed with an automaton that he believes will save his life, once he is able to fix it.
I won't give anything away but I will say that this story is about hope, compassion, and dreams. No wonder so many people enjoyed it.
As far as the format of the book, the many illustrations never compete with the story only compliment it. It really is like watching a movie. And the placement of text--some in regular format from top to bottom, while other pages contain only one paragraph--also contribute to the unusual form of this book, but never detract from the story.
Will THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET book change or create a new form/genre in children's literature? Who knows, but I'm sure it will become a classic.
Book Review: Unremarkably unique
Summary: 2 Stars
Paris 1931 - Twelve-year old Hugo Cabret lives in a secret apartment above a train station, keeping its 27 clocks running smoothly and accurately, just as his uncle taught him before disappearing several months earlier. Stealing food and toy parts to repair an automaton, he is caught and forced to work in a toy maker's shop where he meets the man's goddaughter, Isabelle, also an orphan. But not before the toy maker confiscates Hugo's father's notebook of sketches. Together, although not always harmoniously, the children try to solve the mystery of the device and the drawing it was designed to create. When Hugo becomes too disabled to maintain the clocks properly, it is a race against time for the two to figure things out before the stationmaster does.
Although the "one hundred and fifty-eight different pictures," are unusual in quantity and use, not all are value added. The black framing around the pages is different but distracting, and the book is unnecessarily large due to the fact that many of the pages are only partially filled with text. Wondering what the automaton will produce is the high point, but about halfway through, when that it is revealed, the intrigue falls away as quickly as the pieces of the puzzle fall neatly into place. In addition, the reader is left hanging about the cause of the fire and the fate of Hugo's mother (never even mentioned). And except for the fifth, the meaning of these (apparent) clues (from p 299 and 362) are left unexplained: "[a]n empty box, a dry ocean, a lost monster" and "a wingless bird, a burned-up building, a splinter, a fly, a grain of sand." An author thinking, writing and sketching "outside the box" is a welcome change, but neither the drawings nor the plot result in The Inventions of Hugo Cabret being much more than an average story with sketches uniquely used in its telling. Better: J. K. Rowlings' Harry Potter series and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events series.
Book Review: Drawing a story.
Summary: 4 Stars
I was initially drawn to The Invention of Hugo Cabret by its incredibly beautiful cover, and after checking inside, I realized it was quite a wonder of a children's book. Hugo Cabret is a celebration of a variety of artistic media, with the author infusing his writing with charcoal drawings and some very interesting still pictures taken in the early part of the 20th century. It is a lovely book to look at and hold, and we read Hugo Cabret as a family, enjoying the drawings that oftentimes told the story without any words at all; however, the actual story of Hugo Cabret seemed a bit hackneyed. The story is of a young boy living alone in a train station after his parents have died. It conjures images (and there are the drawings to support it) of a young Dickensian orphan and his hijinks, which include stealing, sneaking food and being the master of evasion. The author adds his twists to the story, incorporating shady figures, chase scenes and mysterious robot-like machines, but the story falls a bit flat, and suspenseful episodes dead-end, leaving the reader unfulfilled and wanting more. The ending is sort of anticlimactic, and although Brian Selznick's heart was in the right place conjuring up this story, the story itself is the least compelling part of the book. The drawings and photos and the way they are cast throughout the story are what redeem the book. The charcoal drawings are magnificent, yet if there had been no illustrations or images at all, the storyline of Hugo Cabret would have fizzled out and would not have been engaging enough to finish. It is fun to read out loud, and children really appreciate the images; however, it's not for every child, as very young children may be a bit frightened by some of the creepy charcoal drawings and odd photos from a time long gone. I honor Brian Selznick for his creativity in creating Hugo Cabret, and we appreciated it for its grand effort and uniqueness, but I recommend it with a few reservations.Book Review: Beautiful Storytelling
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Invention of Hugo Cabret" takes place in Paris, in the early 20th century. It tells the tale of an orphan named Hugo who secretely lives in a train station and fixes the clocks, unbeknownst to the stationmaster. Hugo is not just an ordinary boy however. In addition to his deftness with clocks, he also has a gift with all mechanical objects and spends much of his time stealing odds and ends from the toymaker's booth in order to fix up his personal pieces of clockwork. One such piece is a large mechanical man left to him by his father that has the capability of relating a mysterious message to him. Hugo is convinced that the message will be from his father beyond the grave and so he is obssessed with fixing the mechanical man any way that he can.
What makes this tale unique and proves Selznick's mastery at storytelling is the way in which he chooses to tell it. At first glance, the book is thick and daunting, especially to a child who is fearful of too many words on a page. This story however, is told half through words and half through pictures. Selznick's lively and touching drawings prove his talent as an artist and much of the story is gleaned through study of these pictures. While one could zip through the story in an hour, you wouldn't want to because so much can and should be absorbed through a careful study of his artwork.
I recommend this book highly to those who are interested in unique methods of storytelling as well as to those children who are simply not all that interested in books. While it might seem a cop out to give a child a book that is told largely through pictures I believe that it can be quite useful in helping children to feel confident in reading something that might at first glance appear too daunting to pick up. Studying such pictures can help to improve their attention to detail in a story as well as help them to feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Ages 9 and up.