The Invention of Hugo Cabret
by Brian Selznick
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Book Reviews of The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Book Review: The Perfect Book
Summary: 5 Stars
It was so enthralling! The illustrations were so descriptive that I could envision exactly what was happening in the text. Although the plot of the story was so captivating, the text was not elaborate but simple. That's what I enjoyed about this story... since the words were so simple and predictable, when looking at the illustrations I felt as if I could write the words they were meant to convey.
I have never had such a page turning read. I love to read and enjoy watching movies but both lack what this book had. When reading sometimes the author writes the simplest details out so you can follow the story, but those words seem to make me lose the excitement of the story. However, movies remove the necessity of the imagination and sifting through the story; it can be mindless.
This book removed the simple descriptions that cut from the excitement by replacing such texts with illustrations. Even the illustrations allow the audience to imagine as the reader is left to decode the drawings/photos into words so it makes sense with the rest of the text.
I loved it!!! I even enjoyed the format of the book. I loved that it had postmodern concepts (jumping between illustrations and text) but it also had an old school feel to it with the black trim on the pages, the crisp white pages with minimal text.
Book Review: You Cannot Put This Book Down!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Have you ever imagined living by yourself at age ten, in the walls of one of the busiest train stations in all of France? Well, Hugo Cabret, age ten experienced this all before he was old enough to have minimum wage.
Even though he was very young, when his father died in a fire and he went to live with his Uncle Jim who was the time keeper in the train station. One day after Uncle Jim was done with work he went missing for many days. Hugo thought that since his uncle was a drunk he ended up somewhere he was not supposed to be. As a result Hugo decides since his job was so important he needed to continue his uncle's job for him. Having many paychecks pilled up in corners, is what Hugo had, nothing special. Since he was alone, he could not deposit the pay checks because once again, he was too young. When I read this book, I thought that I have a life that I am fortunate for because I do not need to steel food from shops. After I read this book, I though this was the best book I have ever read. I would have to rate this book five stars. I would have to rate it five stars because this book came to life for me. Even though this book is over two-hundred pages of pictures, this book seamed than a book with imagery it seemed like a book that told a life story from one to another.
~S.B.A.
Book Review: A brilliant invention.
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first picked up this book I knew I was holding something special. "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" is a story told not only through words, but also through a series of pictures (like watching an animated feature), but furthermore through the physical object of the book itself.
Mr. Selznick has created a one-of-a-kind entity that just so happens to fit on a library shelf, but that acts as so much more than a book. In general, authors tell their stories through words and filmmakers through pictures. Selznick has combined the two and come up with something that is more than just the sum of the parts.
I have a feeling we're going to see a slew of copy-cat books trying to replicate the magic that Selznick created in this "invention" of his, but my guess is that most of them will fall flat without the brilliant interplay of subject matter and form that comprise this masterpiece.
This is a book full of mystery and suspense, and keeps you rooting for Hugo and wanting to enter deeper into his world. It was truly a joy to turn each page, and as I closed the back cover, it left me with an immense smile of satisfaction on my face.
I highly recommend this as a book that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, from younger children to teens and adults. A brilliant invention!
Book Review: The Next Big Leap in Children's Books
Summary: 5 Stars
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick is a fascinating and unique book that my children and I just finished reading. If you liked to be on the leading edge of new trends in the publishing world, I would definitely suggest you checking this book out.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret is unlike any other book I have ever seen. Part film, part comic book and part great story, this book moves quickly and pulls the reader along every step of the way. My children loved the fact that after the first night of reading for about 20 minutes, we had covered about 80 pp. There are over 280 illustrations in this book, full page illustrations. In between the illustrations is an enchanting story and we learn about the double entendre of the title.
This book reveals the value of friendship and loyalty. It promotes the value of dreams. It shows the ability for one to be invisible to those around them. And it promotes preserverance in the face of adversity. And we were delighted to discover that one of the character's in the story was an actual person, though the story is fictional. It gave us something to research when we were done reading the book. This book will be enjoyed by all ages in your family and is destined, in my opinion, to begin a new wave in children's books.
Book Review: New and interesting book.
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently had the pleasure of meeting the author of this book at my middle school and he talked about what inspired him to write this book. One inspiration was the book "Fortunately" by Remi Charlip, who by the way is used as the model for one of characters in the book. "Fortunately" if you don't know is a mix of pictures and text to explain the story. Selznick also said he was influenced by early movies that were without sound, where the story was told through what you could see. Well enough of that, about the book now. It is an excellent mix of pictures and text. Without giving away anything, I'll give an example. It says that the boy Hugo is being chased. Selznick doesn't write about the chase, but shows you it through pictures. When you get to the next piece of text the chase is over, as you just learned about it through the pictures. However, the version I read was the original publishers copy that was sent out, so it was missing a few pictures which left me with a few blank spots, another example of how the pictures are part of the text but crucial to the book in their own way. Selznick seemed like a brilliant man and I recommend this book to anyone who wants to try something a little new.