Wednesday, June 11, 2014

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Hugo is a young orphan, abandoned by his uncle and left alone to tend to the clocks in the train station all on his own.  In his spare time, he works on an automaton, a project that is near and dear to his heart.  Since he has no money, he steals to survive and to support his little hobby.  When the owner of a toy shop catches him taking a few small parts, his life takes an unexpected turn.

Selznick brings readers an unique and beautiful story.  The words were brilliant, but the illustrations took this story to a whole new level.  The detailed black and white sketches pulled me in closer and closer, making me fall into the story so easily.  There is no surprise to know that Selznick won the Caldecott Award for this one.  The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a true masterpiece.

Though it tops out at 525 pages, it was a quick read because of the number of drawings included.  I could easily pick this one up again and again, enjoying it more every time.  Thankfully, it sits on my son's shelf, so all I have to do is ask his permission!

Have you fallen into Hugo's world?What did you think about Selznick's combination?

6 comments:

  1. Awesome book! Have you seen the movie? They did a great job with it.

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    1. Suey ... This is where I have to confess that I actually saw the movie before I read the book! I actually really enjoyed it and thought it was beautifully done!

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  2. Tif, I love (and own!) this book :) Honestly, though, I was totally psyched for the movie---and was ultimately disappointed :( The movie was aesthetically beautiful---so well done, but I was pretty upset they changed/omitted the parts of the story that made it so moving *sigh*

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    1. writersideup.com ... I actually saw the movie before reading the book, so I found myself loving each one in their own right. The movie was really beautiful. BUT, let's be honest ... most books are better than the movie!!

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    2. Yep! Pretty much always, except---in my opinion---The Wizard of Oz :D

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    3. writersideup.com ... Ohhh, I loved The Wizard of Oz as a movie and as a book, but look at them as completely separate entities. They are so different. I really need to read more of the series at some point.

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