This was such a fantastic read. I love how Selznick combines words and images to tell a story. It didn't feel disjointed at all while I was reading, either. I was a little hesitant that it would feel like I was stopping and starting as I read it, but I was able to move seamlessly from the text to the images and back, without losing the momentum of the story. Not only are the illustrations beautiful, which Selznick did himself, but there is a sort of beauty to the text, too. While the thickness of the book is certainly intimidating (it clocks in at over 500 pages), the combination of illustrations and words makes the reading quick. After I finished reading this book, I immediately wanted to recommend it to everyone I know, from my mother to my thirteen year old cousin. It's just that type of book, one that everyone can enjoy. There is also a movie of this book, and it does a decent job of remaining true to the book, but I won't go into details here since this is about the book, after all.
About the Book:
Twelve year old Hugo lives in the walls of a train station in Paris. He spends most of his days making sure the clocks in the station are all set to the correct time. In his spare time, Hugo tries to rebuild an automaton that his father found hidden in the attic of a museum. To get the parts he needs for the automaton, Hugo steals small pieces from a toy shop in the train station. When the owner of the train station catches Hugo stealing, he takes the notebook full of illustrations of the automaton, which Hugo had been using to help him rebuild it. To get his notebook back, Hugo starts working for the owner of the toy shop, Georges. As Hugo works for Georges, he becomes friends with Georges' goddaughter, Isabelle. Together, the two of them work together to restore the automaton to working order and figure out the mysterious connection between the automaton, a drawing, and Georges.
On Teaching:
While the intended audience for this book is more upper elementary and middle school, I totally think it has potential in a secondary classroom. Selznick tells the story of Hugo, Georges, and the automaton in such a unique way. It might be a neat exercise to have students practice writing stories based on images and vice versa to build on details, imagery, word choice, etc.
Book Extras:
The website for The Invention of Hugo Cabret has a ton of cool stuff of on it. There are biographies about some of the people in the story, a section on automata, and all kinds of links to different things that relate to Hugo in some way.
Other Books by the Author:
Wonderstruck
Author's Website:
http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/index.htm
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