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February 26, 2007
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
The Invention of Hugo Cabret written and illustrated by Brian Selznick
What a great book!!!! The perfect, and I mean perfect, combination of illustrations and words. The story revolves around 12-year-old Hugo and his efforts to fix an old automaton that his father found. (automaton: A machine or robot that is programmed to perform specific actions in a human-like manner, used primarily as a toy.) This automaton is seated at a desk, pen in hand as if ready to deliver a message; a message that Hugo thinks will save his life. The story opens in a Paris train station in 1931 as Hugo is running to his hiding place. An orphan, he maintains the clocks in the train station for his uncle who disappeared. He steals mechanical toys to use as parts for the automaton. When the toymaker catches him, a series of events unfolds that sheds light on the toymaker and his goddaughter, Hugo, his father and uncle and early movie makers and magicians. I have no doubt this will be in my top 10 for 2007. A must read!!!!!!
Posted by egoldberg at February 26, 2007 3:09 PM