The Invention of Hugo Cabret

1. Bibliography

Selznick, Brian. 2007. The invention of Hugo Cabret. New York, NY: Scholastic. 9780439813785

2. Plot Summary

Hugo Cabret is an orphan that is secretly living in a train station and winding the clocks. In his spare time, Hugo works on a broken automaton who he believes holds a secret. To repair the automaton, Hugo steals toys from a toy store in the station for its parts. The store owner catches him and their lives begin to intertwine as Hugo and the store owner’s goddaughter as they try to solve the mystery of the automaton. The store owner’s past is revealed as George Melies and they both learn that they have more connected to each other than they could have imagined.

3. Critical Analysis

Hugo is a character that you can’t help but root for and feel empathy for. He is determined and willing to take risks to find answers. Although there is a happy ending to the story, Selznick creates an ending that wasn’t expected as the mystery is solved.  The size of the book can look very intimidating until you open it and see the number of illustrations. Brian Selznick’s pencil drawings and frames from black and white movies fill the book more than text. These detailed illustrations provide an understanding and a constant wondering of what will happen next in this emotional mystery.

4. Review Excerpt(s)

Kirkus- “Opening with cinematic immediacy, a series of drawings immerses readers in Hugo’s mysterious world. Exquisitely chosen art sequences are sometimes stopped moments, sometimes moments of intense action and emotion. The book, an homage to early filmmakers as dreammakers, is elegantly designed to resemble the flickering experience of silent film melodramas.”

Caldecott Medal 2008

5. Connections

• Like books: The City of Dreaming Books, The Dreamer, The City of Ember

• Compare and contrast the story with clips from the movie Hugo