The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
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Book Reviews of The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Book Review: Proves there can be too much for adults to enjoy in a children's book.
Summary: 5 Stars
Brian Selznick's pencil drawings offer a stunning tribute to the power of cinema, while slyly proving that the human hand has not lost its ability to thrill. But if you have children you might want to stop reading with them at the end of Part One. End there and you will have read the tale of an orphan's attempt to animate a clockwork human, bearing a fanciful and comforting message from the dead. Proceeding to Part Two, however, the reader encounters the story of a real filmmaker and the rediscovery of his lost work. True, this section contains some of the most stunning artwork, much of it directly inspired by the filmmaker Georges Melies, who was a sort of French Walt Disney whose innovations in special effects and technology made people think they were watching their dreams in the daytime. But, for younger kids, this homage is apt to be about as interesting as an Orson Welles marathon on TCM, and only serves to spoil the magic trick done in Part One. By the way, am I the only one who thought the film buff character of Etienne (French for Stephen ) looked just like a young Stephen Spielberg? The Stern Librarian (I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille.)Book Review: One of the BEST Children's Books
Summary: 5 Stars
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick is an utterly delightful read for children and adults will enjoy it as much as the kids do. Since the graphic novel MAUS was awarded the most prestigious award several years ago, graphic novels have been much acclaimed by critics and bibliophiles as authentic literaturee, and now the excellent art of Selznick brings it into the realm of outstanding children's literature. With a captivating and mysterious story of a young orphaned boy who lives in the walls of a train station in Paris, France, you will find this a page turner. But you will stop many times to pour over the excellent full page drawings of this work of art. Brian has built this fanciful story based on a real person who created some of the world's early films, Geroges Melies, and a few of Melies own drawings appear in the book also, as well as some historic art, reprinted with permission. The early days of film-making play a central part as the mystery unfolds, and of course, everyone lives happily ever after. This is a treasure of a book for the family! And you'll want to order more by Brian Selznick who has many to his credit.Book Review: Move over Harry Potter!
Summary: 5 Stars
Don't let the size of Brian Selznick's "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" intimidate you. This book, despite it's gargantuan size, was a breeze to read! My eight year old begged to keep reading each night and we were both mesmerized by the beautiful, highly detailed drawings throughout the book. The illustrations alone make this book a must!
The story of a lonely, orphaned boy, living in a train station and the characters he meets throughout the story are sure to draw you in. Each character has secrets that intersect in ways that will keep you guessing and you'll want to push back bedtime for the kids to learn more about them all!
The text and illustration layout is by far the most unique I have ever seen and make it easy to read aloud, especially for children who tire after long passages. The book makes use of a layout that puts longer passages and shorter ones together in a way that is both suspenseful and delightful. It is perfect for reading out loud with the entire family and is the only book my son has ever asked to read well after bedtime.
Book Review: Review of The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Summary: 5 Stars
There are really no words to describe how much I loved this book. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a perfect blend of a short story, illustrations and film pictures.
Hugo Cabret is a 12 year old boy who takes care of clocks. He comes from a family skilled in the upkeep of clocks. And he has a story to tell.
What makes this book so brilliant is the old adage a picture is worth a thousand words. Instead of describing with written word the movement of the characters and the setting of each scene we get to see it all and follow Hugo through his story. The illustrations are beautiful. As much as I wanted to find out more of the story I found myself wanting to just linger over each picture - and now that I know the story I plan on going back to just do that.
Beware though! With all those illustrations comes a price. This is a very thick novel. It's hard on the hands - I ended up having to read it with it lying on a table in front of me. Don't be scared by the size though, for all its bulk it really is a short story, but a very satisfying one
Book Review: Fantasic read
Summary: 5 Stars
This was surprisingly well done. I'm not sure what I was initially expecting, but the story far exceeded my expectations. The characters are interesting, and the graphic-novel style way of presenting the story is perfect for how it unfolds and the subject matter being used to move along the plot. Typically, I steer clear of saying things like, "this is the first of its kind" because that gets thrown around a lot as a marketing term. However, this is something of a first, especially as an award winner, and Selznick does a wonderful job of interlacing the pictures with the words in order to tell a complete story.
Even beyond that though, the story itself is wonderful, despite the method through which it's told. The characters are all fascinating and mysterious in their own way, and everyone has secrets. Not to mention that each character's personality and foibles adds to the depth of the narrative. I recommend this to all readers, but it will come alive especially well for readers 8-12.
-Lindsey Miller, [..]