The Invention of Hugo Cabret

[Mike]

November children's read.

[Suki]

When this book was chosen as this month's read, I was undecided for a while whether I should get the Kindle version, because the hardcover isn't cheap. I finally decided on the print copy, and I'm so happy I did. This is a stunningly beautiful book. Much of the story is told through drawings by the author, but this is something more than a graphic novel-- it is much more like "reading" an old black-and-white movie.

The book opens on a shot of the moon. As we turn the pages, we zoom in on a train station in Paris, through the crowds of people, and finally focus in a close-up of a boy's face. The Introduction to the book tells us "...this is Hugo Cabret. His head is full of secrets, and he's waiting for his story to begin." And what a wonderful, magical story it is! It is told mostly through pictures that unfold like a film, with the occasional page or two of text to give us more information. This book is intended for children, but any adult with a sense of whimsy and a love of fantastic old movies will love it. I will definitely be picking up Selznick's other books.

One of my favorite things about the story is that one of the main characters actually existed:

https://www.google.ca/search?q=george...

Although the story primarily focuses on young Hugo, it is also a loving tribute to the films of Georges Méliès. I'm going to wrap this up now, because I've got some movies to watch!