The Invention of Hugo Cabret: Book Review

I have a list full of book reviews that need to get written, but I've been so busy posting about my new Tone It Up lifestyle that I haven't been able to get them in. Hopefully I'll be able to post one every two days. I discovered the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret, in my second to last semester of college, during a course about literature and children. This book, by Brian Selznick, was a winner of the 2008 Caldecott Medal!

Synopsis According to Barnes & Noble:

Caldecott Honor artist Brian Selznick's lavishly illustrated debut novel is a cinematic tour de force not to be missed!

ORPHAN, CLOCK KEEPER, AND THIEF, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.

My Review:

Hugo attends to the train station clocks, but inside of the walls he runs after he steals toys to break them down. He doesn't do this to rebel, but rather he does it to draw the inner workings of each toy, to know what makes things tick. The toy shop owner ends up taking Hugo's notebook when Hugo is caught stealing. Now this notebook isn't just a regular notebook with regular doodles, instead it was from his dad and included the workings of the mechanical man. This man has a story to write, a story that is quite incredible. 

I absolutely loved the drawings in the book; they helped the story come alive. As a reader, I like imagining what people or places look like, but with this book I was more satisfied knowing what Hugo looked like, the emotions on his face, as well as the environment. The story line of the mechanical man, and the characters that happened to find him, is intriguing and page-turning! This book can be read by young children and adults alike! I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick read, even though the page length doesn't seem short, the illustrations are on most of the pages. 

My Rating: 5 Stars

"You can make up your own story when you look at a photo" (page 193).

"If you lose your purpose... it's like you're broken" (page 374).