Review of Caldecott Award-Winning, The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Selznick, Brian. 2007. The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Scholastic, Inc.: New York.

A unique marriage of both illustrations and text tells the story of orphan Hugo Cabret, because in this book, neither one can tell the story alone. After a brief introduction reveals the setting (Paris, 1931), the book opens with multiple illustrations that flow like a movie reel - the glowing moon overlooking Paris, Hugo creeping into a secret passageway in a train station, and then staring through the face of a wall clock at an old man in a booth selling toys. Then the text finally begins, “From his perch behind the clock, Hugo could see everything.” The mysterious plot unfolds at a lively pace as Hugo and his spunky companion Isabelle piece together the forgotten story of magician turned filmmaker George Melies, and an automaton that draws a picture of a scene from his first movie, A Trip to the Moon. Selznick combines his mesmerizing black and white pencil drawings with strong characters, a surprising plot, and twist ending, to make The Invention of Hugo Cabret an example of story-telling at its best. [By Mandy Hooker, written as an assignment for TWU SLIS]