Thursday, September 13, 2012

Book Review: The Invention of Hugo Cabret ~ Brian Selznick



Imagine. You're in a Paris railway station. Everything about it is charming. Except for the crowds hurrying to catch the next ride. Coffee and croissant aromas are wafting all around you. You buy both and sit down to eat. Suddenly a young boy dashes past you, small for his age, roughly dressed and dirty. He runs up a flight of stairs, which leads to the tallest clock tower in the station.

Meet Hugo. An imaginative boy whose intellect surprises for one so young.

Orphaned only months ago, young Hugo was taken in by his alcoholic uncle who has disappeared, leaving Hugo with no financial support or a real home.  Hugo spends his days winding the twenty something clocks of the Paris train station. His home is the clock tower.    His father being a clock maker, passed on his trade to his brilliant son. Hugo's father left behind an automaton, a magical phenomenon of that time. Hugo determines to fix the intriguing creation. Although the little mechanism is missing the one thing to make it work...a heart-shaped key. And there is an underlying mystery behind the old man that runs the toy booth Hugo is determined to figure out. 

I found this to be a delightful little read, imaginative, and inspiring to young children.

"Maybe that's why a broken machine always makes me a little sad, because it isn't able to do what it was meant to do... Maybe it's the same with people. If you lose your purpose... it's like you're broken." Hugo 

Indecency: None
Violence:None
Language: None
Objectionable's: Hugo occasionally steals when he runs out of money.
Age Interest: 12-15
 

4 comments:

Shelbi said...

Have you seen the Hugo movie and if so would you recommend it?

Thanks!

Bria Cosper said...

I actually did a review on Hugo. On my menu at the top of this page is family movie reviews.

Layla said...

I really hope to read this soon!
Layla.

Hanna said...

What is/are the major theme(s)? How are they revealed and developed?

What’s the main plot? Is there a sub-plot?

Is the plot primary or secondary to some of the other essential elements of the story (character, setting, style, etc.)?

Central elements?

What kind of genre is this? How does the book fit into it?

Is there a red thread?

During what time/period was this book written? How can you see that in the text? (For example, how can you tell that Madame Bovary was written during the realism?)

Narrative Structure/ language style? Formal/informal? Simple/difficult to read? Is there a harmony/rhythm?

Turning point? Does character development occur?

And so on... There's a lot more to a book review.