Caldecott Medal Book 4: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick was the 2008 Caldecott Medal winner. The story is a masterful tale of a brave boy who was ill-fated from the beginning. Lucky for Cabret, the series of unfortunate events that followed after his father’s death would lead him to life of which he could only dream. He lived in a train station, and when Hugo’s father died in a museum fire, he was raised by his hateful uncle who disappeared only a few short weeks after he took him to raise. Fortunately, Hugo’s uncle had a job and made him his apprentice, so after he died, Hugo continued to work on the clocks around the station, but he did not cash his uncle’s checks. Instead, he made his way stealing and hoping that one day things would get better. The entire story rests upon an automaton that Hugo salvaged from the museum fire. His father had been working on it, and Hugo was convinced that his father had crafted it to send him a message. Hugo was forced to steal parts from the old man in the toy booth to fix his automaton. When Hugo was caught stealing a toy, the old man made him empty his pockets. He took his notebook with all of his drawings of the automaton. Several twists of fate and strange happenings later, Hugo learns that Isabelle, the old man’s goddaughter had managed to retrieve his notebook. He worked for the man behind the toy counter until Georges thought he stole the notebook and again kicked him out of his shop. Isabelle had the key to work the automaton, and the two discovered that it had been Georges Melies’s invention. After running from the station inspector for thieving milk and croissants and the discovery of his uncle’s death, Hugo is saved by Georges Melies and his goddaughter. Georges had stopped making movies after his good friends, Isabelle’s parents, were killed. The two along with a few fans, get Georges to begin again, and Georges takes Hugo into his home where he could invent his own automaton.

I liked absolutely everything about this book. I have never read a book so meticulously written and illustrated. The pages in the book imitate a movie reel, and I love the black and white sketches. They are so clear and extraordinary. The story line was faultless, and I loved the rags to riches story. Though Hugo is a thief, he can’t be punished in the minds of readers because he had it so rough, and Isabelle is a doll. I couldn’t put the book down, and I read / viewed all 533 pages in one sitting.

The book is full of secrets kept by the characters. I think this is why the book was so intriguing. I grew up with my grandparents around, and I have a soft spot for the relationships between the elderly and children. They have so many stories to pass on to us.

This author also wrote The Houdini Box, The Boy of a Thousand Faces, and worked with many other authors as an illustrator. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is Selznick’s longest work and his greatest masterpiece.

Finally, I learned that not all children’s literature is short and for very young audiences. Though I have gathered that there is some confusion about what to call this book (Graphic Novel, flip book, etc.) to me, it is the perfect blend of illustrations and text. The history of the movies really come alive in this book as we see where they began and where they ended up at the turn of the 20th century. I would suggest this book for children ages nine and older. The pictures are stunning and the story is charming.

References

Selznick, B. (2007). The invention of Hugo Cabret. New York: Scholastic Press.