Sunday, May 29, 2011

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Title: The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Author: Brian Selznick
Reviewer: Stephanie
Genre: YA Graphic Novel (?) Picture Book (?)
Rating: Worship
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise:Orphan Hugo Cabret lives in a wall. His secret home is etched out in the crevices of a busy Paris train station. Part-time clock keeper, part-time thief, he leads a life of quiet routine until he gets involved with an eccentric, bookish young girl and an angry old man who runs a toy booth in the station. The Invention of Hugo Cabret unfolds its cryptic, magical story in a format that blends elements of picture book, novel, graphic novel, and film. Caldecott Honor-winning author-illustrator Brian Selznick has fashioned an intricate puzzle story that binds the reader like a mesmerist's spell.(goodreads.com)

Opinions: Have you ever picked up a 500 page book and thought, "Great, this'll give me something to read for an hour." Then you read it in less than an hour and think, "Shoot, now what am I going to do?"

Okay, so that happened to me when I read this book. I was working for a bookstore and saw it the day it came in. I needed something to read during lunch, so I decided to start it during lunch and then read it over a couple of days. It didn't work out that way, and I'm so glad that it didn't.

This book is told as much by the illustrations as it is my the words. It takes place in a train station in Paris and discusses the classics of film and automatons and building things.

I have to say that I didn't expect this story to be so beautiful nor the illustrations to touch me like they did. I LOVE this book and think you should give it a shot. I mean, what the hay, right? How many people can say they read a 500 page book in an hour? :)

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