Selznick, B. (2007). The invention of Hugo Cabret. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.
Age Level: 9-12
Genre: Realistic fiction
Reflection:
Brian Selznick’s young adult novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a combination of a picture book, graphic novel, and movie. The illustrations are essential to the progression of the plot and make this novel a unique experience to read. I chose this book for its mysterious summary and for the combination of the colorful and interesting cover that coincides with the black and white illustrations.
Main character Hugo is an orphan, whose father was killed in a fire, and is then abandoned by an alcoholic uncle, who was his only living relative. Hugo lives inside the walls of the train station. When going by the museum that was burned and killed his father, Hugo discovers the automata, a mechanical man that his father had loved and promised to fix for Hugo. Hugo harbors the automata in his small apartment and steals parts to fix the mechanical man. Living in constant fear of the Train Station Inspector, Hugo continues to take care of the numerous clocks around the train station, his uncle’s former occupation, in order to avoid being found living alone in the walls. Then, Hugo meets the shopkeeper of a toy store that he steals mechanical parts from. Georges Melies, the shopkeeper discovers Hugo’s notebook of drawings of the automata and his secret threatens to reveal itself. Little does he know, the shopkeeper has a secret of his own and the lives of these characters are intertwined in ways that they did not imagine.
Author Brian Selznick uses an integral setting of 1930’s Paris to include the history of silent films. Georges Melies, the shopkeeper in the story, was an actual filmmaker in the 1890’s and made films through the 1920’s. The author’s website, www.theinventionofhugocabret.com gives a brief history of the filmmaker and even offers a link to watch one of his films A Trip to the Moon, the film mentioned in the story as Hugo’s father’s favorite film. The website also offers a brief history of children’s books author Remy Charlip, the model used to illustrate Georges Melies in the book due to his likeness to the filmmaker.
Brian Selznick also illustrated this book. The illustrations are all done in black and white graphite pencil. Diagonal lines are used to draw the illustrations, expressing motion of the pictures. The book, to a young reader might seem intimidating at first due to the 525 pages, but over 300 of the pages are doublespread illustrations that do not illustrate what was just read, but illustrate what happens next. The text then picks up where the illustrations left off. The pictures provide a motion by motion illustration of what is happening, almost like a movie. Since silent films are a huge part of the book, I imagine that the black and white illustrations and motion like sequence are homage to those silent movies. The book also offers some photographs from the actual train station in which Hugo lives and some screen shots of the movies of Georges Melies.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret is made up of layers of secrets and mysteries, much like the secret of magic and filmmaking during this time. Hugo is an inventor, a magician. He is able to fix a mechanical man, he fixes and keeps the clocks running and he “fixes” or invents his life. He overcomes all the obstacles of becoming orphaned and abandoned and makes and builds a future for himself. The big idea or theme of this book is overcoming all that stands before you to become who you truly are. It is a theme that reflects not just in Hugo, but the central character Georges Melies himself.
Big Questions: How would you handle the same obstacles that Hugo Cabret faced in the story? What are some obstacles that you have had to overcome? What if this story was set in modern times? Do you think the automata and silent films would have had the same impact on the story?
I would recommend The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The illustrations and storytelling style make this a unique book that one must read.
Classroom Connections:
Here are excellent websites offering lesson plans and ideas for using The Invention of Hugo Cabret in the classroom:
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