The Inventions of Hugo Cabaret

The Invention of Hugo Cabret. 0-439-81378-6. Brian Selznick. 2007. Caldecott Award. Age 9 -14. Caucasian French youth. Orphans during the Depression.

Hugo who was an Orphan, after the death of his father (a clock maker killed in a fire) lived with his uncle in a busy Paris train station. He learns the uncle’s trade and after the uncle’s disappearance he continues to live here, his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. He steals to survive, and still maintains the clocks so no one would know his uncle is gone. Hugo also works on an automaton, a mechanical man that his father was trying to restore. He steals parts from a toyshop in the station. When he is caught, the mean store owner takes away his father's notebook and threatens him with arrest. But the old man's hidden past and Hugo's are tangled, and the secret message hidden in the automaton's workings is only the beginning. In the process he meets Isabelle, a girl his age who loves adventure. When Isabelle's grandfather (mean store owner) takes away the last thing Hugo has from his father, Isabelle is to help get it back. Hugo discovered a mysterious drawing that changed his life and others around him forever. The mystery of an astounding film maker, Georges Melies (the mean store owner) is finally revealed.

This book deals with some of the greatest issues of our time such as orphanage. It shows how a boy made the most of his situation and used one of the greatest inventions in modern history, movies. The Invention of Hugo Cabret caters for the child reader, for the adult reader, the film lover, the art lover, for anyone willing to give it a try. Hugo is someone to admire for his courage and smart ways. One then wonders if his nature to steal for survival is justified. Would we recommend this kind of act to our children if they were in a similar situation!

The author uses lengthy sections of wordless illustrations with pages of novel writing. Neither text nor pictures can stand alone without the other. It is a delightfully written tale with rich illustrations that take over the telling of the story at regular intervals. This kind of book gives the author more control over what the reader sees in their mind’s eye. If a novelist just uses words, the ‘visual story’ created in the reader’s mind will be particular to them. Where there is an image of that character, there is no room for interpretation, and no need for creativity.

The author does not flood his novel with many characters making it pretty easy to follow. The characters in the book developed as the book proceeds, Hugo is likable and so is Isabelle. They go from liking one another, to hating, to liking again in a manner that feels awkward. The older characters are portrayed as having a tough life but manage to struggle to keep moving on. It is the story of love between friends who love each other like family. Ultimately, it is the story of love and imagination.

The plot though complicated has much to do with the history of the movies, and Selznick's intelligence lies in his expert use of such a visual style to spotlight the role of this highly visual media. This book has a big mystery which compels the reader onward. The reader also doesn’t know what is going to happen next! The book doesn't give you any little hints! The storyline is intriguing taking the reader into the world behind the clocks in the station. The mystery surrounding the young character has to do with finding out what the mechanical man will write if fixed. The words and pictures tell the story of clockmakers, their apprentices, magicians, automatons, and the early days of film making.

The setting is a 1930s French train station, and the main character is an orphan boy with a secret. He shares an apartment with the uncle and from the little description of the apartment they do not own much. Some parts of the story are told in the toy store, book store, movie theater and the mean store owner’s apartment. The description of the buildings and the streets, measure to the pictures used in the book.

I would use this book with students who do not like to read, but are drawn in by the pictures. It helps them to visualize the storyline and use both visual and written clues. This book could be a wonderful jumping off point for kids to explore the world of film outside of contemporary movie designs. It could spark or renew in them the connection between the big screen and the world of dreams. It would also help to have the students write creative children’s stories with pictures as they work towards writing and designing the likes of “The Inventions of Hugo Cabaret.” I would have my students interpret the pictures and feel in what the author does not tell us. Besides the above, this is an ideal book to use with the students to understand life in other places besides their own homes.