The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Module 2)

Summary
Hugo, an orphaned boy, runs the clocks in a Parisian train station. His only connection to his father, who died tragically, is an automaton- like a robot. His father left behind this automaton that seems to be able to write, yet it is broken. Hugo begins stealing from the toy maker in the train station as an attempt to repair the automaton and is caught. He begins working for the man, Georges, and befriends his daughter, Isabelle. Together the two of them get the automaton to work and it draws a wonderful picture. This leads them to the movies and a wonderful secret about Georges that has been hidden for many years.

Suggested Activities
This book is a wonderful way to show older children, perhaps 4th-8th grade, how powerful pictures are in addition to a story. I think this story is made great because of it's wonderful pictures. And it would be a wonderful way to discuss the use of color with more advanced students, or even older students, since the whole book is in black and white. I would like to use this book as an example for the power of pictures combined with story and then have the students write their own story with powerful pictures. I think that would be a wonderful activity for students to do inside or outside of the classroom, maybe in a book club.

Reviews

Brian Selznick has created a bit of an anomaly: though his book is a blend of visual and textual narrative, it isn't a graphic novel, it is hundreds of pages longer than the average picture book, and the term "illustrated novel" doesn't really address its particular nature. Specifically, unlike most of the books in any of the three aforementioned formats, the drawings and text in this novel work not in synchronous partnership but rather sequentially, with the story handed off from pages of text to pages of visual narrative, resulting in something that evokes an intricate and tension-filled silent movie.

These alternating narrative media tell the story of twelve-year-old orphan Hugo, a boy who desperately misses his recently deceased father and who struggles to hold his life together after a new tragedy, the disappearance and likely death of his uncle, Hugo's guardian. Hugo had been acting as an apprentice to his uncle, learning to set the clocks in a Paris train station; as long as he keeps the clocks set properly, suggesting his uncle's continued presence, he can hide the fact that he is now living alone, stealing food to survive, and scavenging bits of machinery to pursue his dream: the restoration of a complex automaton that his father had found in a museum. At first, Hugo works from a notebook of diagrams that his father left behind, but after this is taken from him by an irate toymaker who catches Hugo stealing, he eventually discovers that he is talented enough to continue without it. The story also hints at broader mysteries with curious connections: the toymaker immediately recognizes the sketches of the automaton, a necklace worn by the toymaker's granddaughter is the last item needed by Hugo to complete the restoration, and the drawing that the automaton eventually produces has a dramatic impact on all of the characters.

Far from feeling coincidental or forced, however, the plot unfolds in satisfying layers, like a dramatic mystery film. And indeed, the careful pacing, heavy black frames that outline each page, and the sequential views that zoom in on a single image produce a remarkable cinematic effect. The nearly 300 pages of elegant pencil drawings, most combined in pages-long sequences, pick up where the text leaves off and sweep the reader along until the story is picked up again in words, sometimes twenty pages and several scenes later. The film influences are apparent in both the plot (the toymaker is the prolific filmmaker George Méliès, considered the father of science fiction movies) and in the visual images, several of which are photographed stills from Méliès' movies.

Avi's elegant Silent Movie (BCCB 4/03) recently explored this alluring genre, and Selznick ably picks up the thread, offering an engaging novel and intriguing end matter (author's note, film credits, and further reading list) that all but guarantee interest in the subject of silent film. It may well elicit some rather unexpected library requests for more information on early twentieth-century filmmaking; better yet, any library lucky enough to still have 16mm films in their collection will be perfectly equipped to offer young readers a rare glimpse into the quirkiness, beauty, and near magic of early moving pictures.

Dspite that sophisticated artistry, this remains a book firmly and appealingly intended for its young target audience. True, adults are likely to find it intriguing, and they will enjoy some of the subtleties that kids may miss (Remy Charlip posing as Georges Méliès, for example). However, the pacing, plot, and characters are all geared to young readers, who will find Hugo, the intrepid orphan racing against time and toward his goals, as compelling as the artistic tribute to cinema and forgotten filmic geniuses. Nor are they likely to mind the book's multiple layers; instead, they'll appreciate the ambition, embrace the complies, and revel in the rare experience of an original and creative integration of art and text. 

Spisak, A.Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Volume 60, Number 8, April 2007, pp. 321-322 (Article)

Published by The Johns Hopkins University Press DOI: 10.1353/bcc.2007.0234

My Thoughts
 A few months ago, I watched the first half of the movie version on Netflix and it just didn't hold my interest. I got up and left half way through to read a book! (My father on my other hand was very engrossed. He loved the movie. I believe he said, "This is a masterpiece! Does anyone else know how wonderful this is??")
I was hesitant to read the book, but my fathers rave reviews stuck in my head and I wanted to see if I could agree with his claims of a master piece.
I enjoyed the story. But I found myself racing towards the pictures and then staring at them for minutes at a time. It felt like the pictures told the real story of Hugo and Isabelle.  They were captivating for being so simple and in black and white. It seemed every time something crucial was happening the pictures explained in all, and explained it so well.

What I really loved though was the story of Papa Georges and his movie making career. It was such a surprising detail that created such a strong ending to the story. I was also surprised to learn Georges was a real person, too! I will need to do more research on his history!
Bibliography
Selznick, B. (2007). The invention of Hugo Cabret, a novel in words and pictures. Scholastic.