Hugo Cabret

	The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Return to Book Reviews		I will admit that I do judge a book by its cover - I need to get over it. Otherwise, I will miss out on hidden treasures like The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Seznick. I am not mechanically inclined. I can barely turn a screwdriver. The word "invention" scared me away. I immediately thought I was going to read boring details about some kind of invention that I knew I would not understand. Boy, was I wrong. Do not let the size fool you. It is a thick book. But, Brian Seznick, a Caldecott winner, combines original drawings and historical pictures to create not only an interesting read, but also a visual masterpiece.

Set in 1931, Selznick mixes history with fiction. Hugo, the son of a clock maker, lives with his neglectful uncle in a train station maintaining the clocks. One day Hugo finds an old notebook with his dead father's belongings. In the notebook he finds an intriguing drawing. His search for the inspiration behind the drawing sets Hugo on an adventure. The mystery begins with the notebook and ends with Georges Melies, a real-life French filmmaker who fictitiously now works in the train station. Each page has a black border as if the reader were watching a movie screen. Further, when the words end the pictures take over. The black and white pencil drawings effectively advance the story. The pictures zoon in and out creating the feel of watching a movie in a theater. Paying homage to early filmmaking, Selznick also includes vintage pictures of films such as A Trip to the Moon. Completing this masterpiece, Selznick infuses history into the novel. He prints the book using a 12-point Monotype Bulmer font. The font, named after William Bulmer, was an eighteenth-century English printer. The paper is 80# Finch Opaque Vellum that is thread-sewn in 16-page signatures. Needless to say, the novel is visually and physically stunning. Brian Selznick does not stop with just telling a story. He creates an experience. Without neglecting a single detail, Selznick weaves magic into every thread-sewn page. Educators will love this book; the history alone lends itself for use in the classroom. This novel reaches the casual reader, the fan of graphic novels, film buffs and yes, the not-so-mechanically inclined.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret
by Brian Selznick

I will admit that I do judge a book by its cover - I need to get over it. Otherwise, I will miss out on hidden treasures like The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Seznick. I am not mechanically inclined. I can barely turn a screwdriver. The word "invention" scared me away. I immediately thought I was going to read boring details about some kind of invention that I knew I would not understand. Boy, was I wrong. Do not let the size fool you. It is a thick book. But, Brian Seznick, a Caldecott winner, combines original drawings and historical pictures to create not only an interesting read, but also a visual masterpiece.

Set in 1931, Selznick mixes history with fiction. Hugo, the son of a clock maker, lives with his neglectful uncle in a train station maintaining the clocks. One day Hugo finds an old notebook with his dead father's belongings. In the notebook he finds an intriguing drawing. His search for the inspiration behind the drawing sets Hugo on an adventure. The mystery begins with the notebook and ends with Georges Melies, a real-life French filmmaker who fictitiously now works in the train station.

Each page has a black border as if the reader were watching a movie screen. Further, when the words end the pictures take over. The black and white pencil drawings effectively advance the story. The pictures zoon in and out creating the feel of watching a movie in a theater. Paying homage to early filmmaking, Selznick also includes vintage pictures of films such as A Trip to the Moon.

Completing this masterpiece, Selznick infuses history into the novel. He prints the book using a 12-point Monotype Bulmer font. The font, named after William Bulmer, was an eighteenth-century English printer. The paper is 80# Finch Opaque Vellum that is thread-sewn in 16-page signatures. Needless to say, the novel is visually and physically stunning. Brian Selznick does not stop with just telling a story. He creates an experience. Without neglecting a single detail, Selznick weaves magic into every thread-sewn page.

Educators will love this book; the history alone lends itself for use in the classroom. This novel reaches the casual reader, the fan of graphic novels, film buffs and yes, the not-so-mechanically inclined.