Lit Picks and Tech Tips

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

RL 5.1 

“ORPHAN, CLOCK KEEPER, AND THIEF, twelve-year-old Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric girl and the owner of a small toy booth in the train station, Hugo’s undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message all come together…in The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  

This 526-page book is told in both words and pictures. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is not exactly a novel, and it’s not quite a picture book, and it’s not really a graphic novel, or a flip book, or a movie, but a combination of all these things. Each picture (there are nearly three hundred pages of pictures!) takes up an entire double page spread, and the story moves forward because you turn the pages to see the next moment unfold in front of you.”- review from author’s website 

Cindy’s Two-Cents Worth:

I talked to a few teachers about this book after school on Friday in the book fair room when they were asking me for recommendations for their wish lists. Since I won’t see many of you to tell you about this book in person before you go to the book fair, I thought it would be best to share it with you via the blog.  

I think that The Invention of Hugo Cabret is truly a unique book worth checking out. It will appeal to kids who tend to want to read and carry around a “big” book like Harry Potter, but who can’t really read such large books on their own. Most of this book is pictures, so the text part of the story is very accessible to the kids. I think they will be intrigued by the presentation of the story. It is very cinematic, and the story has enough mystery and intrigue that it keeps them reading. Though it is a fiction story, it is based somewhat on a real person, Georges Méliès, who made the first science fiction movie.  

This book is at our book fair this year, and I would suggest putting it on your wish list. Because it is a large, hardcover book, it comes with a large price tag ($22.99), but it is well worth the money. I do own two copies of the book in the library, but it is hard to get your hands on it because of its popularity with the kids. J  

Online Resources

The Invention of Hugo Cabret – Author’s Website
http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/index.htm 

Answers from Brian Selznick
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18725446/ 

Al Roker’s Book Club – Hugo Cabret
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/18179145/ 

NPR Story on Hugo Cabret
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7114977 

Video Interview with Brian Selznick
http://www.expandedbooks.com/book.php?bookid=180 

Video of A Trip to the Moon
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2872403246769762863&q=a+trip+to+the+moon 

About Georges Méliès
http://www.mshepley.btinternet.co.uk/melies.htm