Module 3 (Part 2): The Inventions of Hugo Cabret: a Novel in Words and Pictures by Brian Selznick
Citation:
Selznick,
B. (2007). The inventions of Hugo Cabret:
a novel in words and pictures. New York, NY: Scholastic.
Summary:
Hugo
Cabret is a young boy who has lost a lot in his life. He lost his mom,
his dad, and now his only relative he had left, his uncle, passed as well. The
one thing he does have left from his family is the love of machines, which
comes from being from a family of clock makers. Hugo tries to fix his fathers
prized possession, an automaton. This automaton can write, or at least he
thinks it can if only he could get his hands on the parts he needs to fix it.
The story starts with Hugo getting caught stealing by the toymaker whose toys
have all the parts Hugo needs. The toymaker sees Hugo’s
notebook, where the boy keeps the drawings of the automaton; then, threatens to
burn the book. Hugo meets the Shopkeeper’s goddaughter and
together they try to convince the shopkeeper to let Hugo fix this machine.
My thoughts:
The
combination of written story and pictorial story give the book much detail that
would have been missed otherwise. The details of the drawing, the machinery,
the movies at the end, and even some of the action would have made a very
different story without the pictures. This is one of the stories I would
recommend to reluctant readers because it is so enticing.
Professional Review:
“Gr 4-9-With characteristic intelligence,
exquisite images, and a breathtaking design, Selznick shatters conventions
related to the art of bookmaking in this magical mystery set in 1930s Paris. He
employs wordless sequential pictures and distinct pages of text to let the
cinematic story unfold, and the artwork, rendered in pencil and bordered in
black, contains elements of a flip book, a graphic novel, and film. It opens
with a small square depicting a full moon centered on a black spread. As
readers flip the pages, the image grows and the moon recedes. A boy on the run
slips through a grate to take refuge inside the walls of a train station-home
for this orphaned, apprentice clock keeper. As Hugo seeks to accomplish his
mission, his life intersects with a cantankerous toyshop owner and a feisty
girl who won't be ignored. Each character possesses secrets and something of
great value to the other. With deft foreshadowing, sensitively wrought
characters, and heart-pounding suspense, the author engineers the elements of
his complex plot: speeding trains, clocks, footsteps, dreams, and
movies-especially those by Georges Melies, the French pioneer of
science-fiction cinema. Movie stills are cleverly interspersed. Selznick's art
ranges from evocative, shadowy spreads of Parisian streets to penetrating
character close-ups. Leaving much to ponder about loss, time, family, and the
creative impulse, the book closes with a waning moon, a diminishing square, and
informative credits. This is a masterful narrative that readers can literally
manipulate”
Lukehart, W. (2007. The inventions of Hugo
Cabret. School Library Journal, 53 (3).
How to use this in a
library:
This would be a great book to use for a STEAM program. Have the pre-teens create automatons of their own that can be used to draw a picture, like in the book. An example would be one made in this youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU4RVNl_QPw.
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