The Invention of Hugo Cabret
by Brian Selznick© 2003, 550 pages Level 5 (all about levels)Amazon Reviews
Don't let the length of this book scare you away. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a story told in words and pictures, so a large portion of the pages are illustrations that contribute to the plot. And what illustrations they are! Author/Illustrator Brian Selznick won the Caldecott Medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret, a fascinating mixture that he describes as, "not a exactly a novel, not quite a picture book, not really a graphic novel, or a flip book or a movie, but a combination of all these things." It's really worth experiencing this book simply for the groundbreaking format, but it's also a creative novel that weaves in mystery, history, and suspense. So what's it about? It's a hard plot to summarize, but it involves an orphaned boy who lives in the unseen world behind the walls of a Paris train station. Add one clever girl, an old man, a stolen key, and a hidden message, and you've got a very interesting read!
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