Book Review

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznik

Synopsis: A boy in 1930's Paris lives among the clocks in the train station. He keeps them running and hopes no one will find him. In his spare time he tinkers with mechanical devices and learns about magic tricks and film, all while working on a secret project. Along the way he meets some interesting characters who will shape his future.

Readability: Super quick, but completely enthralling. This is essentially a children's (or juvenile) graphic novel, thought I'm not sure it fits the description perfectly...but who cares. The pictures are FANTASTIC! Anyway, it's a quick read because most of the book is pictures. When I first started reading, I had a hard time letting myself get into the pictures because I'm *such* a grown up, but once you get going, the flow is perfect.

Predictability: Well. I thought I had it all figured out. I kind of knew where we were going, until the last line, which completely floored me. Until I got to the end of the book, I kept thinking, "Ok, this is cute...what's the big deal?" And then I read the last line, which broke my heart open and crawled inside where it will stay forever and ever. It's not often that I love a book like this. Like I'll never forget it.
Couldn't Put it Down Factor: I read the whole thing in two hours. So there you have it.
Recommend it?: YES! Go get it right now. It won the Caldecott Medal and was turned into a movie for a reason. (Side note: did you know the movie Hugo was based on this novel? I had no idea until one of my co-workers asked me about it.)

Overall Rating: Five stars. LOVED IT.