Margaret Peterson Haddix

Janie's parents move to the suburbs so she can go to a better school, but when she discovers that all the other students are richer than she is, she feels out of place--until she realizes that there are more important things than money.

The Girl with 500 Middle Names

Sarah Sammis

I first heard of The Invention of Hugo Cabret from Dewey. I was taken in with the illustrations she posted and didn't even bother with the plot. It didn't matter to me what the plot was, it was a beautiful graphic novel. I waited though a full year before I bought a copy; the opportunity presented itself during a Scholastic book drive at my son's school.

What I didn't expect from the book (having done no research and not even reading any blurbs or reviews beyond admiring the pretty illustrations) is the sort of personal connection I had with it. The book's big secret has the same emotional ties for me as Tasmania details in The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay. My first clue that this would be a book I will treasure comes at the dedication: "For Remy Charlip and David Serlin." Remy Charlip wrote my all time favorite book of children's poetry, Arm in Arm. The second clue is the author's name: Brian Selznick. He is He is a first cousin, once removed, of David O. Selznick and I'm an ex-film major. 

Hugo Cabret is an orphan who lives between the walls of the Paris train station where he keeps the clocks running. He has inherited an automaton from his father but it needs new parts for fixing. Hugo collects the parts when he can but when his father's notebook is taken away by a grumpy old toy seller Hugo figures he'll never be able to finish his father's project.

That's the set up of part one, told mostly in pictures with a smattering of text and dialogue. Everything clicks into place, with the benefit of a suspension of disbelief at the end of this section. The "what-if" part of the novel comes full force in the second half of this novel.

As it's a graphic novel and heavier on the drawings than on the text, you can easily read the book in the course of an afternoon. I hope though that you will linger over the artwork and let it sink in. For anyone who knows the basics of French film history, the clues are all there. For anyone who doesn't, the author provides the info you need at the end of the book. Knowledge of film history isn't required but for early film buffs The Invention of Hugo Cabret is extra special.

Christine

now i'm going to go read wonderstruck
Selznick is a master artist/writer

Erik Wallace

This book came highly recommended to me and didn't disappoint. The story takes place in Paris during the 1930's and centers around an orphaned boy, Hugo Cabret. Hugo lives hidden, between the walls of a train station and fixes clocks. After finding a museum relic in the ashes of a fire, he sets out to fix his discovery and more importantly, to decipher it's message.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is truly unique and hard to describe. At the story's core are all of the secrets surrounding Hugo and his invention. Adding to the mystery are elements of historical fiction and magic. Even though this book is for a younger audience, the storytelling is a beautiful combination of words, illustrations, photographs and movie stills that are captivating enough to earn universal appeal.

Julia

Audrey Lord

what a beautiful book. my brother clearly has good taste

Emelie

Beautiful story, beautiful drawings and beautifully written!

Mercy K

read this book in middle school and decided to read it again for the heck of it :)

Caroline Lewicki

I read this book as a kid when it first came out and I loved it then...I still adore it now. The text and the pictures intertwine to tell a really beautiful story with some twists and surprises along the way! Still a favorite of mine and one I’ll continue to recommend to young fantasy/history lovers.

Ahaana Bhargava

i read this book a while ago when i brought it from my library, and all i remember is how breathtaking each and every one of the illustrations was, and how they all told a story of their own...

Olivera Mitić

Well, this was very lovely. I'm sure to give this to my kids once I have some.

Destiny J Tamayo

Jade Flynn

“If you've ever wondered where your dreams come from when you go to sleep at night, just look around. This is where they are made."

This review was originally posted on Caity Reads.

This is the story of a twelve year old boy who lives in a train station, keeping their clocks. His live revolves around fixing a mechanical man that his father had been trying to fix before he passed away in a fire. The boy used to live with his uncle in the train station, until his drunk of an uncle disappears one day, leaving him all alone. He continues to keep up the clocks, a position that was held by his uncle. He steals food in the station to keep himself fed, and he steals toys from the toy booth to fix the mechanical man. This book revolves around the introduction of films at the time (post World War II). The mechanical man leads Hugo to meet a few new characters. The man who runs the toy shop, and his goddaughter. Hugo ends up fixing the machine, and while it doesn’t reveal what he expected it too, it opens up another side to the story.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the format of the book as it is told half in words and half in illustrations. The illustrations themselves were absolutely beautiful, but they really added to the story. This is definitely one of those books that I will be shoving into the hands of my future children. Aside from the illustrations, both the characters and the story itself were wonderful also. Hugo is a strong willed boy who wants only one thing in life, to fix the mechanical man that his father did not have the chance to fix. He’s also under a strong hope that perhaps the night he died, his father left him a message in the mechanical man. But it definitely takes a strong character to be twelve years old , an orphan, and to survive on their own.

Overall, I really really loved this book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. It’s a great story about a boy who discovers the truth about something important to him, and ultimately he finds a home and family too.

Akanksha Chattopadhyay

Olivia Balderstone 

I picked up this book many years ago, I am pretty sure I first read it when I was 9 or 8, possibly younger, and it still captivated me now almost a decade later. The story is just as incredible and heartwrenching as what I remember it to be. It is a wonderful story with such incredible illustrations, truly one of a kind.

Abigail F

Quick review:

I originally read this n 6th grade, so being assigned to re-read this in college was interesting. So many details I had either forgotten or was unable to see at that time in my life which are part of the key to appreciating this book. Beautifully hand drawn illustrations add more to the story than words could. The intersection of words and images is interesting in terms of "reading." The major downside of this book is that people can easily skim the images and miss so much.

Dinda

Yeah, I love the mystery, the plot, the characters and enjoyed the illustrations. I don't think the book was perfect, but it draws me in and when I started to read, I can't put it down.

Laura Allen

I really liked the style of this book.I think the mixed between novel and graphic novel was pretty cool. However, this book didn't really have much of a plot, so I'm interested to see how they pulled off the movie. Also there was a plot hole that really bugged me through most of the book.

Yasmin S.

I have no words to describe how much I loved this book. I had only seen the movie long time ago, and I remember loving it, but I didn't expect to fall in love with the book as well and actually love it even more than the film. I'm so glad it found it's way to me! I'll treasure it for the rest of my life. It's definitely on my list of favorites now.

Cailin Duffy

Janet Doré

Don't be intimidated by the size of this book...at least half, if not more, are beautiful black and white illustrations that help tell this wonderful story. Set in Paris in the early 1930's, this is a story about the importance of having a purpose in your life told through the eyes of a young orphan boy. Everyone who I've talked to who has read this book has loved it...this is a must read for young and old alike.

The Girl with 500 Middle Names

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