The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Whimsy. Captivating. Enchanting. The mixture of words, drawings, and stills to tell a tale like no other will pull you in and hold you until it’s last page.

what a beautiful book. my brother clearly has good taste

“I address you all tonight for who you truly are: wizards, mermaids, travelers, adventurers, and magicians. You are the true dreamers.” Mark this down as: Books I wish I read when I was in middle grade. Not because I didn't enjoy it now (I did) But because in middle grade this heartwarming, whimsical story of a thief, clock keeper and an adventurous, headstrong reader would have changed my life. Because this book is beautiful, and it's unlike so many other childrens books on the market. I've already seen the movie for this book, Hugo. I loved the movie, in fact I've watched it three times because it makes me happy, and because it's just beautiful and because Hugo breaks my heart. I enjoyed the book equally to the movie. What the book loses in the beautiful film setting, it gains in the amazing, whimsical pictures that are scattered throughout the book. I LOVED those pictures - whole chase scenes illustrated in black and white sketch, the images of Hugo and Isabelle, the movies played out before my eyes. It did give the book the vibe of being a silent movie itself, and brought something dreamy and magical to this book. I cannot tell you how much I loved those pictures, they are just gorgeous and bring something to special to this otherwise familiar tale. “It looks like the whole city is made out of stars.” I love the characters in Hugo. Both the children, Hugo and Isabelle truly warm my heart - in the same way the Pevensie children in Narnia do, or the young versions of Harry, Ron and Hermione. Hugo is an immensely sympathetic character, and one you can get behind despite his thieving ways. To me, he has the Harry Potter-ish vibe of just being a really good person and I am drawn to those characters like nobodies business. I pick em' every time. But Hugo also has a unique story that other characters don't have: he lives in a train station, he winds the clocks, he can fix machines and he's incredibly responsible for a 12 year old boy. And he also has the incredibly sad backstory about his father, and his mean uncle and even though it could have made him into a moody #badboy .. it just made him good. Truly, he breaks my heart. Isabelle I also loved. I loved her little quirks, the way she was so abrupt and demanded to know everything. The way she was headstrong and vicious sometimes, and how she wasn't above a little thievery herself. The friendship between Hugo and Isabelle is so cute and sweet and I love that they were able to exist side by side as friends without it ever being an issue. I just think this book is incredibly cute, and the addition of the pictures, plus the fact it is Hugo telling his own story just makes it so magical. I love the plot progression, and I just think it's just an adorable, whimsical tale which can be appreciated at any age. We are never too old to dream <3

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a historical fiction story set in 1931 Paris, revolving around an orphan living in the walls of a train station, who gets wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton that ultimately leads to the rediscovery of lost Georges Méliès films, and Georges himself - receiving the recognition he deserves. Artists, film lovers, Francophiles, and historical fiction enthusiasts will love this strange and endearing picture book hybrid. Selznick's pencil/charcoal based illustrations often play out as if you were watching a film strip and the story is so enchanting and touching

Beautiful read. The end has got me all emotional. Back with a review.

"Dengar, Hugo Cabret. Aku menyuruhmu jauh-jauh dariku. Aku akan menyeretmu ke kantor Polisi Stasiun dan mengurungmu sendiri kalau aku melihatmu lagi. Kau mengerti maksudku?" "Kembalikan buku catatanku...." "Aku akan pulang untuk membakar buku catatanmu." Hugo Cabret, anak laki-laki seorang pemilik toko jam. Sejak kecil Hugo sangat terbiasa dengan mesin dan juga pandai memperbaiki mesin. Suatu hari, Ayahnya membawa pulang mesin paling rumit yang pernah dilihatnya; sebuah automaton. Automaton tersebut diduga bisa menulis karena bentuknya sedang duduk dan memegang sebuah pena. Hugo dan Ayahnya sangat bersemangat untuk memperbaiki benda tersebut dan melihatnya bekerja. "Boneka manusia itu seluruhnya terbuat dari mesin jam dan mesin-mesin lain yang rumit. Sejak pertama Ayahnya memberi tahu tentang benda itu, manusia mesin itu telah menjadi pusat kehidupan Hugo."..... Baca review selengkapnya di: http://thebookielooker.blogspot.com/2...

I really liked this a lot. I don't regret listening to the audiobook, but having read other reviews I've realised that the book promises so much more in terms of pictures and diagrams that go along with the themes and plotline. I will definitely find myself a copy so that I can get the full picture that the author intended. Still, the audiobook was very good. The narrator was not overly dramatic and his portrayal of the different character voices was quite well done (grown men voicing little girls is always iffy, imo). I especially liked that it included soundbits to resemble the chase, or the train station, or music for the really climactic bits. I loved this movie so much that a few years ago, I wrote a paper on it and its use of cinematography (which it won an Academy Award for) for a film class of mine. The book is just as well done, and I look forward to seeing the images once I get hold of a copy.