The invention of Hugo Cabret : a novel in words and pictures /
by Brian Selznick.
- First edition.
- 533 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm.
Art techniques used: Black and white pencil drawings that are photographic and cinematic in style. Some sequences operate like a flick book becoming animated like a movie.
Includes bibliographical references.
A brief introduction / Professor H. Alcofrisbas -- The thief -- The clocks -- Snowfall -- The window -- Hugo's father -- Ashes -- Secrets -- Cards -- The key -- The notebook -- Stolen goods -- The message -- part 2. The signature -- The armoire -- The plan -- The invention of dreams -- Papa Georges made movies -- Purpose -- The visit -- Opening the door -- The ghost in the station -- A train arrives in the station -- The magician -- Winding it up.
When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toyseller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized. Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks - like the gears of the clocks he keeps - with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the train station, Hugo's undercover life and his most precious secret are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.
820L Lexile.
Caldecott Medal, 2008 National Book Awards finalist (Young People's Literature), 2007 Kentucky Bluegrass Award, 2008