BOOK GROUPIE: 'The Invention of Hugo Cabret' a good read

Leaves and temperatures are falling. It’s the perfect time of year to snuggle with your family and read a good book. My current favorite for best family read-aloud is Brian Selznick’s “The Invention of Hugo Cabret.”

When first setting eyes on "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," you'll think I'm crazy. At more than 500 pages, it may look intimidating. Flip through the pages, though, and you’ll discover a good portion of the book is actually illustrations.

These gorgeous illustrations earned Selznick the Caldecott Medal in 2008, quite a feat considering the medal is usually awarded to authors of picture books, and “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” is clearly a chapter book. Like me, I’m sure the Caldecott Committee was impressed with both Selznick’s artistic talent and his ability to weave his illustrations into the story seamlessly.

The story is historical fiction. Set in Paris in the 1930s, the book follows an orphan boy, Hugo, who is secretly thrust into the position of clock keeper in a Paris train station. When not working on the station’s numerous clocks or plundering food, Hugo repairs an automaton — a self-operating mechanical figure — with which Hugo’s father was once obsessed. Hugo uses his father’s notebook to guide him through the intricacies.

While repairing the machine, Hugo is in need of spare mechanical parts and steals some from the train station’s toy store owner, Georges Méliès. Méliès catches Hugo and takes Hugo’s notebook. So begins a story with twists, turns and a beautiful ending.

While Hugo is a fictional character, Méliès (pronounced mel-YEZ) is a real person of historical significance. Méliès was a famous filmmaker who worked in the early 1900s. He is perhaps most noted for "A Trip to the Moon," the world's first science fiction movie. Selznick maintains the historical accuracy of Melies' role.

Selznick traveled to Paris and found illustrations of the home's exterior that are included in the book.

I imagine families reading "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" will also enjoy visiting the book's official Web site and learning more about Selznick's research. There are great links from the site, including one showing "A Trip to the Moon."

A movie based on “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” is due to be released next year, offering families an opportunity to extend the literary experience.

 
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Anita Miller welcomes your book
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