THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET by BRIAN SELZNICK

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Selznick, Brian. 2005. THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439813786

PLOT SUMMARY

In a Paris train station, orphan boy Hugo Cabret, lives and maintains the station’s clocks which were previously kept by his Uncle who goes missing.  Thieving food to eat, Hugo lurks about the station mysteriously.  He has many secrets which remain hidden in his solidarity until an encounter with a toyshop owner begins to unravel his top secret treasures.  A winding adventure ensues.  The toyshop owner confiscates Hugo’s notebook full of familiar and upsetting drawings.  Hugo befriends the toyshop owner’s goddaughter in an effort to get the notebook back.  He needs it because it holds his father’s drawings of an automaton.  The automaton was originally found by Hugo’s father in a museum attic.  One night his father was working to fix the automaton and a fire broke out and killed him.  Hugo later found the automaton and set a mission to fix it just as his father would have done.  The automaton was made of tiny gears and mechanisms and when they were all working, a key could be inserted and the automaton would write out a message.  Hugo completes the automaton and he watches with his new friend, Isabelle, as a drawing appears instead of a message.  The drawing produced a movie image that reminded Hugo of his father.  The two children are shocked when they noticed the picture was signed by Georges Melies, Isabelle’s godfather.  The two new friends set out to uncover Melies’ hidden past and find that he was a filmmaker during the beginning of the film industry but left it when tragedy struck Isabelle’s parents and they were killed.  In the midst of this journey, Hugo’s uncle is found dead and Hugo’s final theft leads officials to his apartment which reveals the absence of his uncle.  Hugo was taken in by Isabelle’s family and the two friends were able to rekindle Melies’ love of films.      

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Selznick’s fictional portrayal of a desperate young boy is unique and interesting.  A large picture book, over 500 pages, is a well of detailed, yet clear and distinct pencil drawings.  The drawings utilize shading to accentuate important details.  Several photographs are included which are real life photos associated with the nemesis (until the end!) in this book, Georges Melies.  The eye-catching illustrations are used to help move the story along and allow the reader to further process the events taking place.  Selznick’s illustrations are black and white, and the darkness of them sets the mood of the story as being gloomy, depressing, desperate, mysterious, and sad.  The heavy weight of the recycled paper adds to the seriousness of the story.  Though dark and serious, the reader is led through a series of events so exciting that the reader anticipates each new turn and hopes that Hugo’s situation will have a positive outcome. 

REVIEW EXCERPTS

KIRKUS REVIEWS – “The children are drawn together in solving the linked mysteries of the automaton and the identity of the artist, illusionist and pioneer filmmaker, Georges Méliès, long believed dead.”

Starred review in PUBLISHERS WEEKLY – “Here is a true masterpiece—an artful blending of narrative, illustration and cinematic technique, for a story as tantalizing as it is touching.”

CONNECTIONS

*Students can imagine themselves as Hugo Cabret and tell/write what they would do differently and the outcome of their different choice(s).

*When telling the story, the teacher can use the paper bag activity and show artifacts symbolizing Hugo’s interests such as clocks, windup toys, and magic.  Students can participate in a paper bag activity of their own.  They can gather items that represent hobbies that they enjoy and present them to the class. 

*In Art class, the teacher could have students draw a black pencil drawing of themselves or a hobby.  On the back, during the core class, the student could write about the drawing and its connection to the story.  Afterwards, the students could put their pages together and create a class book of black pencil drawings. 

*In Speech/Teen Leadership-type class, students could evaluate the first impressions left by Hugo and Georges.  Class could discuss the inaccuracies of the first impression and the evolution from the poor first impression to reality. 

*If applicable, students could write about a tragedy in their own life and ways/things they use in order to cope.