The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Mysterious, heartfelt, and exciting, The Invention of Hugo Cabret is sure to get the cogs turning in your head. The story centers around an orphan named Hugo who maintains the clocks in a French train station. Nobody knows that he exists, and he wants to keep it that way to avoid being sent to an orphanage. Hugo has a mechanical man who he is fixing up using stolen parts from a toy booth in the station because he believes that once the mechanical man is fixed it will deliver him a message from his father. His journey to repair the automaton soon unfolds into a much bigger mystery than he thought - one that involves many other people from across the world. Well written and with gorgeous illustrations, this book is a great pick for just about anyone.

AGE RANGE INTERMEDIATE

THEMES

Clockwork

Movies

History

France

Mystery

OVERALL RATING 9.2/10

This book is absolutely wonderful! The text is very well written, the chapters are just the right length for tweens, and the illustrations are a whole story in themselves.

PROS

Good intriguing plot

Engaging

Heartfelt

Great illustrations

Good chapter length

CONS

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