"Stories Lead to other Stories"

The Invention of Hugo Cabret. ISBN-10:0-439-81378-6. Brian Selznick. 2007. The Caldecott Medal. Age 9-12.

Synopsis

A young 12 year old boy's life takes an unexpected turn for the worst, he scarcely realizes that he has set out on a journey that will give meaning to his life. Hugo's life changes suddenly when his father is killed in a fire inside of the museum he works at. Before his death he introduces Hugo to the automaton (mechanical man) he had been working on.

Hugo is forced to move with his drunken uncle who mistreats the boy and makes him quit school. When his uncle disappears, Hugo resorts to stealing for survival which is where he meets Melies Georges and his goddaughter Isabelle. It is when Melies Georges takes Hugo's notebook away that the journey really begins.

Hugo will stop at nothing to get the notebook back. He goes to work for Georges in hopes that he will give him his notebook back (meanwhile he has found the automaton that his father had been working on in the pile of ruble of the museum). Isabelle ends up helping Hugo by steeling the notebook from her godfather. It is then they discover what the automaton's message had been. It was not only a message from Hugo's father, but a cry for help from Georges.

Hugo ends up going to a cinema library where he discovers that his fathers message (a picture from a movie his father had loved as a child) had been created by Georges. Georges had been amongst the first film makers, and he was greatly admired. Then Hugo and Isabelle make it there mission to reintroduce Georges to his long lost love of film making. In the end Hugo not only helps Georges rediscover himself, he also finds his calling.

Discussion Topics
1. Movies and the invention of dreams
2. Historical Fiction
3. Right vs. Wrong
4. Art/movies and the ability of a picture to tell the story.

Critique

I loved this book! In the beginning the author makes the characters remarkably mysterious, (using tactics like not giving us there names or purposes) which makes the reader eager to find out what will happen next. Then once they are introduced they all have intricate personalities, especially Hugo and Isabelle. Hugo is a sweet smart boy who's purpose is "fixing things" according to Isabelle. Hugo is very good at fixing things. He even "fixes" Papa Georges in the end.

I love the format. The book looks like a movie, although that might not be entirely clear to the reader until the theme of movies is introduced, but then it all makes sense. It as if the reader had been watching a movie all along. The pictures are absolutely gorgeous!

There were a few themes in this book, but I really like the fact that it is loosely based on a real person that had really experimented with the creation of automata. I also like the theme of movies and how they "invent dreams." I agree very much and have always been very passionate about movies for this reason.

There are several themes that can be discussed with children throughout this book. They can discuss the history behind the book (who is Melies Georges and what did he do). Students can discuss movies and how they "invent dreams." They can discuss right vs. wrong (was it right or wrong for Hugo to steal if he was doing it for survival? Was it wrong Of Georges to take Hugo's notebook? Was it wrong of Isabelle to steal it back?) They can also discuss historical fiction and its purpose.