LSSL 5360: Module 6 -- Realistic Fiction, Fantasy, & Graphic Novels

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

By Brian Selznick

1)    BIBLIOGRAPHY

Selznick, B. (2008). The invention of Hugo Cabret. London: Scholastic.

2)    PLOT SUMMARY

Hugo Cabret is a twelve year old boy living in Paris in 1931.  Hugo’s father was a horologist who owned his own clock shop and worked for a museum too.  One day when he was working in the museum, he discovered an automaton and it became a project of him and his son to get it back in working condition.  Hugo’s father took it apart and documented his progress in notebooks.  One night Hugo’s father accidentally got locked in while he was in the museum and died in a fire.  Hugo was left to live with his drunken Uncle Claude who maintained the clocks at the train station.  He was his uncle’s apprentice and no longer attended school.  His uncle would leave him alone to tend the clocks for long stretches and one time he just never came back.  Hugo wanted to take his chance and run away but ended up in front of the museum.  It’s there that he saw the automaton in the rubble and became determined to fix it back up.  Hugo believed that if he fixed it he would uncover a message from his father.  Through Hugo’s dalliances in thievery and his quest to uncover the message he befriends Isabelle and Etienne who help him discover the background story of the automaton.  Hugo eventually fixes the automaton and discovers that it belongs to Isabelle’s godfather, the old man who runs the toy booth.  Georges Melies is the inventor of the automaton and one of the first filmmakers.  He shares his story with the kids and they start to find many of his lost films.  At the end, George tells the crowd at his screening of movies that Hugo is Professor Alcofrisbas come to life.  Hugo takes on the persona and goes on to create his own automaton that can produce the book we just read and the pictures as well. 

3)    CRITICAL ANALYSIS

I was completely blown away by Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  Selznick has created an entirely unique way of telling a story by blending multiple formats together.  He sets up his story for the reader to imagine a movie is just beginning and they are witnessing it on screen.  His inclusion of 284 different, original drawings gives his novel the feeling of both a picture book and a graphic novel.  Selznick’s black and white drawings allow the reader to feel as if they are watching Hugo’s adventure on the big screen and are a truly phenomenal addition to his story.  Through his drawings he creates a mysterious tone and has the reader hooked on trying to uncover the background stories of the characters.  In several drawings he focuses on the eyes of characters and lets the reader know there’s more to the story than the eye can see.  His character development of Hugo is amazing; he’s on a quest to keep the connection to his father alive and along the way must learn to trust those around him.  Isabelle is uncovering the truth about why she came to live with her godparents and the reason behind their rules.  At the end of the story their bond is strengthened as a result and they even open up their home to Hugo.  The unraveling of Georges’ character is intriguing, and were able to see the pain and suffering he endured at giving up his filmmaker career and living with the ghosts from his past.  Selznick created a wonderful theme in his book, encouraging readers to pursue their dreams and bring them to life.  I fell in love with the line, “you are the true dreamer” when Georges addresses the crowd.  The Invention of Hugo Cabret was a quick, fun read that I’m still in awe of! 

4)    REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Booklist’s Review:  “Selznick’s “novel in words and pictures,” an intriguing mystery set in 1930s Paris about an orphan, a salvaged clockwork invention, and a celebrated filmmaker, resuscitates an anemic genre—the illustrated novel—and takes it to a whole new level. The result is somewhat similar to a graphic novel, but experiencing its mix of silvery pencil drawings and narrative interludes is ultimately more akin to watching a silent film.”  (Reviewed 1/1/07)

Kirkus’ Review:  “Opening with cinematic immediacy, a series of drawings immerses readers in Hugo’s mysterious world. Exquisitely chosen art sequences are sometimes stopped moments, sometimes moments of intense action and emotion. The book, an homage to early filmmakers as dreammakers, is elegantly designed to resemble the flickering experience of silent film melodramas. Fade to black and cue the applause!”  (Reviewed 5/20/10)

5)    CONNECTIONS

o   This is a great book to read aloud with students.  Make sure to take time to show the drawings and have students predict what might happen next and to analyze why the author would include them.  Ask students how the drawings enhance the novel and what feelings they invoke.

§  Have students write their own fantasy story.  Collaborate with the art teacher and have their students illustrate the stories of your students.

§  Have students write about a dream they have and what they aspire to be someday.

o   Other similar stories:

Selznick, Brian.  WONDERSTRUCK  ISBN 9780545027892

Selznick, Brian.  THE MARVELS  ISBN 9780545448680

Martin, Ann M.  THE DOLL PEOPLE  ISBN 9780786812400

Selznick, Brian.  THE HOUDINI BOX  ISBN 9780689844515