The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Author      Brian Selznick
Genre:   Historical Fiction
Pages: 526




 The Invention of Hugo Caberet is about a boy who tends to all the clocks in a Paris train station,  keeping them wound and working properly. He is an orphan, a clock keeper, and a thief. Hugo lives secretly and tries to survive in the train station. When he meets a bitter old toy shop man and a bookish girl, Hugo's life and precious secrets are put in danger.


I rate this book 4 out of 5. It gives a lot of lessons about being able to accomplish what you put your mind to and has beautiful black and white charcoal pictures. I understand why it got a gold medal award. This book is  different then other books because instead of reading the story, many of the pages are told through the pictures. I personally, needed to look close and study the drawings in order to understand the whole story.

This book has been made into a movie; however, I haven't seen it yet. Below is the link to the trailer.

 

Below are three of my favourite quotes from The Invention of Hugo Cabret that I believe are very true and something to think about.  

Quote #1

“I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.” 

Quote #2

“Did you ever notice that all machines are made for some reason?" he asked Isabelle. "They are built to make you laugh, like the mouse here, or to tell the time, like clocks, or to fill you with wonder like the automaton. Maybe that's why a broken machine always makes me a little sad, because it isn't able to do what it was made to do." Isabelle picked up the mouse, wound it again, and set it down. "Maybe it's the same with people," Hugo continued. "If you lose your purpose...it's like you're broken.”

Quote # 3 


“Time can play all sorts of tricks on you. In the blink of an eye, babies appear in carriages, coffins disappear into the ground, wars are won and lost, and children transform, like butterflies, into adults.”


I recommend The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It`s a different style 
that is a great book choice!