"The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick

“The Invention of Hugo Cabret” by Brian Selznick is a wonderful book that I would highly recommend to anyone who wants a light, enjoyable YA read.

The novel is about a young boy who has turned to thievery to support himself. But then he finds a mysterious clockwork automaton, and everything in his life begins to change. Secret messages, and eccentric characters are featured in the refreshingly unique and intriguing plot.

What is most interesting about this novel, though, is that Selznick has combined elements of the traditional novel with features more typically associated with a graphic novel or a film. By interspersing the novel’s text and chapters with sequences of related images, Selznick shows events as they happen, much as movie film shows action. For example, there is a 36 page stretch of black and white sketches depicting a stunning chase scene. I found the effect to be visually gratifying and memorable.

Unfortunately the numerous pictures make the 500+ page book a very quick read. It only took me about 30 minutes to read the book from cover to cover. However short my reading experience might have been, however, I could tell that Brian Selznick put a great deal of time and effort into creating “The Invention of Hugo Cabret.”

I would highly recommend reading the story for yourself so that you can experience this marvelous book. Also, the book’s interesting plot and easy to read style would make it a great gift to any reluctant young readers.

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Inkweaver Review 2008-02-28T10:13:00-06:00

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