The Invention of Hugo Cabret

WOW! This was the most exciting book to read. I couldn't wait to read The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick ever since I heard about it at a conference last spring. The presenter showed us pictures from the book on a document camera and it looked amazing. When I got a sizable amount of money to build my classroom library this year, I decided to get a copy of Hugo Cabret even though it was a lot more expensive than most of the books I was getting. My boxes from Amazon came in right before the start of the school year, so I didn't have a chance to read it. I reluctantly put it on the shelf. Even though it sounds horrible, I was sad to check it out to a student last week. I know, I know. As a teacher I should be thrilled to check out a book to anyone excited to read but I was dying to read it and thought I hope nothing happens to it (as great books often disappear)! I was shocked when the student brought the 500+ page book back in about a week.

As I flew through the book I realized how it was possible to finish the book so rapidly. This week in the four days of a half an hour SSR I got to page 458. I couldn't stand to leave it over the weekend for SSR next week, so I brought it home and finished up the rest. I had high expectations for the book, and I was definitely not disappointed.

Here are some of the reasons why I thoroughly loved the book:
1. Selznick decided to tell the story through both pictures and words. Here's what Selznick said about the style in his letter to readers on the Amazon link, "[...] unlike most novels, the images in my new book don't just illustrate the story; they help tell it." I loved the combination. Every time I saw a page with a little bit of text in the center of the page, I knew another picture was coming up and I couldn't wait to get through the text to see what surprise would be waiting in the form of visual imagery.
2. Did I say I loved the pictures? Alright, I know that was my #1 reason, but there was so much to love about the pictures, a mixture of drawings and original early movie pictures. It was amazing to see how many of the pictures panned in from large scheme to small details. My very favorite picture is on pages 482-483. I don't want to give away the plot, but there is brilliant contrast between black and white in this endearing scene.
3. There is a black border around all of the text pages that framed the pages well. It was a constant reminder that this book is different. Although I would not want to have every book be like that, it was perfect for this unique book.
4. The story was captivating. Many levels of a mysterious plot are constantly unveiled. I couldn't figure out why the book was called The Invention of Hugo Cabret because while Hugo was a central character, he did was not the inventor of the most interesting focal point in the book, the automaton. However, the last pages answered my question and made for the perfect ending of the book.
5. Last, I was excited to see glimpses into the author's craft in the acknowledgments. Especially with writer's workshop and trying to get readers to create a mindfulness to read like writers and write like readers, I always love to have craft ideas straight from authors. Selznick explains how a book that heavily inspired the book. He mentions how factual information merged with his imagination in order to create this story. The concept will be fun to discuss with my students next week.

A handful of my students have already read it, and I bet that it will be passed around a lot this year among other students who have yet to read it. The students who have read it came from a wide variety of backgrounds and had nothing but positive comments to say about the book. I can't wait to book talk this book and discuss its uniqueness. Selznick clearly let his creativity show in this book.

(This is the 2nd book I have read for the Book Awards Reading Challenge.)