Books : The Invention of Hugo Cabret

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A Letter from Brian Selznick

Dear readers,

When I was a kid, two of my favorite books were by an amazing man named Remy Charlip. Fortunately and Thirteen fascinated me in part because, in both books, the very act of turning the pages plays a pivotal role in telling the story. Each turn reveals something new in a way that builds on the image on the previous page. Now that I’m an illustrator myself, I’ve often thought about this dramatic storytelling device and all of its creative possibilities.

My new book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, is a 550 page novel in words and pictures. But unlike most novels, the images in my new book don't just illustrate the story; they help tell it. I've used the lessons I learned from Remy Charlip and other masters of the picture book to create something that is not a exactly a novel, not quite a picture book, not really a graphic novel, or a flip book or a movie, but a combination of all these things.

I began thinking about this book ten years ago after seeing some of the magical films of Georges Méliès, the father of science-fiction movies. But it wasn’t until I read a book called Edison's Eve: The Quest for Mechanical Life by Gaby Woods that my story began to come into focus. I discovered that Méliès had a collection of mechanical, wind-up figures (called automata) that were donated to a museum, but which were later destroyed and thrown away. Instantly, I imagined a boy discovering these broken, rusty machines in the garbage, stealing one and attempting to fix it. At that moment, Hugo Cabret was born.

A few years ago, I had the honor of meeting Remy Charlip, and I'm proud to say that we've become friends. Last December he was asking me what I was working on, and as I was describing this book to him, I realized that Remy looks exactly like Georges Méliès. I excitedly asked him to pose as the character in my book, and fortunately, he said yes. So every time you see Méliès in The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the person you are really looking at is my dear friend Remy Charlip, who continues to inspire everyone who has the great pleasure of knowing him or seeing his work.

Paris in the 1930's, a thief, a broken machine, a strange girl, a mean old man, and the secrets that tie them all together... Welcome to The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

Yours,

Brian Selznick

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Brian Selznick on a 'Deleted Scene' from The Invention of Hugo Cabret

This is a finished drawing that I had to cut from The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I was still rewriting the book when I had to begin the final art. There was originally a scene in the story where this character, Etienne, is working in a camera shop. On one of my research trips to Paris I spent an entire day visiting old camera shops and photographing cameras from the 1930's and earlier, as well as the facades of the shops themselves. I researched original French camera posters and made sure that the counter and the shelves were accurate to the time period. I did all the drawings in the book at 1/4 scale, so they were very small and I often had to use a magnifying glass to help me see what I was drawing. After I finished this drawing I continued to rewrite, and for various reasons I realized that I needed to move this scene from the camera shop to the French Film Academy, which meant that I had to cut this picture. I tried really hard to find ANOTHER moment when I could have Etienne in a camera shop, but, as painful as it was, I knew the picture had to go. I'm glad to see it up on the Amazon website because otherwise no one would have ever seen all those tiny cameras I researched and drew so carefully!

--Brian Selznick

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating:

Rating: - Satisfied
Product a little slow in coming but within stated estimated time-frame. Book was in great condition.

Rating: - ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC BOOK!!!
This book is incredible!! I saw it while volunteering in my granddaughter's 3rd grade classroom and because it was so unique in its design and illustration, I took it home to read with the teacher's permission and total recommendation (it was one of his favorite books). What a treat I was in for - not only are the pictures so incredibly detailed, but the story is fascinating. I couldn't believe this was a children's book....and in reality, it's a book for any age. It quickly became one of my ... Read More

Rating: - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Dear Reader,

I recommend this book to anyone who likes a realistic book. Hugo Cabret is a twelve-year-old boy who loves to invent things. His father died in a fire, no one knows how the fire got started and from then on he lived with his drunken uncle in a clock tower. Hugo's uncle keeps the clock towers working, and one day he left and never came back. Hugo never said anything to anyone about his uncle leaving. He made ... Read More

Rating: - The most unique approach yet for a picture book....A+++
I loved every part of the book. I heard that the book was good and once I read it, it blew me away. The best picture books are when the author and the illustrator are the same person. I read the book in one sitting and then went back to look closer at the pictures. At this point, this is my favorite picture book.

Rating: - Hugo Cabret
Hugo Cabret
By Brian Selznick

In the dark and gloomy clockworks of a Parisian train station, lives a poor boy, Hugo, and his father, an inventor. But when a horrible tragedy occurs, Hugo must fend for himself and work the clockworks alone. He must steal to survive. When Hugo finds an unfinished invention, he feels the strengthening need to finish ... Read More

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