Dwelling alone in the walls of a busy 1931 train station in France, Hugo Cabret is an orphan, a thief, and a clockmaker, living a lonely life. When Hugo finds his father’s old automaton, Hugo uses his knowledge of clocks, gears and his father’s old notebook to try to rebuild it. He dreams that the automaton has a message from his dead father, telling him more.
He decides he needs to thieve gears from the toy shop for necessary parts to the automaton, and when Hugo is caught stealing, his precious notebook are taken by the old, grumpy, owner. Even without his notebook, he tries to fix the automaton. Desperate to get his notebook back, he offers to work for his book.
Hugo is drawn to a bookshop, where he meets a bookworm, Isabelle, who promises to get the notebook back. The unlikely friends have good times together, until a single thievery leads to messes of lies and secrets tear them apart. Through the accusations, Hugo fixes the automaton, and a mystery of an important secret is revealed involving everyone around him. As he struggles to find sense in the mystery, and as many more lies and secrets unfurl, he discovers himself along the way.
Brian Selznick blends pictures and words to create a wonderful story in an interesting creation. It is the first novel to win the Caldecott Medal.
Good for: Ages 10 & up
