Invention of Hugo Cabret

What a wonderful book! My daughter loved it so much it has been dubbed as her favorite book ever tied with "The doll people " which was subsequently also illustrated by Brian Selznick As she began reading this novel she was taken in by the images which "told the story without words" She was fascinated how his artwork could add so much to the story itself and how she was able to carry those images with her as she read It is no wonder it was a winner of the Caldecott award in 2008 But it is so much more than a picture book It tells a complex story of a boy alone in a cruel world trying to survive and driven by a need to fix a broken machine of his dead father's There is mystery and suspense It is a tale of determination friendship compassion and strength I would highly recommend this book for kids from 9-14 as well as adults It is a thought provoking read while learning a little history There is so much more you can do with this book to expand the learning process It not only kept my daughter entertained but also got her motivated to do her own research on Georges Meilies a real life movie maker who appeared as a character in this book I love that this book was a launching pad for her to learn more about researching information and just instilling a desire to investigate and learn She also used this book as a means of evaluating and expanding her own drawing style She loved the artwork and noticed the techniques used to create such wonderful illustrations- lighting shading etc She then tried to incorporate more of these techniques into her own drawings So much came out of this one book for my daughter It is a book that can be enjoyed over and over again!