The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Synopsis:
The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick, is the story of a young orphaned boy struggling to survive in Paris at the turn of the 20th century.  Since his father and uncle died, Hugo has been running the clocks at the Paris train station.  Poor and alone, Hugo spends most of his time working on his automaton and inspecting his father's notebook; the last remaining pieces of his father's legacy.  When Hugo meets Isabelle, the goddaughter of the toy booth owner, Hugo begins to unravel the mystery of the automaton.  Hugo and Isabelle work together to mend and unlock the automaton.  When Isabelle steals a key from her godmother, Hugo knows that is the one missing piece to make his automaton work.  When they insert the key, the automaton draws a picture.  This picture leads to the discovery of who her godfather really is.  Together, Isabelle and Hugo discover that her godfather was a famous director and made hundreds of movies.  By the novel's end, Hugo has discovered that his father did in fact leave a message in the automaton for him - to dream and believe in yourself.

Idea for Lesson Plan:
As a teacher, I would use this book to supplement a lesson on fiction writing.  Each student would write a short story and incorporate pictures throughout.  Similar to the technique Selznick used in The Invention of Hugo Cabret, my students would imitate this through their story stories.  The illustrations would show that sometimes a picture says more than words can describe.

Critique:
Hugo Cabret, a twelve-year-old Parisian boy, lives in the walls of Paris' train station tending to the various clocks.  Hugo is a tenacious, brave young boy.  After the death of his father and uncle, Hugo continues to maintain the clocks despite his desperate financial state, and courageously does what he can to keep his father's legacy alive via  the automaton. Because of Hugo's deep desire to fix the automaton, the reader develops a fondness toward Hugo.  By stealing from the toy booth, Hugo disregards his fear of being caught for the bigger reward of fixing the automaton.  It is through this spirit of determination that the reader begins to care for Hugo.
The plot of The Invention of Hugo Cabret is constantly leading to more revelations with each conflict resolution. When Isabelle and Hugo unlock the automaton, they discover the drawing that leads to further discovery.  Through the drawing, and specifically the signature at the bottom, Hugo and Isabelle discover that Isabelle's godfather was a famous movie maker.  The automaton drew a picture of Hugo's father's favorite movie - a movie that Isabelle's godfather made.  Through this discovery, Hugo realizes the magic in life and dedicates his life to creating magic.
This 525 page book is full of interesting text coupled with detailed illustrations and real pictures.  Selznick's technique of using illustrations to supplement the text, enhances the "silent movie-esque" style of the novel.  The use of drawings makes the reader use his or her imagination and bring their own view to the story.  Similar to the viewing of  a movie, each person brings differing perspectives which can affect their interpretation of the story.  Selznick has successfully captured a "moving picture" in a novel.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret. ISNB-13: 978-0-439-81378-5. Brian Selznick. 2007. National Book Award Finalist. Ages 12+. Fiction.  Historical Fiction.