The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Selznick, Brian. Scholastic Press (January 30, 2007).
*Appropriate for Grades 3-6*

This is a 550-page book, which uses both words and illustrations to convey meaning. I believe that Selznick gives the best description of his work when he states that it is, "not 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."

Our main character, the orphaned Hugo Cabret, is a twelve-year old boy living inside a Paris train station. With a talent for working mechanical objects, Hugo secretly keeps the station clocks running in a timely fashion, while he lives off of the scraps of others. Hugo leads a lonely life, and spends each day studying a mechanical automaton, left behind with a book of drawings by his late father. It is Hugo's greatest desire to fix the automaton, which he believes will scroll out a secret message. He continues on this quest as his life becomes entwined with a bitter, old shopkeeper, a bookish young girl, and a one-eyed man.

• The Invention of Hugo Cabret would be a wonderful mentor text for creating suspense within written work.
  
• When used as a read-aloud, this book lends itself to focusing on the comprehension skills of predicting and retelling.