The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Brian Selznick) - Review

            I was a little intimidated when I first picked up this book.  The size looked like it could rival a Harry Potter. However, on first flipping through the book, any anxiety was relieved. This book is a work of art, told in drawings intermingled with a few chunks of text thrown in.

            This is the story of a young boy, Hugo, struggling to live after being orphaned. He lives in a train station, and has to occasionally steal what he needs. He is caught stealing toys for parts to fix his last connection to his father, and the storeowner, Papa Georges, makes Hugo work in his shop.

            This book really made me appreciate artistic elements in books.  The framing of the pictures can give you perspective, tell you about the importance of the image, and give the image a certain feel.  The art for this book makes all the difference.

            This book ended up being a quick read and a good story. I like how it made me think differently. It has a similar feel to some manga, because you can take different amounts of time on different images depending on the pace the book is at at the time. Since it’s mostly images, the pace of the book doesn’t rely on your reading speed. It doesn’t really fit into one genre or another, but combines the best qualities of a novel, picture book, graphic novel, flip book, and movie all into one.