Tender, magical, utterly original, this is a stunning tour de force from an innovative and daring storyteller and artist. A book to treasure, to dip in and out of forever whether you’re 9 or 109. The Invention of Hugo Cabret has been described as ‘a true masterpiece’, ‘complete genius’ and by one journalist in the States, as ‘the most extraordinary book I’ve ever come across’. Set in Paris in the 1930s the book follows the story of a boy called Hugo, but what sets it apart from everything else on the bookshelves is the innovative reading experience created by the author between illustrations and text. With nearly 300 pages of hand drawn full bleed illustrations, the story is told through pictures and words, like an old silent movie. It’s a captivating package, part work of art, part thrilling novel, part movie. It is truly one of a kind.
You can find out more about Brian Selznick's new book, Wonderstruck, by clicking here.
You can watch a trailer for the new film vesion of Hugo below:
Paris, 1931. Orphan, clock keeper and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks – like the gears of the clocks he keeps – with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the train station, Hugo’s undercover life and his most precious secret are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo’s dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.
‘A wonderful book – entertaining, interesting and beautiful, it stands out for me as one of the finest of the year.. it’s superb, I loved it.’ Publishing News
‘Wonderful. A captivating work of fiction full of twists and surprises’ New York Times
‘From Selznick’s ever-generative mind comes a uniquely inventive story…exquisitely chosen art sequences’ Kirkus Reviews
‘Takes the illustrated novel to a whole new level’ Booklist
‘A true masterpiece – an artful blend of narrative, illustration and cinematic technique, for a story as tantalising as it is touching’ Publishers Weekly
‘A bounty of mystery and incident…the interplay between the illustrations and text is complete genius’ The Horn Book
Author
About Brian Selznick
Caldecott Honour–winning illustrator and New York Times bestselling author Brian Selznick graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with the intention of becoming a set designer for the theatre. However, after spending three years selling books and designing window displays for a children’s bookstore in Manhattan, he was inspired to create children’s books of his own. His books have received many awards and distinctions, including a Caldecott Honour for The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins and a Robert F. Sibert Honour for When Marian Sang.
Brian travels extensively to research his books. He spent six months in Washington, D.C., for Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride, he travelled to England for The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, and he visited Walt Whitman’s childhood home in West Hills, New York, for Walt Whitman: Words for America. Brian visited the city of Paris three times to research The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Brian’s most recent book is Wonderstruck.
Brian lives in Brooklyn, New York, and San Diego, California.
Brian on creating his groundbreaking book, The Invention of Hugo
Cabret whichcombines elements of picture book, graphic novel, and film: "Several years ago, I read a
review of a book called Edison's Eve: A Magical History of the Quest
for Mechanical Life by Gaby Wood. The review mentioned
the true story of a collection of elaborate mechanical windup figures
(known as automata), which had once been owned and loved by a great
French film director named George Méliès. These amazing machines were
eventually donated by Méliès to a museum in Paris, but the collection
was neglected in a damp attic and eventually had to be thrown away. I
imagined a boy finding these broken, rusted machines, and thus Hugo and
his story were born."
