Selznick's: The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Part novel, part storyboard, part picture book, Brian Selznick creates an historical fiction page-turner in The Invention of Hugo Cabret, a survival story of a resourceful youth named Hugo who lives hidden in the walls of a French train station. Engaging, suspenseful, and a quick read, the story takes readers back to 19th century France at the time of the Paris World Exposition. The marvelous mechanical inventions of the time which become the centerpiece of the story are no less a wonder more than a century later. The reader will no doubt want to learn more, after the very clever ending, about many of the things mentioned in the story. This endeavor will be facilitated by the author's notes included in acknowledgements and credits.