I read this aloud to my 3 kids ages 5, 7 and 10. The older 2 are very well read so they followed it well and the 5 year old enjoyed it although I don't know that she 'got' all of it. The illustrations throughout are exquisite and it gave us a chance to talk about the importance of friends and family, asking for help when needed and other things. We all thoroughly enjoyed the book! We are a very conservative, Christian household and I don't remember anything as jumping out as too bad.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Spectacular book/film hybrid has lots of heart.
Themes in this book include: family relationships, loss
updated 01.28.10
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 8 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Role models:
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of The Invention of Hugo Cabret was written by Matt Berman
Parents need to know that the hero of this story has a sad life. Orphaned, alone, and homeless, he lives by stealing and scavenging, and no one is kind to him until late in the book.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about some of the research-based themes the author includes.
- How can an automaton be made to write poems and draw pictures? How do they work?
- How were the earliest films made?
- Many young readers will want to learn more about mechanical machines and automata, and about the history of film, especially the work of Georges Melies.
- They may also want to see the films referred to in the story.
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More on The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Book Summary
When Hugo's father, a clockmaker, is killed in a fire, he's taken in by his uncle. They live together in a hidden room inside the walls of the Paris train station, where it's his job to maintain the station clocks -- until one night he disappears. Now Hugo is alone, still living inside the station walls, stealing to survive, and still maintaining the clocks so no one will know his uncle is gone.
Hugo also works on an automaton, a mechanical man, that his father was trying to restore. He steals parts from a toyshop in the station. When he is caught, the mean store owner takes away his father's notebook and threatens him with arrest. But the old man's hidden past and Hugo's are intertwined, and the secret message hidden in the automaton's workings is only the beginning. Includes Acknowledgments, Credits, and References.
Is It Any Good?
This book is like nothing you've ever seen before. When you or your child first pick it up, it looks like one of those fat fantasies that are so popular these days. When you open it, it even seems similar to a graphic novel. But lengthy sections of wordless illustrations (284 pages of drawings!) are interspersed with pages of more traditional novelistic prose. Neither text nor pictures can stand alone without the other.
Brian Selznick's brilliant hybrid is put in service of a complex and heartfelt story that involves a plucky orphan, the history of early cinema, the mechanics of clocks and other intricate machinery, and a little bit of magic. The whole is a work of great beauty and excitement, with breathless pacing ramped up even further by the wordless sections. Selznick has created an entirely new art form that succeeds as art, literature, and entertainment. Let's hope it's the first of a new genre.
Publisher’s Details
Publisher: Scholastic Inc., Publication date: 3/28/2007
Number of pages: 533, Price: $22.99 (hardcover)
Read Aloud: 8, Read Alone: 9
Number of pages: 533, Price: $22.99 (hardcover)
Read Aloud: 8, Read Alone: 9
Our Members Say
See 13 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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Kids ages: 5, 7, 10
I rate this title on for age 8 and give itGreat read together book.
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
Perfect for little kids
I loved this book! Its amazing with the pictures. Its very educational and awakes the dreamer within us all.
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
Perfect for ALL ages
OMG I absolutely ADORE this book. The story is so intriguing and keeps you wanting more. Also its a novel in pictures and words which help you get a feel for whats going on.
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My highlights are:
best for the older kids
This is the best book ever i've read it three times.
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
Imaginative graphic novel for tweens about early filmmaking
Brian Selznick received the 2008 Caldecott award for this book, a picturebook award that usually goes to little kids' books. Finally the ALA recognized that powerful images are in books for older children, too. The book looks thick, but more than half of the pages are full-page illustrations. We read this book together and enjoyed the intrigue of the story and how we wanted to keep turning the page to see what happens next. Some of the story is tragic and sad. Kids may need the context of the difficulties of the 1930s. They will also be curious about real automatons and Georges Melies. Selznick includes website links and books to get more info on both. The story is really about the history of early films in France, but also about magic and magicians, the Depression, horology, mechanics, trains, libraries, and orphans. Fascinating! An imaginative 8-year-old may like it. 10 - 14 years old will definitely like it.
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