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The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Book Synopsis

ORPHAN, CLOCK KEEPER, AND THIEF.

Twelve-year-old 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 with an eccentric girl and her grandfather, 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.

Our Review Panel says...

This beautiful book is nearly an invention in itself, with the author describing it as “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”. It focuses around the story of Hugo, a young orphan with a talent for working with contraptions. With clockwork machines, mechanical toys and wind-up automatons gracing this book’s pages in both words and pictures, this award-winning story is a wonder for both the eyes and ears.

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