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The Invention of Hugo Cabret
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The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007) (edit title/settings)

by Brian Selznick (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

Hugo is an orphan who lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where survival depends on secrets and anonoymity. But when his world interlocks with a bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy shop, things start to change. A treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man... read more

Summary edit see section history

Set in 1931 in Paris, France, the story revolves around a 12 year old orphan named Hugo Cabret who lives in a Paris train station working as the clocks' timekeeper in his Uncles absence. He is a recluse, and for good reason, but comes in contact with a toy seller and his goddaughter, named... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Set in 1931 in Paris, France, the story revolves around a 12 year old orphan named Hugo Cabret who lives in a Paris train station working as the clocks' timekeeper in his Uncles absence. He is a recluse, and for good reason, but comes in contact with a toy seller and his goddaughter, named Isabelle. This chance meeting changes everything.

Before Hugo's father died, he discovered an old, broken automaton in the attic of a museum he works at. His father tries to fix it but with his death in a fire, the automaton is left. Hugo tries to fix the automaton by following the instructions left in his fathers notebook. But during a run-in with the toy seller, Hugo loses his treasured notebook. Now he must find another way to mend the broken wind-up toy. Once in working order, the automaton reveals a secret that will change his, and the toy seller's, life forever.

Characters/People edit see section history

Show all 13 characters
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “But another story begins, because stories lead to other stories, and this one leads all the way to the moon”
    Narrator
  • “'Maybe it's the same with people,' Hugo continued. 'If you lose your purpose...it's like your broken.' ....Hugo and Isabelle were quiet for a moment, and then Isabelle said, 'So is that your purpose? Fixing things?' Hugo thought about it. 'I don't know,' he said. 'Maybe.' 'Then what's my purpose?' wondered Isabelle.”
  • “Sometimes I come up here at night, even when I'm not fixing the clocks, just to look at the city. I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason too.”
    Hugo Cabret
  • “Even if all the clocks in the station break down, thought Hugo, time won't stop. Not even if you really want it to. Like now.”
  • “I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and types of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason, too.”
    Hugo Cabret
  • “Time can play all sorts of tricks on you. In the blink of an eye, babies appear in carriages, coffins disappear into the ground, wars are won and lost, and children transform, like butterflies, into adults.”
  • “In that moment, the machinery of the world lined up. Somewhere a clock struck midnight, and Hugo's future seemed to fall perfectly into place.”
  • “If you've ever wondered where your dreams come from when you go to sleep at night, just look around. This is where they are made.”
    Papa Georges
  • “"The complicated machinery inside my automaton can produce one hundred and fifty-eight different pictures, and it can write, letter by letter, an entire book, twenty-six thousand one hundred and fifty-nine words These words”
    ?

Setting & Locations edit see section history

A train station in Paris, France 1931

Organizations edit see section history

  • French Film Academy: An academy that teaches people all about films. Everything about films. They have a gigantic library with many old films.

First Sentence edit see section history

From his perch behind the clock, Hugo could see everything.

Table of Contents edit see section history

A Brief Introduction
By Professor H. Alcofrisbas

Part One

Part Two

Acknowledgements

Glossary edit see section history

  • Horology: Is the art or science of measuring time. Clocks, watches, clockwork, sundials, clepsydras, timers, time recorders and marine chronometers are all examples of different instruments used to measure time.

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

Series & Lists edit see section history

This book is in Books Filmed By Martin Scorsese. (community list)
This is book 729 of 985 in 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. (authoritative list)
This book is in Good Reading: Best Books of 2012. (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Brian Selznick (Author) - Also illustrator

Other Contributors:

  1. Andrej Hiti Ožinger (Translator)
  2. Pedro M. Ferreira (Translator)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Country: USA
Publication Date: March 2007
ISBN: 0439813786
Page Count: 534

Awards edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PZ7.S4654Inv 2007
  • Dewey: fiction

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Grim in some parts but not violent. The lexile is 820L, found at www.lexile.com.

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

Movie Connections edit see section history

  • Hugo (2011) (IMDb): Starring Chloe Moretz, Jude Law, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Asa Butterfield

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • Wonderstruck
  • The Houdini Box

Books That Influenced This Book edit see section history

   
  • Edison's Eve: A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life

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