The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Selznick, B. (2007). The invention of Hugo Cabret: A novel in words and pictures. New York: Scholastic Press.
Hugo loved hearing stories about his father’s favorite movie, “A Trip to the Moon”. Hugo's father found an automaton in an old museum, and decided to fix it. However, a fire at the museum killed Hugo's father. Hugo discovered the automaton and a pocket book where his father drew the plans on how to fix the automaton. Hugo lived in the walls of a Paris train station where he was an orphan ever since his uncle disappeared. He also started stealing from Papa Georges, a toy store owner, so he could fix the automaton. Eventually, Papa Georges caught him stealing, took his notebook, and vowed not to return it. Papa Georges's goddaughter, Isabelle, swore to help Hugo get it back. Hugo quickly realizes Isabelle is wearing a heart-shaped key that fits perfectly in the back of the automaton man, which is all Hugo needs to make him work. Isabelle finds Hugo in his room, and watches as the automaton draws a picture of a scene from Hugo's dad's favorite movie, and signs it Georges Melies, which is no other than Papa Georges. With the help of Isabel and her film student friend Etienne, they discover that Papa Georges was once a filmmaker, but after hard times, lost everything. He donated his automaton he created to the museum, but it burned in the fire that killed Hugo’s father. Luckily, he saved one key that made it work, which was the key Isabelle wore. Hugo realizes that Papa Georges, the toy store owner, also known as Georges Melies, created “A Trip to the Moon” that Hugo's dad loved. He also created the automaton man Hugo's dad discovered abandoned in the museum. Unknowingly to Hugo, he had been trying finish the automaton, which was actually built by Papa Georges, who he was stealing parts from. After a miscommunication with the police about Hugo's missing uncle, Hugo finds himself on train tracks about to die. However, Papa Georges was there to save him, similar to Hugo saving Papa Georges with his discovery. This books merges the picture book, and novel concepts, with most of the pages being illustrations. The black and white crosshatched pictures, along with the black and white pages with text give the book a mysterious and suspenseful feeling. The illustrations are created through the use of sketches, making it appear as if the story is being told through a flip book or film strip. The end of the book links the information given at the beginning of the story, creating aha moments for the readers. This was a Caldecott Medal award winner in 2008. This book would go great with other books written by Brian Selznick.