2008
Caldecott Medal Winner! 12-year-old orphan Hugo Cabret lives in a forgotten
room of a Paris train station in 1931, secretly minding the stations clocks
(his missing uncle’s job) and trying to stay hidden so he won’t be sent away.
Hugo spends all his free time trying to fix the automaton that his late father
found, believing that if he can follow the sketches in his father’s notebook
and fix the mechanical man, it will reveal a message from his father.
When
Hugo’s life becomes entangled with a bitter old toymaker in the station, it
unleashes a cascade of events that culminates in the unraveling of the mystery
of the automaton, the toymaker’s surprising past, and Hugo’s own destiny.
Intertwining puzzles involving magic, movies, and the fragility of friendship,
this heartwarming story is told partly through traditional narrative and partly
through intricate, cinematic, wordless black-and-white pictures—both combining
to tell the tale more fully than either could alone.
Your young readers will be
enchanted as Hugo uncovers the truth about the automaton and discovers the true
magic of holding on to your dreams. A bold, innovative book that opened new
possibilities in storytelling. Ages 8-12. 544pp.