My nine-year-old son has been struggling with self-regulation for years, especially at school. Our family counselor recently lent us a children’s book about a young girl with ADHD (We have an appointment next month with a Behavioural Pediatrician for ADHD assessment), so she thought this would be a good book for him. He did enjoy it, however, it was geared toward children younger than him. I went to our local library hoping one of the librarians would have a suggestion for a Middle Grade book that talked about self-regulation, or along those lines. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to find exactly what I was looking for, but did recommend The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. We started reading it that night, but quickly discovered this wasn’t a good choice for my son. He’s been going through a phase the past couple of weeks where he’s afraid he’s going to die. The father of Hugo dies early in this story, and my son wanted nothing more to do with the book. I have a hard time starting a book and not finishing it, so I went ahead and read it. Here’s my review! P.S. if you know of any Middle Grade books that talk about self-regulation, emotions, impulsive behaviour, etc…please let me know!

Title: The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Author: Brian Selznick

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Date of Publication: March 2007

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Graphic Novel

Page Count: 525

“Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, 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, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, 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.”

This story takes place in Paris, 1931. Hugo Cabret’s father, owner of a clock shop who worked part-time at the museum, finds an automaton in the museum attic. No one knows how it got there. The automaton is sitting at a desk, poised to write a message. Hugo and his father become obsessed with fixing the automaton and discover its hidden message. One night, Hugo’s father dies in a fire at the museum. Hugo goes to live with his uncle, who keeps the clocks at the train station on time. After his uncle disappears Hugo is left on his own, stealing to survive. He discovers the automaton in the museum debris and decides to fix it on his own.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is an emotional, uplifting story told with beautiful writing and stunning black and white pencil drawings throughout the novel. Selznick weaves the history of early movies into the story of a young orphan grieving for his father, struggling to survive on his own, discovering friendship, and uncovering the secret of the automaton. Hugo’s story bought me to tears. I could feel everything he was feeling.

The characters are well-written with distinct personalities. Hugo wants to keep his secret of living alone in the walls of the train station, yet also try to uncover the truth of the automaton. He has strengths, flaws, emotions. I would have liked to see more desires and internal conflict of the other characters.

A quick, exciting read, I recommend The Invention of Hugo Cabret to readers who like historical fiction and graphic novels. Be sure to get a physical copy, the e-book version wouldn’t give the same experience.

“Brian Selznick (born July 14, 1966) is an American illustrator and writer best known for illustrating children’s books. He won the 2008 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration recognizing The Invention of Hugo Cabret.” Wikipedia

He has written and illustrated The Houdini Box, The Robot King, Boy of a Thousand Faces, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Wonderstruck, and The Marvels. (Wikipedia)

www.theinventionofhugocabret.com