The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Written and illustrated by Brian Selznick.  New York: Scholastic Press, 2007.

The saying "so many books, so little title" aptly describes me and my reading habits.  Now, I'm an avid reader and I love to read, but I always feel like I will never get to read everything I'm "supposed" to.  As a children's librarian, this definitely applies.  Each month, as I catalog the new books, I think "I should read this," but I pass it along for a later date in time, as I already have a stack of books to read on my nightstand.  This applies to this book...I guess several years is later enough!  Winner of the 2008 Caldecott Medal and a movie adaptation due in theaters this November, I thought I should finally read this book.

Hugo Cabret is twelve years old and lives in the walls of a Paris train station.  Orphaned and abandoned by his alcoholic uncle, he repairs clocks and steals in order to survive and remain undiscovered.  While attempting to steal a toy, he gets caught by the owner and suddenly his world and the secrets he's trying to protect become exposed.  His life becomes intersected with Papa Georges (the shop keeper) and his goddaughter Isabelle.  Hugo has a notebook from his father that describes how to fix an automaton that his father rescued from a museum before his death.  Hugo is convinced that if he can get the machine to work, it will solve all of his problems.  Unbeknownst to Hugo, Papa Georges also has a secret that is linked to the machine.  How does the notebook, a drawing, a key and a message all connect?  You'll have to read the story to find out!

Please don't let the length of this book put you off from reading it!  I finished this book in a day.  About 300 of its 500 pages are illustrations . The text and the story itself is not complicated or hard to read, so this is a great choice for children ages 7 and up.  The illustrations are done in pencil and are exquisitely detailed.  What I love about illustrations is their part in storytelling and I poured over each one absorbing them as much as the words on the pages.  I am eager to see how they interpret the illustrations into the movie adaptation, since they are such a large part of this novel.

Now that's I've got this checked off my list, what to read next?  Hmmm....perhaps Brian Selznick's new novel Wonderstruck?  I think so.

Fallen Grace

By Mary Hooper. New York: Bloomsbury, 2010.

The year is 1861 in London, England. Grace Parkes is fifteen years old and lives with her older sister Lily. Orphaned at a young age, they live a life of extreme hardship. Each day, they struggle to earn money selling watercress just to buy food to eat. On top of that, even though Lily is older, she possesses the mind of a child, so Grace must care for her for the rest of her life. While living at a training establishment where she was to learn to be a teacher, Grace is abused by a benefactor, and becomes pregnant. Unfortunately, the baby boy dies in childbirth, and Grace is heartbroken. She takes him to Brookwood Cemetery, so he can have a proper burial.

While at Brookwood, Grace meets two people who will play important parts in her life. One is James Solent, a legal clerk, who offers to help Grace if she ever needs assistance. The second is Mrs. Unwin, who runs a funeral business along with her husband. She offers Grace the position of being a "mute" at funerals, but Grace is appalled with the idea, and turns her down. After discovering the boarding house they live in is to be torn down, they are homeless with nowhere to go. Desperate for employment and a roof over their heads, Grace goes to Mrs. Unwin, who takes both sisters on. Unbeknowst to Grace, the Unwins have an ulterior motive for taking in the Parkes' sisters. Grace and Lily are the recipients of a large inheritance left by their father, who died in America, but they have no knowledge of this. The Unwins have an evil plan to steal the girls' inheritance, but will Grace find out about this in time? Will she be able to secure a safe, rich future for herself and Lily?

This novel is rich in historical details, and the storytelling is captivating. I didn't think I could endure reading any more heartbreaking trials these sisters had to endure, but Grace's strength gave me hope this story would end happily. A beautiful story of survival, determination and perseverance, this is a wonderful read.