MMGM: The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Today's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday pick:

The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Written and illustrations by Brian Selznick

Scholastic, 2007
Ages 8-12, Lexile 820
533 pages, 26000 words


Themes:
orphans, film, history, inventing


Opening:
The opening is wordless. You can find it on the official site.
http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/slideshow.htm


Thoughts:
Hugo Cabret is a 12 year-old boy living in France during the magical fin de siecle. His father was a museum director with an aptitude for tinkering and his uncle was a clock-keeper in the Gare de Montparnasse. Hugo inherits his family's gifts plus an iron determination to rebuild the automaton his father left behind. With the help of an adventurous bookworm and the interference of her grandfather, a mysterious old toymaker, Hugo uncovers one family's deepest secrets.

I was blow away by this book when it first appeared and frankly still am. I was familiar with Brian Selznick's picture book work (The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins) and fascinated by the visual nature of the novel (and I use that word loosely.) With wordless, illustrated segments comprising over half the book, it almost feels like a graphic novel, or a flip book, both of which I was fascinated with in my youth. Selznick immerses the reader in the narrative in a way I hadn't seen before. And when the main character began to reveal the book's historical moorings, I was delighted to find links to other people and events I cared about.

Unlock the magic yourself...but do yourself a favor. Invest in the Hardback paper version. The cinematic nature of the book doesn't lend itself to a digital format.

Last Friday I compared the book with the movie version, Hugo.

Bonus: 
1. I love the interview with Brian Selznick on The National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature. You can also find one on Reading Rockets and a bibliography and bio on KidsReads.

2. Brian has built a career out of his quirky taste. Wonderstruck and The Marvels are not to be missed.

3. Brian Selznick lists 20 of his favorite books for kids on Gwarlingo.

4. How Brian Selznick's drawings became a book.



5. The Invention of Hugo Cabret was also reviewed by Jasmine Marie, the Bookish Mama

6. If you liked The Invention of Hugo Cabret, other MMGM bloggers recommend

The Search for Wondla,
by Tony DiTerlizzi

The Search for Wondla, by Tony DiTerlizzi
Reviewed by Shannon Messenger on Ramblings of a WannaBe Scribe, Night Writer, and The Hopeful Heroine

Circus Mirandus,
by Cassie Beasley

Circus Mirandus, by Cassie Beasley, illustrated by Diana Sudyka,
Reviewed by
Geo Librarian
My Brain on Books
Middle Grade Mania

Echo, by Pam Ryan

Echo, by Pam Munoz Ryan, cover art by Dinara Mirtalipova
Reviewed by
Writer in the Rain
Children's Books Heal
Susan Uhlig

The Amulet, book 1,
The Stonekeeper
by Kazu Kibuishi

The Amulet series by Kazu Kabuishi,
Reviewed by Night Writer

I highly recommend Matt Phelan's books including Around the World and Bluffington.
Also check out Rapunzel's Revenge, by Shannon and Dean Hale and Nathan Hale.

Around the World, a pictorial novel

Bluffington, an illustrated book about young Buster Keaton

Check out all the recommended titles for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday for July 31, 2017 available on Shannon Messenger's Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe.

Feel free to leave your MG recommendations in the comments. Thanks!

PPBF: Flora's Very Windy Day

Today's Perfect Picture Book Friday pick

Flora's Very Windy Day,
by Jeanne Birdsall and Matt Phelan

Flora's Very Windy Day
Written by Jeanne Birdsall
Illustrated by Matt Phelan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010
Fiction, ages 4-8
Lexile 590, word count 1018

Themes:
Siblings, Imagination

Opening:
"Mommy! Crispin spilled my paints again!" shrieked Flora.
""I told you to keep your paints out of his reach," said her mother.
"I tried," said Flora, "but _"
"Oh, look at this mess. Outside, Flora. Right now!"
"I can't go outside," protested Flora. "The wind is very strong and will blow me away."

Synopsis:
Flora's little brother Crispin is always spoiling her fun, crowding her, and making a mess of things. Flora's mother sends her outside to play, out into a windy autumn day. Flora knows she is safe because she has her extra-heavy, wind-proof red boots, but she also knows Crispin will blow away the moment he steps out the door. Just as Crispin is lifted off the ground, Flora has a change of heart. She leaves the safety of her red boots and embarks on an adventure through the skies. Flora is confronted with a series of trades in which she can be rid of her brother forever. It is up to big sister to decide Crispin's fate and devise a way to return home safely. But will she return with or without him?


What I Love:
Jeanne Birdsall turns out another charming tale about the trials of having a sibling. Which of us has not considered life without an annoying relative? I love Flora's sacrifice right in the beginning of the story. That she would slip out of her protective boots in the moment of crisis speaks volumes. The clever, imaginative dialogue adds to the breezy rhythm of the story.
Matt Phelan's weightless illustrations carry the reader along in a perfectly believable fantasy adventure. I can't get enough of his drawings, where every line communicates emotion.

Autumnal mason jars to set the mood.

Bonus:
1. Here's a lovely interview with Jeanne just months after Flora was published. My thanks to Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.
2. And here's Julie's interview with Matt Phelan. (Jules's blog is so excellent, don't forget to come back here when you're finished!)
3. And here's the correct pronunciation of Matt's last name.

4. Thanks to Pam of GingerbreadSnowflakes for this enchanting leaf votive craft idea.

This swirly art project reminds me
of the whirling wind in Flora's yard!

5. Whip up some savory pumpkin dip from Mediterranean Snack Foods.
6. Take a nature walk and turn it into a scavenger hunt with these printable lists from Chalkboards To Strollers. 7.I love this artsy warm and cool art project from Runde's Room.





7. Here are some other Perfectly Piratical Picture Books for you to enjoy.

Reviewed by Catherine, here.

Thanks, Julie.

From Susanna Leonard Hill

Based on a real female pirate.

Reviewed on FromPenToPrint

Thanks, Erik

Check out all the recommended titles for Perfect Picture Book Friday
for September 19, 2014 available on Susanna Leonard Hill's blog.