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: Mice and Beans

I'm getting a head start on celebrating Multicultural Children's Book Day
 With today's Perfect Picture Book Friday pick

Mice and Beans,
by Pam Ryan and Joe Cepeda

Mice and Beans
Written by Pam Munoz Ryan
Illustrated by Joe Cepeda

Scholastic, 2001,
Fiction, ages 4-8, Grade level Equivalent: 2.7,
Lexile 440L, Guided Reading: L

Themes:
Language Learning, Humor, Birthdays

Opening:
"Rosa Maria lived in a tiny house with a tiny yard. But she had a big heart, a big family, and more than anything, she loved to cook big meals for them.

"In one week, her youngest grandchild, Little Catalina, would be seven years old, and the whole family would squeeze into her casita for the party. Rosa Maria didn't mind because she believed what her mother had always said: 'When there's room in the heart, there's room in the house, except for a mouse.'"

Synopsis:
Abuela Rosa Maria has a list of preparations for her grand-daughter's birthday party. Every day she finishes one of the tasks, never forgetting to set a mouse trap in her kitchen. Poor Rosa Maria thinks she is very forgetful, because each morning the trap is missing and some small portion of the previous day's task has been undone. She hopes to finish in time for Little Catalina's party, while the mice have plans of their own.

What I Love:
I love the way the author sprinkles Spanish throughout the text, in a way that is easy for young children. It is a beautiful introduction to the language for monolingual readers. She includes a dctionary and recipe in the back. Besides the obvious benefits, this is a sweet, funny story, made even more so by Joe Cepeda's vibrantly quirky illustrations.

Bonus:

Use a heart pattern
to make these mice guys.

1. Pam's book includes a recipe for rice and beans, or you can try this version using yellow rice.
2. Brush up on your language skills at OnlineFreeSpanish or 123Teach Me, specifically geared for children.
3. Spoonful posts make-your-own felt mice hand puppets, that double as a Valentine's Day craft.

4. Delve into other books that explore cultures at home and around the world. Mia Wenjen has assembled a lovely collection of kids books which celebrate diversity.

Check out all the recommended titles for Perfect Picture Book Friday for January 24, 2014.
Thanks to Susanna Leonard Hill.