![]() ![]() The two mediums create a narrative whole that is further unified by the use of black to frame every page spread in a tale that is cinematic in theme as well as scope and appearance. Selznick’s story unfolds through prose and dozens of dramatic, full-page, black-and-white drawings. Hugo is determined to get the notebook back, even as he begins to wonder why the man found the sketches so upsetting, and why his mechanical toys have parts that fit perfectly into the robot. The man confiscates the notebook that had all of the plans sketched by Hugo’s father for repairing the automaton. ![]() Hugo’s plans are disrupted when the old man who runs the station toy booth catches him stealing his small, mechanical toys for parts. Hugo is convinced that if he can get the mechanical man with the pen in his hand working, it will convey a message from his dead father. Hugo is hopeful that if he can keep the clocks wound and running on time, no one will notice his uncle is missing and he’ll be able to continue to carry out his most important work: repairing the automaton that he salvaged from a museum fire. ![]() He is following in his uncle’s footsteps as caretaker of the station clocks. Hugo Cabret is a boy living in a Paris train station in 1931. Brian Selznick’s compelling, cinematic narrative is a deft combination of visual and verbal storytelling in a novel full of mystery, intrigue, and the irresistible lure of possibility. ![]()
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