–published 2007
–544 pages, Scholastic Press
–4/5 stars

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a book that could not escape notice as people began to share their year end round-up posts at the close of 2007. It seemed that many people had read this book and as one they praised it as a marvelous young-adult tale. That interest from other bloggers peaked my interest. The book’s synopsis then ensured that it would not be long before I picked this book up and read it for myself:

Orphan, Clock Keeper, and Thief, twelve-year-old 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 girl and the owner of a small toy booth in the train 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 all come together…in The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

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–published 2007
–40 pages, Viking Juvenile
–4.25/5 stars

I have long been a fan of writer Jon Scieszka and artist/author Lane Smith. From the moment I saw their first collaboration The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, I was hooked. My part-time bookstore job at Waldenbooks during my college days afforded me the opportunity to read this and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, by A. Wolf, and to recommend them to other. Over the years Scieszka and Smith have created several odd and humorous children’s picture books as well as the young adult chapter book series, The Time-Warp Trio. It goes almost without saying that a Scieszka and Smith collaboration will be a hit.

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