Title : The Invention of Hugo

Cabret
Author : Brian Selznik
Genre : Realistic Fiction
Writing style : Sequential art and
traditional novel
Setting and Time : Paris, 1930s
Summary
A young boy name Hugo Cabret lived in a train station in
Paris all alone. He would hide behind the big clock and
watch over all the happenings below him. He spent his
days making sure that all the clock in the station were
moving properly. He had to fix them sometimes and to
do this, he had to steal parts from a toy shop owned by a
grumpy old man.

One day, the old man caught Hugo as he was stealing a

little mechanical mouse and took from the boy both the
mouse and a little notebook with peculiar drawings, that
Hugo’s father had left him when he died. The boy barely
escaped the old man and the Station Inspector who was
called to arrest him.
In order to get his notebook back, Hugo followed the
old man outside the strain station, through the snow,
to his house. There he met Isabelle, the man’s
goddaughter, and lived with him and his wife, who
promised to help him get his notebook back.

That night, Hugo remembered his father, who had

worked at the museum and had gifted him the
notebook, full od drawing of a peculiar object – an
automaton , a complicated machine that looked like a
man writing at a desk. In order for the machine to
work, a small heart shaped key was needed to wind it
up. Unfortunately, his father died in a fire at the
museum. Later, Hugo found the automaton among the
rubble and took it to the trains station, and spent his
time trying to repair it.
After his father’s death, Hugo went to live with his uncle,
who was responsible for keeping the cloaks in the
station running. One day his uncle disappeared, leaving
Hugo all alone to take care of everything, which Hugo
did in secret for fear that if he was discovered, he would
be sent to an orphanage.

As the days passed, Hugo tried to get his notebook back

from the old man, and in doing so, he started working
there as well, fixing things, cleaning and helping. At the
same time, he started a friendship with Isabelle, who
took him to the library and to the movies.
Hugo discovered that the key to make the automaton
work was on a chain around Isabelle’s neck.

When the two children started up the

machine, they discovered that it was
not writing, but drawing a scene from
an old movie, one that Hugo had seen
with his father a long time ago. At the
bottom of the drawing was the name
of the old man from the shop, George
Melies. Trying to uncover the mystery,
Hugo and Isabelle find many drawings
of movies scenes in a closet in
George’s house.
It turned out that the man from the
toy shop had been a famous movie
director, one of the very first to ever
exist, but he was unable to financially
support his company. After the death of
a very close friend and his wife (
Isabelle’s parents), he stopped making
movies. It was him who built the
automaton.

With the help of Jeanne, George’s wife,

one of Isabelle’s friends and an art
teacher, Hugo convinced George to
show his movies again, and he played
for them his most successful one, about
a rocket landing on the face of the
moon, the same one from the
automaton’s drawing.

In the end, George and Jeanne took

Hugo to live with them and Isabelle,
finally giving him a loving home.
 Characters
Hugo Cabret
A twelve year old boy who was left
in charge of the clocks at a trains
station after the death of his father
and the disappearance of his uncle.

He is very smart and knows how to

work with mechanical parts, and how
to survive on his own.
Isabelle
A young girl who was adopted by
George and Jeanne after the death of
her parents. She likes to read books
and see movies, is friendly and
likeable.
She also knows how to pick locks and
helped to uncovered the mystery of
the automaton.
 George Melies
The owner of a toy shop located in the train
station and a former movie director who was
helped by the children to show his movies
again after his company failed the first time.

Jeanne Melies
The wife of George and his muse. She loves
and protects her husband very much, takes
care of Isabelle and helps both her and Hugo
in their quest to discover the truth.
Other characters:

Etienne
Friend of Isabelle who worked at the movie
theatre and let her see movies for free.

Station inspector
Employee of the train station who chased
after Hugo for stealing, but ultimately saved
his life from being run over by a train.
 Discussion Questions
• What is the main message of Hugo?
• What have we learned about Hugo’s life, his routines, his fears, his
problems?
• How does the absence of family affect Hugo?
• What is Isabelle's purpose in Hugo?
• Do movies hold more than a sentimental value to Hugo, who seems to
associate them with his father?
• How is the book a piece of culture and art in itself?
• Is stealing ever acceptable?
• We all have special talents – do you know what yours is?
• How important is friendship to you?
• What would it be like to have to work at an early age to survive?