Discussion: Hugo

Okay, so I'm going to cheat a bit with this book and steal some questions from another book club. For reference, I'm borrowing from: http://oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/2007/04/21/a-totally-unauthorized-reading-group-guide-to-the-invention-of-hugo-cabret/

First: Brian Selznick tells Hugo’s story in a unique way. He uses a lot more pictures than you find in most novels. Sometimes he tells Hugo’s story in words and sometimes in pictures. Why do you think he did this? How did you like it? What are some advantages and disadvantages of having so many pictures in a novel?

I felt like the illustrations worked to give an added depth. Too often as a readers, we become absorbed in words and in the world we build inside of our heads. With the structure of drawings, Selznick brings us into the world HE invisions, rather than the one we create for ourselves. In a way, I feel this also hinders our ability to enjoy the book. Personally, I much prefer to create the scenery in my head. The only exceptions to this are graphic novels and picture books. Novels, to me, should leave the reader to ability to create the mindscape of the written word.

If you’ve read any of the Harry Potter books or seen the movies, you may have noticed that the Invention of Hugo Cabret has some things in common with them. What are some of them?

I included this question because I was rather surprised to find it within the group. What do you think? I'm a huge Potter fan, so I can relate almost anything to the Boy Wizard. Did you get a feel of any other novels or movies while you were reading?


And this time, rather than give you a list of movies and books to check out --why don't you reccomend some to me? Get some more discussion opprotunities rolling here!


On Wednesday, we'll begin our discussion of our next novel, Sidekicks by Jack D. Ferraiolo. I read this book last summer and I absolutely LOVED it! I look forward to some slightly more active postings than I've given you guys with the last couple of novels!

Happy Reading!
Samma

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Hey everyone.

I know I've been a bit behind the last few weeks. Hopefully you enjoyed Palace of Laughter. You should now be reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.

Summary from Books-a-Million: Orphan, clock keeper, thief: Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. Combining elements of picture book, graphic novel, and film, Caldecott Honor artist Selznick breaks open the novel form to create an entirely new reading experience in this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.