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imcalledcasey's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
sereia8's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic novels are becoming very popular and I've never been able to understand their huge appeal. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the visual aspects of this book. Though it's a fat book, it's also a very quick read. It's inventive, original, and a possible contendor for the Newbery.
avesmaria's review against another edition
3.0
This had such potential, and was such a disappointment. The combination of text and drawings and the narrative framework of automaton-created drawings was neat, but the writing in this book was just So. Bad. Characters acted unpredictably and without clear motive, there were plot holes/inconsistencies, and the writing itself was unskilled. I feel unsure about whether to recommend this to my 8-year-old.
pilateschick's review against another edition
5.0
A real treasure! The story is charming and I look forward to seeing it on film. The gorgeous pencil drawings have so much texture, I could stare at them for hours. The 500-page mixture of story and illustration was a visual feast, and just plain fun.
trin's review against another edition
3.0
There are a couple of really cool things about this book. One, it's about Georges Méliès, film pioneer and director of A Trip to the Moon, which I'm willing to bet you know even if you don't recognize that title or his name. (Picture a rocket sticking out of the eye of the man in the moon...) Two, the book is designed so it's like a silent movie: drawings are interspersed with text, so you get part of the story visually and part from the text (with more emphasis on text than there would be in a film, naturally). It's like a different approach to the graphic novel, and in that respect it's very, very cool. The story did less for me; it's intended for 9 to 12-year-olds, and I found it a bit simplistic (which is too bad, because there are other children's books that I find complex even now). Still, I think if I had read it when I was younger, I'd have been enchanted (I certainly remember Selznick's [b: The Houdini Box|442800|The Houdini Box|Brian Selznick|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327948515s/442800.jpg|2925572] with tons of fondness), and even now, even just as an objet d'art, it's lovely.
machi_mochi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
carlisajc's review against another edition
"Time can play all sorts of tricks on you. In the blink of an eye, babies appear in carriages, coffins disappear into the ground, wars are won and lost, and children transform, like butterflies, into adults.
That's what happened to me."
I. Loved. This. Book.
Truth be told, I saw the movie first (*gasp*), which I also loved. But this book was something else. I shelved it on my "graphic novels" shelf here, but in reality it's so much more than a graphic novel. It's it one thing entirely. The title page says: "The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures." And that it definitely is. I knew what was coming for me in terms of the format, but if you don't know, it's a written novel interspersed with pages of only pictures. The pictures aren't there to complement what's written; the pictures are telling the story. So you move back and forth between words and pictures, and it's such an interesting and immersive experience.
And that ending! It was perfect.
I might try to write a longer review for the blog, but for now, know that I loved it. And I want to watch the movie again now that I've read it.
That's what happened to me."
I. Loved. This. Book.
Truth be told, I saw the movie first (*gasp*), which I also loved. But this book was something else. I shelved it on my "graphic novels" shelf here, but in reality it's so much more than a graphic novel. It's it one thing entirely. The title page says: "The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures." And that it definitely is. I knew what was coming for me in terms of the format, but if you don't know, it's a written novel interspersed with pages of only pictures. The pictures aren't there to complement what's written; the pictures are telling the story. So you move back and forth between words and pictures, and it's such an interesting and immersive experience.
And that ending! It was perfect.
I might try to write a longer review for the blog, but for now, know that I loved it. And I want to watch the movie again now that I've read it.
likely_literate_triceratops's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
kelldozer's review against another edition
4.0
When I picked the book up at the library, I was shocked at how thick it was. However, it's a quick, easy read (it's juvenile fiction, after all). Very engaging.