The Invention of Hugo Cabret

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a unique book.  I wouldn't actually call it a graphic novel, although it is close.  It is a 526 page book that tells a story through prose and beautifully drawn illustrations.  Twelve year old Hugo Cabret is an orphan who lives in the walls of a Paris train station.  After Hugo's father died in a museum fire, Hugo went to live with his uncle in the train station to maintain the clocks.  However, one day Hugo's uncle leaves and never returns.  Hugo is terrified of being sent to an orphanage, so he continues to maintain the clocks on his own.  He also works on trying to fix a mechanical man that used to be in the museum where his father worked.  He uses drawings that his father made of the man and steals toys for parts. Hugo feels certain that if he can repair the automaton by using his drawings, the mechanical man will write a message from beyond the grave. Hugo soon finds himself working off his debt to the shopkeeper he stole the toys from.  Soon the reader learns that this shop keeper has many secrets of his own.. Through twists and turns, a stolen notebook, a new and unlikely friends, and silent films, Hugo begins to uncover the secret of Georges Melies's past. 

I enjoyed this story eventhough it is in an unusual format.  I will say that this story does target a younger audience, but it is a good story for all ages.