The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, 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 -- like the gears of the clocks he keeps -- with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a 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 from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery. Brian Selznick is the illustrator of the Caldecott Honor winner The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins and The New York Times-Best Illustrated Walt Whitman: Words for America, both by Barbara Kerley, as well as the Sibert Honor winner When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan, and numerous other celebrated picture books and novels. Brian Selznick lives in Brooklyn, New York, and San Diego, California. Jeff Woodman has appeared off-Broadway and in numerous regional theatrical productions. He is also a multiple award-winning narrator.