Product Description

ORPHAN, CLOCK KEEPER, AND THIEF, twelve-year-old Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival dependson secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric girl and her grandfather, 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2992 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-06
• Format: Special Edition
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 544 pages

Customer Reviews

A Masterpiece!
My son, aged 7 and a half, had not tackled a book of this complexity and length before. I was worried that it would defeat him. However, the mixture of gloriously evocative drawings and an intriguing but not overly complicated story about a boy of a similar age as my son ensured that he was gripped from the start and completed the whole book, reading some with me and most on his own, in four evenings. I endorse all the 5 star reviews and add my own unreserved praise; it is a masterpiece of children's literature.

English Association Award Winner
Awarded a Special Award in the English 4-11 Best Children's Illustrated Books of 2007 Competition
This is a remarkable book. It is long - over five hundred pages - but the gripping story, with its brilliant interweaving of charcoal illustrations, captivate the reader. It is almost impossible to put the book down. The opening sequence is entirely visual, and, as the introduction suggests, it is like viewing a film in a cinema. This quite stunning opening sets the scene for the story: Paris in the 1930s and Hugo, an orphan, lives in an attic in a train station. He thinks he has made friends with the girl who is with the old man on the toy stall. Then one night, in his secret room, Hugo "pulled out a large, heavy object. He untied the frayed ropes and unwrapped the fabric that covered it". Two double page spreads show ... the mechanical man. Throughout the book there are amazing charcoal drawings which move the story on, images which reinforce the story and create an atmosphere of intrigue. Insights into early cinema and the work of Georges Méliès will lead children into links beyond the story. This book is essential reading in key stage 2.

A Child's Treasure Chest
I was recommended to read this by an enthusiastic children's book seller. I must admit that I only bought it because it was a very nice looking book. However, the story inside was simply magical. The silent movie style pictures were beautiful and along with the story, was captivating...