Daily Archives: January 19, 2010

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

There are really no words to describe how much I loved this book. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a perfect blend of a short story, illustrations and film pictures.

Hugo Cabret is a 12 year old boy who takes care of clocks. He comes from a family skilled in the upkeep of clocks. And he has a story to tell.

What makes this book so brilliant is the old adage a picture is worth a thousand words. Instead of describing with written word the movement of the characters and the setting of each scene we get to see it all and follow Hugo through his story. The illustrations are beautiful. As much as I wanted to find out more of the story I found myself wanting to just linger over each picture – and now that I know the story I plan on going back to just do that.

Beware though! With all those illustrations comes a price. This is a very thick novel. It’s hard on the hands – I ended up having to read it with it lying on a table in front of me. Don’t be scared by the size though, for all its bulk it really is a short story, but a very satisfying one.

View all my reviews >>

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Maze Runner is a science fiction novel that is full of suspense, riveting characters and an incredibly fascinating, horrifyingly built world.

This is a story about Thomas – a boy who finds himself amongst other teenage children in The Glade – an area surrounded by massive walls – and outside of the walls? An ever-changing maze.

What I loved about this book was first and foremost, the pace. One minute I was on page 44 and thoroughly enjoying the ride (albeit somewhat confused still) and the next it was three hours later and I was approaching page 300. Time flew by and I was devouring the words in front of me.

Thomas and Teresa are only two among a set of great leading characters. Chuck made me laugh, Newt inspired confidence and a sense of security in me, Alby made me feel frustrated, but safe. Each of these characters had such a distinct personality that I felt as if I had known them already.

I also loved how Dashner methodically peeled away the layers of the mystery at the heart of the book, feeding me clue by clue and engaging me right up until the very end.. and the end.. wow. All I can say is read it.

The only complaint I have about this book is a common complaint I have with other science fiction novels. It’s a personal preference thing, but sometimes I feel as if the world building starts so early that it’s building all around me before I’ve had a chance to get a firm grasp on it. For that reason it took me a few false starts to really get going into the book – so if you react in the same way to science-fiction with all the name-dropping and strange phrases, don’t give up! You’ll get into it, I promise.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who read The Hunger Games and enjoyed it. Although the story is different, the overall feel of the book is very similar in that it’s intense, difficult to put down and really fascinating.

View all my reviews >>