Caroline Starr Rose

picture book and middle-grade author

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Hugo Cabret in Book and Film

6 Comments

My boys are at an age when my suggestions for read alouds aren’t always greeted with enthusiasm. There are times I’m able to win them over by reading a few chapters, but more often than not, they’ll turn down my titles and suggest something of their own. 

At eight and ten, I can hardly blame them for developing their own tastes — it’s a good thing! But it does make me a little sad when they show little to no interest in titles I’ve enjoyed in the past or new books I would like to read. 

Enter THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET.

I bought a copy of HUGO while teaching in Louisiana (thank you, Scholastic Book Orders!) but had never gotten around to reading it. When I learned there would soon be a movie based on the book, I decided to give the story a try with my boys. I’m so glad I did. 

We raced through HUGO in a couple of days. Both boys finished before I did then indulged me in reading the ending again. The combination of pictures and words and the mysterious nature of the storyline really held their attention.

Last week I took them to see the movie. It did not disappoint. The natural lighting used to mimic the style of early film, the Paris-as-cogworks opening image — it was wonderful. All three of us loved the experience and the way the story unfolded on the screen.

It was interesting to see what changes were made in the book’s translation into a visual story:

  • stronger development of the villainous station master
  • the addition of several dream sequences
  • The absence of the character, Etienne
For those of you who have both read the book and seen the movie, I’d love to hear your impressions. 

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Sarah’s Books and Life :: Author Interview: Caroline Starr Rose

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Filed Under: books and reading, family

Comments

  1. Shannon O'Donnell says

    December 14, 2011 at 4:56 pm

    I haven’t read the book yet, but I SO want to!! 🙂

    Reply
  2. Karen Strong says

    December 14, 2011 at 10:33 pm

    I have only read parts of the book but I saw the movie last weekend and loved it! 🙂

    Reply
  3. Heidi Willis says

    December 15, 2011 at 2:25 pm

    I’d never even heard of this book before the movie came out, so now I’m curious. Sounds like something my son would have liked a few years ago. It’s so sad that he’s beyond this kind of magical literature now. 🙁

    Reply
  4. Marcia says

    December 15, 2011 at 3:07 pm

    I found the book curious, interesting, groundbreaking. I didn’t dislike it, but I’m much more a prose-girl. 🙂 The movie should be interesting.

    Reply
  5. Mia says

    December 15, 2011 at 9:55 pm

    I loved the book but my two oldest have not read it yet (and summarily rejected it) but we are sooo excited for the movie. We plan to see over vacation and after that, I hope that they will read the book.

    My youngest, a boy, will likely read the book. What is it about having to have same sex protagonist as reader in order to read the book? Arrgh!

    Reply
  6. Caroline Starr Rose says

    December 17, 2011 at 6:00 pm

    Marcia, groundbreaking — yes! Heidi, older kids might still enjoy it precisely for this reason. It’s a completely new way to tell a story, and I think this is a huge part of the appeal.

    Mia, maybe the fact there’s both a boy and girl in the book it will broaden the appeal?

    Reply

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