A 500+ page novel might seem like an unusual choice for a read-aloud, but The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick works. Larrabee and I read it together this summer and recommend it.

Here are some things we liked:

• Despite its length, it’s a quick read because it has pages and pages of drawings.
• Parts of the story are told through the drawings, and we had fun figuring them out together.
• It’s set in Paris in the 1930s. Some of the historical details are true even though Hugo’s story is fictional.
• It features an automaton! Also, it has other things that fascinate us, including clocks, trains, magic tricks, books, movies, and secrets.
• It’s different from other books we’ve read.

We haven’t seen the movie Hugo yet, but we’ve heard it’s good.