The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Selznick, B. (2007). The Invention of Hugo Cabret. NY: Scholastic Press.
YA Lit / Graphic novel / mystery / historical fiction / picture book

This was an incredible book and quite possibly my favorite of the year.  The drawings were amazing - all 284 pages of them! Even the format of the book in its layout, coloring, style, and construction truly contributed to the storyline.  And the storyline was great and kept me turning the pages.

Prior to starting the book, I had read an article that talked about the automaton (I want one of these of my very own!!! Maillardet's Automaton) and another about Selznick's inspirations.  It is fascinating, shows a bunch of Selznick's drawings from the book, and lists his 20 favorite books. It's easy to see who influenced him, and I encourage anyone who's read or not read the book to check it out:
Author Brian Selznick Shares 20 Favorite Children's Books

In case you haven't figured it out, I HIGHLY recommend this book to young and old.  It's a treasure.

UPDATE: I made this little book trailer after I named this book my favorite book from 2011.  Enjoy!

The Sunday Philosophy Club

McCall Smith, A. (2004). The Sunday Philosophy Club. NY: Anchor Books.
YA Lit / Adult Lit for YA / Mystery

The first Isabel Dalhousie novel.

I bought this book because I am a huge fan of Alexander McCall Smith's #1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, (just got the latest for Christmas but got this one LAST Christmas so I thought I'd better knock it out first.) and I wanted to see if he possibly could delight me as much with another set of characters in another country doing other things.

So, I think this is meant to be adult literature, but I think young adults might enjoy it as well. Though it takes place in modern times, the Scottish setting (click here to see a photographic tour of Isabel Dalhousie's Edinburgh) and Ms. Dalhousie's character harken back to a time when things were more proper and manners were more important.  She's the same age as me, and I often felt like she had to be a little old lady, but then she'd say or do or think something that was a reminder she was not so old. . . or prim and proper.

The violence is not graphic, there are just allusions to sex/sexuality, and the mystery element is really just an undercurrent to the bigger story, which is one of life and love, commitment and morality, and of course, ethics, given the profession of the main character.

I did find myself getting impatient at all of Isabel's internal philosophical dialogue, but I was definitely drawn to the intelligent language (being a grammar geek) and much like The #1 Ladies' series, the book felt comfortable and cozy.  Overall, I think I liked it well enough to pick-up the second in the series and see if I keep coming back for more.

Visit Alexander McCall Smith's website and watch him discuss the Dalhousie books and more.