Ages 9+

List $49.95

Written by Brian Selznick - Audio book performed by Jeff Woodman - Unabridged Fiction - 3 LIBRARY EDITION COMPACT DISCS + BONUS DVD - 2 hours, 51 minutes

Publisher, Scholastic (May 2008)

NOTE: LIBRARY EDITIONS are packaged in a sturdy, durable outer vinyl case that stands up to years of repeated use designed for library and rental circulation. Albums are shelvable, space-efficient, with at-a-glance spine titles.

The Bonus DVD includes an interview with Brian Selznick plus a presentation of the original artwork.

2008 Caldecott Medal Winner

ORPHAN, CLOCK KEEPER, AND THIEF, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, 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.

About the Author: Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator and The New York Times bestselling author Brian Selznick graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with the intention of becoming a set designer for the theatre. However, after spending three years selling books and painting windows for a children's bookstore in Manhattan, he was inspired to create children's books of his own. His books have received many awards and distinctions, including the Caldecott Medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret, a Caldecott Honor for The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins and a Robert F. Sibert Honor for When Marian Sang.

Brian Selznick travels extensively to work on his books. He spent six months in Washington D.C. for Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride and he traveled to England for The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins. More recently, Brian visited Walt Whitman's childhood home in West Hills, New York for Walt Whitman: Words for America.

His most recent work is the 2008 Caldecott Medal-winning groundbreaking title, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Combining elements of picture book, graphic novel, and film, he creates an entirely new reading experience. "Several years ago, I read a review of a book called Edison's Eve: A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life by Gaby Wood," says Selznick. "The review mentioned the true story of a collection of elaborate mechanical windup figures (known as automata), which had once been owned and loved by a great French film director named George Méliès. These amazing machines were eventually donated by Méliès to a museum in Paris, but the collection was neglected in a damp attic and eventually had to be thrown away. I imagined a boy finding these broken, rusted machines, and thus Hugo and his story were born."

Brian Selznick lives in Brooklyn, New York and San Diego, California.