The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Our family read the book last year when it came out, and it appealed to both my 5 year old son and 7 year old daughter. The book is VERY visual, however, with nearly 1/4 of the pages being full (and very detailed) black and white illustrations that evoke the silent film era that the book refers to. The illustrations actually move the plot of the book forward, so I was skeptical about the ability of an audiobook to do justice to the book. They solve the dilemma of several pages of wordless pictures by resorting to old-style radio sound effects, which work fairly well, and also call to mind days gone by.

The book made a car trip go by quickly for everyone, and the kids wanted to start it over again. I'd recommend the story highly, but strongly suggest that you read the book as well in order to really experience Hugo's adventure.

I listened to this with my nine-year-old daughter in five short sessions as she read along with the more-than-500-page printed version. Even if you do not listen with a young child, get the printed version. The hundreds of illustrations in the book are magnificent. The recorded version is also enhanced by several mood-creating sound effects which, in my opinion, really added to the enjoyment of the story. The narrator was magnificent in his renderings of all the characters, particularly Georges. If you are hesitant about using a credit for a book that is less than three hours long, make the leap with this one. I guarantee you will choose to listen to it several times because the experience is just that good.

I listened to this book during a long drive, with my mother (in her sixties), my son (six), and myself (30's). This book kept all of our interest, and we could all follow the story line. The sound effects during this reading were great, keeping it interesting and fun. The narrator did a great job, with old timie radio images popping up in my mind throughout. And the story itself shows why they would turn it in to a movie (which was also fabulous), with heart-felt emotions being felt when this poor boy's plight is made clear. I recommend it for all ages!

Good, but not as brilliant as I thought it would be. Still, a very enjoyable listen.

Vivid, magical and fun.

We enjoyed the suspense and the magical quality of the story.

Our favorite character was the toy maker.

My only disappointment is that with the audio version of this book, you miss the rich illustrations in the book. But my children had the unique experience of being able to conjure their very own images while they listened to the engaging story.

Yes, it was a simple and entertaining listen.

I was surprised that it was such a short listen. I had seen the movie first. The book and movie are very much in keeping with each other...minus a bit at the end. The movie is really the book plus effects.... great effects.

My 8 and 6 year old loved this story. We have the actual book so we had the wonderful illustrations to look at too. They are amazing and I wish they were included with the download.

First audiobook

The end! Don't want to spoil it - but it was surprising!

good character voices

Some parts made me laugh out loud!

I love listening to audio books, but this is one book that you need to get with all of the pictures. You lose a lot going with the audio version. That said, this book failed to deliver what it promised. It promised a great story about a boy and an automan. The first half even begins to deliver on that promise, but suddenly the story I wanted to read is shoved aside to celebrate some bitter old man who was a silent film maker. I felt ripped off. However, if you get the physical book with illustrations, some of that feeling is negated by awesome illustrations and pictures of the movies by this silent film maker, and you do want to know more about him.

As the print version contained many illustrations, I believe that version may be better.

I would recommend the story but probably recommend the print version. Perhaps due to the lack of illustrations, the story seemed to be missing something.

He did an excellent job with characters.