First published 2011
Hugo survives alone inside the walls of a bustling Paris train station. The orphaned boy maintains the station's clocks while stealing food and parts to keep himself alive. His most prized possession is a mechanical man his dead father left behind, along with a notebook filled with cryptic drawings. Hugo believes the automaton holds a secret message from his father, but he needs a heart-shaped key to make it work. When Hugo steals from the bitter old man who operates a toy booth in the station, his hidden existence comes under threat. An encounter with the toy seller's goddaughter, a book-loving girl, sets off a chain of discoveries. The three lives connect like clockwork gears, revealing unexpected connections between the mechanical man, the old toymaker's past, and Hugo's future. As Hugo races to unlock the automaton's message, he must choose between the safety of his shadows and the risk of trusting others with his secrets.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, mystery, fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful, whimsical
Tropes: found-family, secrets
Setting: Paris
Period: 20th-century
533 pages · Hardcover · Scholastic Press