I am an adult but I loved loved loved The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I think the thing that really struck me was the way he integrated the storytelling into the art, different than a graphic novel.
I’ve read a few great graphic novels (Watchmen, Persepolis, Maus) and as much as I liked them, they’re not quite the same.
So - anything else like this book I should read? I’m reluctant to see the movie because I adored the book so much I feel like it would just be a disappointment.
I just finished a graphic novel called “The Return Of The Dapper Men” much like you described Hugo Cabret. Doesn’t make a lot of sense though. The Spiderwick books are real neat too, although they’re kind of expensive.
I haven’t read the book but I saw the movie and loved the hell out of it. It made me want to read the book. I hope you like the movie if you do see it. It was pure magic to me.
I haven’t read his new one, but my book group loved it.
Super cool, didn’t know he had a new one out. Thanks for that, and for the other recommendations.
I’m unsure if I want to see the movie - I am often disappointed with movies after I’ve read the books. We’ll see, but I’m glad to hear it was good!
I’ve got a few suggestions for you:
Check out Shaun Tan.
He’s an Aussie artist with several collections of short ‘stories’ done in that Hugo-Cabret mixed media style, and one recent longer work called ***The Arrival ***which is astoundingly good. He’s an adult/YA themed artist/author, and one of the few out there working mostly in images. His pictures, especially in The Arrival, are breathtaking.
There isn’t much of his work out there, but what he has (be warned, some of it gets political in a very general way) is lovely to look through, and some of it is really brain-wormy - thought-provoking in that “I keep thinking about it” sort of way.
The next set of suggestions are all picture books, but they are worth a read for their images and ideas - really fun to look through.
I’m putting them in order of how much I liked and enjoyed them personally
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, by Chris Van Allsburg
Flotsam, by David Wiesner
The Widow’s Broom, by Chris Van Allsburg
Sector 7, by David Wiesner
Tuesday, by David Wiesner
The Lion and the Mouse, Jerry Pinkney
And this last set are juvenile books - intended for grade school, but the pictures and stories are so pretty and fun to look through. Hard to find now, but check libraries and used-booksellers online.
All of the following written and illustrated by James Gurney
Dinotopia: A Land Apart From Time
Dinotopia: The World Beneath
Dinotopia: First Flight
Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara
All of these are fairly long books, and have huge spreads of illustrations with fairly simplistic main plots and lots of side “puzzles” and hidden info in the pictures you can choose to interact with or not. I like that the story understanding and progression isn’t linked to the “easter eggs” in the illustrations, so that you don’t feel obligated to deal with them to get the whole story.
Shaun Tan’s “The Arrival” is the only wordless picture book I’ve really loved. and it’s not for children. It’s jrhigh and up at least.
as for the OP - I recommend “The Wall” a picture book with words by Peter Sis about growing up behind the iron curtain. very good