Author Spotlight: Brian Selznick
Max- Mar 9
- 3 min read
Author and illustrator Brian Selznick has enchanted children across the world with the magic of both art and words. Known for writing and illustrating books like Wonderstruck and The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Selznick's works invite readers of all ages to venture across the lines of history and possibility.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret, a 2007 children's historical fiction book, showcases both his literary and artistic talents; 284 pictures accompany the novel's text. It tells the story of its orphan protagonist, Hugo Cabret, who fixes clocks at the train station where he lives. While visiting the remains of a museum fire that killed his father, Hugo finds and rescues an automaton that he and his father had initially intended to fix together. Upon discovering a keyhole, his journey to find the key leads him to meet a family who will change his life forever.
The novel, considered a steampunk classic, draws from two different sources: the true story of French film pioneer and magician Georges Méliès and his collection of wind-up automata, and Gaby Wood's Edison Eve. The latter is a novel that tells the story of Thomas Edison attempts to create a talking windup doll. Selznick was also inspired by the Montparnasse railway station, the details of which are included in the book.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret won multiple awards including, most notably, the 2008 Caldecott Medal. The book was listed among the New York Times' Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2007 and Publishers Weekly' Best Books of 2007. It was also a National Book Awardd finalist. The book's 2011 film adaptation Hugo, directed and produced by Martine Scorsese, received critical acclaim. It was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won five.
His next work, the young-adult fiction novel Wonderstruck, experimentally uses language and illustration to tell two different stories that are woven together by the end. The first story is about Ben, a deaf boy from 1977 Minnesota who travels to New York in search for his estranged father. The second story is about Rose, a deaf girl from 1927 New Jersey who escapes to New York to meet her idol, an actress named Lillian Mayhew. The third story ties Ben’s and Rose’s stories together, leading them to meet in 1977 in New York.
Wonderstruck made number 1 on the New York Times' best-seller list in 2011. It was also among Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2011 and the American Library Association's Notable Children’s Book.
While The Invention of Hugo Cabret might have been his breakout work, Selznick was writing and illustrating books long before it. His first novel, The Houdini Box, was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1991. He illustrated books all throughout the ’90s. Some of his works as an illustrator include Frindle by Andrew Clements, Doll Face Has a Party by Pam Conrad, and Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan. He also wrote and illustrated two other books: The Robot King (1995), and Boy of a Thousand Faces (2000). In 2018, as part of Scholastic’s celebration of the 20th publication anniversary of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the publishing house released brand-new covers for the entire series, all illustrated by Selznick.
Brian Selznick's daring combination of both art and text to create new forms of storytelling is one of the reasons he's our pick for today's author spotlight. We also admire how his use of time and history in many of his popular works encourages young readers to explore the wonders of the past. It also inspires writers to explore bold, heartfelt, and creative decisions that will captivate readers of all ages.
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