Hugo Movie Companion by Brian Selznick - OPTIONAL

Selznick, Brian.  The Hugo Movie Companion, 241 pages.  Scholastic, 2011.  $19.99.  Language: G; Sexual Content: G; Violence: G.  This is "A Behind the Scenes Look at How a Beloved Book Became a Major Motion Picture."  Selznick first writes about the original book, The Adventures of Hugo Cabret and then he goes on to write about the various people who helped turn it into a movie...starting with the director, Martin Scorsese.  He writes about the actors and other people as well.  The book is full of color photos both from the movie and from behind the scenes, as well as the original book.  But I didn't love the book.  I started out enjoying it, but before too long I found myself bored with all the references to how great everyone is and was.  The movie industry is already a self-absorbed industry and I did not enjoy the big love fest about people who are so excited to work with a director or how great so-and-so was.  I don't find the book to be worth the money, but eleven out of eleven reviewers on Amazon.com gave it 5 out of 5 stars.  I did find the photographs to be wonderful, but I think you could find a more worthwhile book to spend twenty dollars on.  EL, MS, HS - OPTIONAL.  Brent Smith, Reading Teacher