This book is like watching a black and white movie - the really old ones, like Harold Lloyd or Charlie Chaplin, with the beautiful scenery and the characters that are as real and heart-rending as they are comical. 
 Hugo Cabret, the boy, the thief, the inventor trying to carry on the legacy of his dead father and solve the mystery of the automaton that they discovered. Paris, the city, the people, the crowded stations. The girl and the old man, the stand of toys - all gloriously rendered in silent black and white sketches that tell the story as clearly as the pages of text. 
 It's historical fiction and art and an adventure all in one. And believe me, that's not something I get to say about children's literature, especially in the increasing waves of vulgarity and cliches and decreasing quality.