The Invention of Hugo Cabaret by Brian Selznick

AZ: "ORPHAN, CLOCK KEEPER, AND THIEF, twelve-year-old Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival dependson secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric girl and her grandfather, Hugo's undercover life and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery."

This is just such a beautiful book, sparse text interspersed with pages of black and white illustrations, it's an experience as much as a book, full of the slightly alien atmosphere of Paris. I love the feeling of a child living parallel to normal life.