Three words into this book and I think there has been a big big mistake. This book can't be for me.
I look inside the front and back cover, searching for the name of whichever student was so kind as to assign this book to me.
No name.
I knock on Zack's door.
He pops his head out. I wave the book at him. Is this your book?
He looks at me like I'm crazy and answers "no" with one raised eyebrow questioning my motives.
Yay. I say thank you and then he closes his door.
Double yay.
I go back to the big green chair by the window, unsure whether to read it or not, but since I had it and was so incredibly thin, I decided to give it a go.
I'm very glad this book found me!
This book is a story about a 12 year old boy named Finn who is becoming invisible.
Just like my son Zack, Finn stopped going to school, stopped talking to his friends, stopped looking forward to being part of anything outside of his house.
Finn doesn't want to be sad but something terrible happened and it changed everything. He is sad and wistful and articulate, you will find yourself jotting down quotes like: “Sometimes it's like I'm living my life waiting for more bad news” and "time tears us up and then it tries to fix us.”
For most of the book he tiptoes around what happened "that terrible day" but by the end of the book the reader finally gently finds out how Finn's dad died.
This book targets the same audience as "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and includes a book-jacket endorsement by that series' author.
If you know a kid going through a difficult time, or an adult who needs help getting a kid through a difficult time, this serious-tender-playful-imaginative book is right on target.
The Last Invisible Boy by Evan Kuhlman.
