Title: InvisibleAuthor: Pete Hautman
Publish Date: June 2005
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages: 160pp
IBSN: 0689868006
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Range: 12 and up
Price: $16.14
Annotation: Douglas MacArthur Hanson, “Dougie,” is the nerdy weird kid in high school, while his best friend, Andy Morrow, is a popular football player and theater. They discuss everything accept what happened at Tuttle Place three years ago.
Summary: Douglas MacArthur Hanson, “Dougie,” and his best friend Andy Morrow share everything. They have been best friends since they were children, though they are both in different places in their life as Dougie is the weirdo kid in school, being picked on by everyone and Andy is the popular kid, into football and theater. The two discuss everything, except for what happened at Tuttle Place three years ago. Meanwhile, Dougie is obsessed with his trains and building a bridge between East Madham and West Madham. He feels bridges are good things as they connect people. As he begins to question his memory and why his parents and psychologist have him on meds, he starts to uncover what happened at Tuttle Place.
Evaluation: This is one of books that I would recommend to a reluctant reader because A.) it’s only 160 pages and B.) it’s brilliantly constructed. I really enjoyed this tense story--it was painfully sad and left me questioning the ending (I love when that happens—deep contemplation hours after the story has ended). Did Dougie die in the end or not? I’m thinking he did die and the "Madham Burn Unit" is the place he wakes up in, in his afterlife. Though, he could have also survived and been using his imagination again. In any event, this was a quick story with vast amounts of suspense and lots of deep contemplation. This would be an excellent book to use for a group discussion as the ending is up for debate and the symbolism of the train and title of the book have plenty of deep
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness:
- Emotional damage of a traumatic event.
- Being a loner.
- Obsessing over something.
Reason this book was chosen: I was attracted to the psychological suspense of this realistic fiction story. Additionally, the length of the book makes this read an easy commitment (and one you won’t regret).
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Author Website: Click HERE
Awards:
ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 2006
Kirkus Editor's Choice, 2005
Awards:
ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 2006
Kirkus Editor's Choice, 2005
