The Last Invisible Boy - Softcover

Kuhlman, Evan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1416960899 ISBN 13: 9781416960898

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2010

Synopsis

Finn Garrett is disappearing. He used to have black hair and skin-colored skin, but each day his hair gets whiter and his skin gets more transparent. It’s been happening since the day his father died, and he can’t figure out how to stop it. Before he vanishes completely, Finn is writing everything down for us, his faithful readers. His words and pictures are the memoirs of The Last Invisible Boy. At turns funny and moving, Evan Kuhlman’s first novel for children, featuring drawings by cartoonist J.P. Coovert, is a magnificent and original tale of love and loss.

About this title

About the Author

Evan Kuhlman is the author of Brother from a Box, the critically acclaimed The Last Invisible Boy, Great Ball of Light, and the highly lauded novel for adults Wolf Boy. He lives in Ohio. Visit him at AuthorEvanKuhlman.Wordpress.com.

J. P. Coovert attended the Center for Cartoon Studies. This is his first illustrated work for children. You can see more of his work at www.onepercentpress.com.

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 5–7—This illustrated novel, reminiscent in style of Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Abrams, 2007), is sure to have huge appeal. Finn Garrett tells the tender yet humorous story of how he begins to disappear following his beloved dad's sudden death. The 12-year-old awakens the morning after the day when everything changes to find a strand of white hair and less "pinkness" to his skin. Each day he grows whiter and less visible. He begins to write a memoir, which is really an account of his and his family's grief over their devastating loss. While poignant and sad, the book is ultimately upbeat as they begin to heal. At times Finn feels he is being erased because he failed to save his dad. At other times he wonders if he is aging in order to get closer to him. He recounts memory after memory, ultimately realizing the importance of them, and of being the keeper of his father's stories. Finn sees a therapist, and eventually he, his mother, his grandpa, his little brother, and his friend Melanie move beyond their initial pain. Finn's invisibility reverses itself and he becomes a boy who has managed to hold on to the world. The book's engaging, intimate tone is enhanced by Finn frequently addressing readers. Stop signs placed at points when he is overwhelmed with feeling add to the tenderness. The language and style are pitch-perfect middle school, and the illustrations ably capture the boy's memories and moods.—Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
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About this edition

• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1416960899
• ISBN 13: 9781416960898
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 240
• Illustrator: Coovert J. P.