Things Not Seen - Andrew Clements

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Clements, Andrew. Things Not Seen. New York: Puffin Books, 2002. $6.99 Paperback (251p) ISBN: 9780142400760.

Recommended for ages 10-14.

Have you ever felt as if you were invisible? As the only child of two working parents fifteen-year-old Bobby Phillips has felt this way plenty of times. When he wakes up one morning truly invisible he realizes exactly what this word means. While his family attempts to figure out how this happened, Bobby is forced to keep his situation a secret and stay secluded. At first skipping school and being invisible is fun but the loneliness soon gets to him so Bobby sneaks out one day to the library. Here he finally finds someone he can talk to. Alicia is blind and to her Bobby seems perfectly normal. The pair become quick friends and Bobby ends up sharing his secret with her. Perhaps together they can discover how to make Bobby visible again. But they must hurry as time is running out. The police have shown up at Bobby’s home, questioning his absence from school and they are not buying his mom’s story. Will Bobby be able to reverse his condition before his parents are sent to jail? Or will he remain unseen for the rest of his life?

Awards/Honors
YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults List - 2003
ALA Schneider Family Book Award for Teen - 2004
Young Hoosier Middle Grade Book Nominee - 2004-2005

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Cover art from indiebound.org

Cover art from indiebound.org

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