Invisible
By Pete Hautman
Genre: Juvenile Fiction Sub-Genre: Mystery
Themes: Mental instability, suspense, popularity, bullying
Primary Characters: Doug Hanson, his best friend Andy Morrow
Secondary Characters: Doug and Andy's classmates, Doug's psychiatrist, Doug's parents, Andy's parents
Awards: Iowa Teen Award 2009-2010
Published November 28, 2006 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
This book tells the story of a seventeen year-old boy named Doug Hanson. Doug is a lonely, non-sociable high-schooler with only one real friend and a limited grasp on reality. As the story unfolds, we realize more and more just how unstable his mental health is as we learn of his psychiatrist and medication that he refuses to take. It also becomes clear that he and his best friend Andy (ironically, one of the most popular boys at school) were involved in an accident with a fire when they were younger. The mystery of past events makes this dark book very suspenseful! Due to its intense nature I would only use this with the oldest elementary-grade students; sixth grade at the youngest. It would make for a good whole-class read, I think, because discussions on it would be most interesting!
No comments:
Post a Comment