Summary:
MY NAME IS FINN GARRETT AND THIS IS MY STORY.
I don't want to give anything away, so I'll tell you what you could probably guess from looking at the cover and flipping through the book.
1. It's about an invisible boy. Obviously. That's me. Actually, I'm not totally invisible. Yet. But I'm getting there.
2. There are a bunch of my drawings.
3. There are some really funny, really happy moments.
4. Just so you know, there are also some sad moments.
5. Everything in here is the truth. So if you like stories about true things, you might like this book.
That's all I'm going to tell you. All the stuff about my dad and my mom and my brother Derek and my friend Meli and whether or not I actually turn invisible or become completely visible again or figure out how to use my invisibility for the good of all mankind or just disappear altogether, you're going to have to read to find out.
So, let's get started. Just remember: This is my story, and anything can happen.
The Last Invisible Boy is one those books that actually made me "bust a feeling" as my friends and I would say. The touching work of fiction is told by 12-year old Finn Garrett who tells his story through this book...his book. Finn believes he is turning invisible and decides to write this book in order to share his thoughts. After a short introduction he tells the reader that his is "a story about losing something. No, it's a story about sudden change." Soon after we find out that he somehow lost his father. Finn's "invisibility" has to do with the fact that soon after the loss of his father his skin has grown extremely pale and his once black hair has slowly turned white leaving him looking ghostly. Finn believes that soon he'll disappear. Finn's story reads like a diary (think Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and is written in such a way using words and pictures. Evan Kuhlman uses the voice of Finn to tell wonderful and sad stories through Finn's young eyes. Finn questions the reasons why he's turning invisible as he struggles with keeping it together for his emotionally-wrecked mother and younger brother. The story is so touching because as a reader I realize that Finn knows his condition has to do with the death of his father, but Finn doesn't want to talk about what he calls "The Terrible Day that Changed Everything." The book deals with Finn's emotions through how he deals with everyday life. Through his words he unknowingly showed me denial, betrayal, grief, acceptance, and growth.
What I found really cool about this book is that Finn constantly questions the reader to think about things that might be a bit "deep" but he also understands that if it gets to deep you can always take a time out. Another cool thing he does throughout the book is to question what the names of the people he knows and meets mean. Finn means "fair hero."
When Finn finally comes to an understanding of how his father's death is directly related to his invisibility it is a moment that makes it clear that kids can process heavy emotions and situations even though it may be hard. Wow.
I think this is a great book for kids 8 and older...and by older I mean adults too!
Oh and by the way my name means "Healer"...what does yours mean?
Author Website:
http://www.evankuhlman.com/
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