The Last Invisible Boy Book

Whoa. Behold: The thinking man's Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I hate to say, "I laughed, I cried," but it's true.

As in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, you'll find diary entries, drawings, and mini-comics. Unlike Wimpy Kid, the characters here are typically, much more likeable. If there's a kid you're going to root for in the literary world, it's Finn Garrett. He's a good boy, but not a goody-goody. He's struggling, but still doing the best he can.

The Last Invisible Boy mixes realism with a sort of surrealism. Finn Garrett's father has suddenly died, and he and his family are coping with their new lives. His mother is depressed, his younger brother is needing a new father figure, and Finn is worried about returning to school. In addition, Finn's skin and hair are becoming whiter and lighter every day since his father's death. Finn and others have a variety of theories as to why this is happening, but one of Finn's theories is that he is becoming invisible. He's afraid that, one day, he is going to wake up to find himself completely transparent.

Finn has to be one of the most nurturing narrarators around. He speaks directly to the reader, but not in that snarky omnipotent way that narrartors often do when they break down the fourth wall. He apologizes for the sadder passages and encourages the reader to take breaks from after reading the more difficult chapters. Finn yearns for a better, happier story to tell: "Wonder if...they'll even like my book. 'Skip the middle of the book,' they'll tell their friends. 'It's a total bummer'. I wish this were one of those stories where even though there are some struggles and problems, nobody dies. Someday I will write that better kind of story".

Still, this is not one of those awful, deeply depressing books that you'll never get a child to read. Finn maintains his sense of humor and, usually, his hope for a better life.