The Invisible Boy
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A powerful contemporary novel for readers of 11+ about slavery, friendship and standing up for what is right.
From the author of the UKLA Book Award-winning THE ELEVENTH TRADE comes a second novel with a powerful modern message - for readers of 11+.
Twelve-year-old Nadia has discovered a new and dangerous secret: she is lonely.
Then two things happen that change everything. She meets Eli, who she suspects may be a superhero, and she finds a strange letter under the dried juniper branches.
The next day Nadia gathers her courage to take the letter to Eli. But something about Eli's family is very strange. Why doesn't he let her step close to the house? And is her new friend hiding his own secrets?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Aspiring investigative reporter Nadia Quick, 12, is on the hunt for a scoop. The only child's love of Superman, especially "ace reporter" Lois Lane, inspires her to cast neighborhood kids in comics roles one, whom she witnesses smashing her canoe paddle, as supervillain Paddle Boy, and another, who rescues her dog and then vanishes, as superhero The Invisible Boy. Though Hollingsworth's spirited heroine imagines herself an observant detective, she can be unaware (for example, not recognizing that her blogger mom is pregnant until she's informed via a devastating livestream reveal). Still, her instincts to look closer into The Invisible Boy's circumstances inspire her to track him down and, as she gets to know him, realize that something about his situation feels off. Topical subplots involving children's right to privacy in parenting blogs and health care for veterans are thoughtfully incorporated, while Nadia's frequently humorous denseness imparts levity, echoed in Lee's single-page comics-style panels. A layered exploration of a challenging subject, including an epilogue detailing warning signs of child trafficking and an author's note. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 10 14.
