Invisible Emmie by Terri Libenson

“My name is Emmie Douglas I’m thirteen and in seventh grade” p. 6. Emmie describes herself as 'pretty quiet'. While she claims to be just invisible, not like outcast characters in other books who are bullied, she is subject to occasional bullying at school which makes her anxious. Emmie is good at drawing and finds it helps her to relax, her cartoon self is small, in shades of pastel, documenting embarrassing moments in her life. Emmie’s best friend is Brianna, an outgoing ‘gifted’ student, good at making friends.  Then we meet Katie, big, colourful illustrations reflect her personality,   “How my friends describe me: smiley, friendly, athletic (I’d go on but I’d start blushing)” p. 14. Everything about Katie is larger than life, she is everything Emmie is not, school is her element and she sails through each day that to Emmie seems like an eternity. Alternating colourful Katie and pastel Emmie panels emphasise the girls’ differing perspectives.  Brianna and Emmie have long had crushes on friends Anthony Randell and Tyler Ross and one day “Brianna suggests we write really gushy, sappy love notes to our crushes. Not that we would give the notes to them or anything.” p. 78. But when one of the notes goes astray Emmie feels she has become the laughing stock of the school and in danger of losing her best friend. Help comes from an unexpected quarter and things work out in the end.

I was put off at the prologue about weird kids and found the inclusion of the fat kid and the smelly kid unpleasant and unnecessary but on the whole the observations of daily life of an introverted middle schooler hit the spot and the story was funny and engaging. The mix of graphics and text make it an easy read. It captures the courage needed to face stressful social situations and the rewards for doing so.

Themes: Middle school, Friendship, Bullying, Graphic novel.

Sue Speck