Invisible Emmie is another gem in the author/illustrator series of middle school. Terri Libenson has taken her character Emmie and shown her through her own eyes. As well as showing some of the characters from the other books in a different light. When you see a person through another character’s eyes you start to get a bigger picture of the world Libenson wanted to tell. And that story is the world of middle school. Yet, each character is one that we know, want to be or are.
There are neat twists in the story itself. We see Emmie and another girl go through everyday life. One not so popular and one the most popular in the school. The fun style choice for the illustrations (Emmie’s story in light colors, little detail, almost faded) and the other girl (bright colors, detail panels and bold) help you see the personality. The fact that it looks like two different illustrators had done the illustrations is also very interesting. Of course, we know that Libenson did both themselves. And this, just might give you clue to the surprise at the end of the book.
While I have liked all the graphic novels that I have read of Libenson, I think Invisible Emmie might be my favorite. In many ways, Emmie was me in middle school, therefore, she is reliable. But also, I just liked Emmie as a character as you get to see the issues we have seen in other books from her point of view and she has a unique one. All ages (but best suited for ages 10 to 14) can find something to enjoy and like in this book.
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