Invisible: A Graphic Novel

by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, Gabriela Epstein (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Fans of Raina Telgemeier and Jerry Craft won’t want to miss this brightly illustrated middle school graphic novel about friendship, community, and teamwork. With English and Spanish text incorporated throughout, Invisible will make a fresh addition to any young reader’s library.

A USA TODAY and Indie Bestseller!

For fans of New Kidand Allergic, a must-have graphic novel about five very different students who are forced together by their school to complete community service... and may just have more in common than they thought.

Can five overlooked kids make one big difference?

There's George: the brain

Sara: the loner

Dayara: the tough kid

Nico: the rich kid

And Miguel: the athlete

And they're stuck together when they're forced to complete their school's community service hours. Although they're sure they have nothing in common with one another, some people see them as all the same . . . just five Spanish-speaking kids.

Then they meet someone who truly needs their help, and they must decide whether they are each willing to expose their own secrets to help . . . or if remaining invisible is the only way to survive middle school.

With text in English and Spanish, Invisible features a groundbreaking format paired with an engaging, accessible, and relatable storyline. This Breakfast Club-inspired story by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, award-winning author of Concealed, and Gabriela Epstein, illustrator of two Baby-Sitters Club graphic novel adaptations, is a must-have graphic novel about unexpected friendships and being seen for who you really are.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338194548
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/02/2022
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	6,774
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	GN260L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Christina Diaz Gonzalez is the Edgar Award-winning author of Concealed, Moving Target, The Red Umbrella and A Thunderous Whisper. She is the author of the graphic novel Invisible, with Gabriela Epstein. Her books have received numerous honors and recognitions including the Florida Book Award and the Nebraska Book Award. They have also been named the American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults, a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People, and the International Reading Association's Teachers' Choice. Learn more at christinagonzalez.com.

Gabriela Epstein is the creator of the New York Times bestselling graphic novel adaptation of Claudia and the New Girl by Ann M. Martin. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a degree in illustration and has worked as a character designer for TV animation. When she isn’t making comics, she enjoys yo-yoing, listening to spooky podcasts, and watching historical documentaries. She lives in Austin, Texas. Visit her online at gre-art.com.

Editorial Reviews

06/27/2022

Middle schooler Jorge “George” Rivera, an American student of Puerto Rican descent, just wants to keep his head down until he can get into a high school magnet program. When he’s called into the principal’s office about the school’s community service initiative, he’s worried that the administration knows he’s recently moved outside the school district with his single mother, who’s experiencing financial precarity. But the principal, portrayed as Black and obsessed with winning an annual award for the initiative, tells George that he can carry out his service hours in the cafeteria, alongside “students like you.” Though he doesn’t speak much Spanish, George finds himself assigned as translator for a disparate group of kids—tough-seeming Dayara, who is Cuban; Dominican jock Miguel; rich kid Nico, who’s Venezuelan; and loner Sara, who’s Mexican. When the group meets an unhoused family, though, they come together to provide assistance in their own way. Alternating flashbacks among the five students, Gonzalez (Concealed) clearly shows how each kid—all characterized distinctly and with complexity—is more than others’ assumptions. Epstein’s expressive contemporary style brings the characters’ singular experiences to the forefront in a story that largely focuses on its child protagonists finding community over change among its biased adults. Creators’ notes conclude. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Chelsea Eberly, Greenhouse Literary. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

A USA TODAY Bestseller

An instant INDIE BESTSELLER

INDIE Next List Recommended Book

School Library Journal Best Book of 2022

2022 ALA Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table Top Ten Graphic Novel

2023 Notable Book for a Global Society Award

2022 Cybills Award Winner

2022 Nerdy Book Club Award

2023-24 Texas Bluebonnet List

2022 Virginia Library Association Graphic Novel Diversity Award Winner

Amazon #1 New Release

A Barnes & Noble Most Anticipated Read for August 2022

Target Book Club Pick - February 2023

"A story that shouldn't be missed." — Entertainment Weekly

"This is a must-read." — Book Riot

★ "Illuminating and engaging. With a sweet twist at the end, multifaceted characters, and moments of genuine comedy, this is pitch-perfect for anyone who loves Raina Telgemeier or Varian Johnson." — Booklist, starred review

★ "Truly unique... An entertaining and spirited reading experience." — School Library Journal, starred review

★ "Invisible celebrates individuality and community while transcending language barriers." — Bookpage, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 08/01/2022

Gr 4–7—When George, who is Puerto Rican, is assigned community service hours working in his middle school cafeteria with "other students like you," he expects to be with the gifted kids, but instead, he finds out that the only thing he has in common with the volunteer group is that they are all Latinx students being unfairly stereotyped by their educators. There's Miguel, the jock who secretly loves drawing, who is Dominican; Dayara, a Cuban girl who constantly gets in trouble and struggles in school; Sara, a loner, who is Mexican; and Nico, a Venezuelan boy with a reputation as a stuck-up rich kid. By the end of the week, they are all called into the principal's office to explain how the five of them "conspired to do something." As each student tells their portion of the story, readers are shown the complexity and individuality of each of their lives, shattering the stereotypes that the adults and other students in the story place on them. However, what makes this modern Breakfast Club story truly unique is the use of Spanish and English text to expose readers to the complexities of multi-language literacy. Each character has their own level of ability with English and Spanish, making their individual voices and communication methods unique, but ample translations of both languages make for an enjoyable reading experience. VERDICT A welcome addition to any graphic novel collection, Invisible skillfully explores the negative impact of stereotyping while also offering an entertaining and spirited reading experience.—Amanda Melilli

School Library Journal

Five very different students misidentified as “Mexicanos” find commonality in a superb audio adaptation of this graphic novel. While the full cast and production are all outstanding, the narrators portraying the diverse students give especially animated performances, conveying unique personalities and moving flawlessly between English and Spanish. Andrés Hinspeter-Seda is the unassuming Puerto Rican, George; Sarah Tie portrays the lone Mexican, Sara; Christian Barillas is the rich Venezuelan, Nico; Noah Rico plays the Dominicano, Miguel; and Lisset Díaz plays the tough Cuban, Dayara. All of them find a common purpose in helping a homeless woman and her daughter. This is an immersive language experience for middle schoolers. The production may ring a bell for fans of the 1985 movie THE BREAKFAST CLUB, which inspired this story. M.F. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2023 - AudioFile

Five very different students misidentified as “Mexicanos” find commonality in a superb audio adaptation of this graphic novel. While the full cast and production are all outstanding, the narrators portraying the diverse students give especially animated performances, conveying unique personalities and moving flawlessly between English and Spanish. Andrés Hinspeter-Seda is the unassuming Puerto Rican, George; Sarah Tie portrays the lone Mexican, Sara; Christian Barillas is the rich Venezuelan, Nico; Noah Rico plays the Dominicano, Miguel; and Lisset Díaz plays the tough Cuban, Dayara. All of them find a common purpose in helping a homeless woman and her daughter. This is an immersive language experience for middle schoolers. The production may ring a bell for fans of the 1985 movie THE BREAKFAST CLUB, which inspired this story. M.F. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2023 - AudioFile