The Last Invisible Boy

I highly recommend this book for anybody nine and up. If you liked the Diary of a Wimpy Kid, you will probably like this.

Meet Finn Garrett. A lovable, 12-year-old who believes that he is slowly becoming invisible (with pale skin and white hair). He feels like he is quickly disappearing both figuratively and literally from the real world. As the story unfolds, we find that Finn, his mother and his brother, Derek have undergone a traumatic event which very easily explains his "new condition". Writing this journal, titled "The Last Invisible Boy", is a road map of how a young boy deals with his grief. I found it to be simply inspiring. I would not compare it to the humorous "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", although it has drawings and is written in a diary like style. I think this is a very thought provoking story that would be a wonderful read for a young child in crisis. Understanding the intimate thoughts of a child who has lost a parent at an early age is eye opening and made me think of what I would tell my children if they lost their Dad, and how I could help them to overcome their grief. Finn realizes in his own way that he has to find his own way out of his grief, and reverse the effects of his condition. What is most touching is the fact that Finn wants to reverse his condition (white hair and ultra-white skin), but just isn't ready to do it just yet. He has to understand the "why" it all happened. And his tender tale and journey to understand the facets of death, along with the patient understanding of his good friend (and he hopes future wife) Meli is one that we laugh, cry and painfully watch until he finds his way. His inner battle to be with the one he love, while fighting to remain in the world of the living is one of the most touching that I have read.. I loved this novel and have passed it on to my 10-year-old with the hopes that we can discuss death in a way that he will understand. The Last Invisible Boy is a true testament to the human spirit and the means we go to repair our lives once we experience tragedy. I can not say enough about how good I thought it was. It was thought provoking and brilliant. And if you know of a child in crisis or who is going thru a loss, I would suggest this novel you give them a copy of this novel.

The Last Invisible Boy is a deep philosophical book about life and death from the point of view of a 12-year-old. Evan Kuhlman has done an excellent job of putting himself in a child's shoes and writing about what a child feels following the death of a loved one: the various emotions and memories that play like movies in your mind; the desire that everything go back to normal except that they can't; and the inescapable fact that life goes on despite the loss. The book is supposedly written by Finn Garrett, 12 years old, whose father died just before summer ended. His body suffers a severe shock so that his hair slowly turns white and his skin becomes paler and paler. He writes about his life, his family's beginnings, his dad, how his family tries to deal with his dad's death, how everyone in school now sees him because he is slowly "disappearing" which, for him, is ironic because like most 12-year-olds, he would rather be invisible and not be noticed nor stand out in school. Finn philosophizes throughout the book as he tries to come to terms with his dad's death. He knows it's futile trying to go to the past, "run to the past and hide there, but since you are from the present, the past will not have you. NO ADMITTANCE, KID says the sign on the door that you are trying to kick down, to find your way back to the day ... Keep kicking at that door. It probably won't work, but keep trying." As a result of his experience, he feels older than his years; in fact, he feels like he has lived so long and had quite a number of previous lives before this one, and he wants to be reincarnated again as a different creature or object, just as he contemplates his father probably being reincarnated as another creature at his death. He frequently visits the cemetery where his dad is buried, just to think and let the day go by, and comes to the realization that he is writing his book because he is a keeper of his father's stories. When he finally gets around to telling about how his dad died, he speculates on the what-ifs and tries to put the blame for his father's death on anything: the invention of the airplane, the trip to Boston his father made, his dad's staying there longer than he should, the stewardess who just thought he was sleeping, anything would do except the real reason: he died of "natural causes". He even puts the blame on himself and feels guilty because he wasn't able to do anything to save his dad: "maybe made sure he ate more vegetables and exercised more so 'natural causes' didn't stand a chance. Or kept him from going to Boston, somehow." He feels the weight of his dad's death as he realizes he's the oldest male in their household. Meanwhile, he feels he is being erased from this world, becoming invisible, because a huge part of him wants to be with his dad wherever he is. He knows his mom is grieving privately and hears her crying sometimes, and he knows she's trying to pull herself together, but until he actually sees her as having

I enjoyed reading THE LAST INVISIBLE BOY, by Evan Kuhlman, but it isn't necessarily a happy story. The book is about a 12-year-old boy named Finn Garrett who has just lost his father. Told in a journal/diary style of writing, the story gives readers a glimpse into this boy's journey of recovery as he records his thoughts and emotions going from sadness to anger to confusion to guilt. It continually breaks the "third wall," as the character Finn addresses the reader from time to time by asking questions etc., always including the reader on this trip. I don't know why some reviewers found the story boring, because it is talking about a very delicate subject matter--the death of a parent--and so I'm not sure how you make that interesting. In any case, I never found the story boring and thought it was done with absolute sincerity. And the drawings by J.P. Coovert are cute and soften the blow of the many sad journal entries that you encounter along the way. The story does end on a happy note so it's not all melancholy (btw, some parts are even funny). This is such a wonderful book and it really shows how people, especially young people, go through the grieving process in their own way. And more importantly, that it's OK to go through the sadness because you will come out on the other side.