A middle schooler navigates the challenges of feeling invisible—literally and figuratively—as she comes to terms with her asexual identity in this poignant speculative novel perfect for fans of Ellie Engel Saves Herself and Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone.
Seventh grade has just started, but Olivia Gray already knows this year is different. Her brother ignores her for his crush, and all her friends talk about is who likes who, something Olivia has never cared about—even when Robbie, the most popular boy in school, asks her to the fall formal. After unknowingly rejecting him, Olivia goes viral on the social app KruShh. As the chatter about Robbie and dating grows, Olivia starts to feel left out to the point of feeling invisible—literally.
Seen only by her new librarian and a friendly kid named Jules, Olivia flickers in and out of sight whenever the topic of romance comes up. As she begins to realize she might be asexual, Olivia struggles to actually use the label because of the negative perception behind it. All she wants is to be normal, but can she really fit in without disappearing completely?---from the publisher
272 pages 978-1665972628 Ages 9-13
Keywords: fantasy, middle school, social media ,invisibility, asexuality, identity, LGBTQIA, fitting in, belonging, self acceptance, believing in yourself, being yourself, 9 year old, 10 year old, 11 year old, 12 year old, 13 year old
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Olivia is starting 7th grade, and is fortunate enough to have a good group of friends. Her brother, Malcolm, has come out as gay, and Olivia's parents have thrown a party for him as a way to be supportive. Olivia used to spend a lot of time in the school library, talking to Mrs. Cassidy and showing her her sketchbook, but when she checks in this year, she finds to her surprise that she has retired and been replaced by a young, hip librarian, Ms. Amelia. When a 7th and 8th grade formal is announced, Olivia's friends want to share all of the gossip on a social media app called KruShh, which Nessa helpfully downloads for her. Olivia doesn't have much interest in in, but does spend a Friday evening scrolling through it when Malcolm forsakes the family movie night for a date. There's all kinds of drama on KruShh, but Olivia has little interest. She's annoyed when Robbie, a boy her friends think is cute, leaves a note asking her out. She isn't quite sure who left the note and says "no", and things get out of hand on KruShh. Olivia meets Jules in the library; Jules is nonbinary and has asked Miss Amelia for books to help. The odd thing is that both Olivia and Jules have an odd condition; they get headaches, feel tingling in their limbs, and then are invisible to everyone around them. Miss Amelia is the only other person who can see them. As the drama over the dance escalates, Jule and Olivia have a misunderstanding. Eventually, Olivia realizes that she is aromantic and doesn't share the same interest in having relationships that her friends do.
Strengths: Olivia's experience in middle school is given an allegorical twist as she feels invisible and actually physically manifests that feeling. This is a book that is definitely on trend and embraces the cultural zeitgeist when it comes to sexual identity. It also has plenty of tween drama and an especially evil form of social media in KruShh. Olivia's parents are probably the best characters as they try really hard to support Malcolm, but in the cringiest ways possible.
Weaknesses: Being "invisible" in the real world is not particularly pleasant all the time (try being Mrs. Cassidy, Olivia! I'm sure she was probably about 55-60; people don't usually stay in teaching until they are 80.), but if people ACTUALLY turned invisible, it would be an interesting experience. I prefer Kessler's Have Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins or Thompson's The Day I was Erased for fun stories about tweens becoming invisible.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Gino's Alice Austen Lived Here or Riley's Jude Saves the World.
I feel really seen and perhaps a bit irritated by the following description: "Mrs. Cassidy has been nice but tired and had listened to Olivia the way a grandma would, fondly and with vague interest." (page 96 of the e ARC). Ms. Amelia, with her dark purple hair, sneakers, and nose ring, is brand new and possible under thirty years old. She will learn soon enough that she won't have the energy to teach six classes a day while power washing 30 Chromebooks AND weeding the collection in her downtime if she spends time counseling tweens who find the cafeteria overwhelming during her "lunch". Mrs. Cassidy was probably trying to answer e mails while talking to Olivia about her drawings. I do have a bit of concern for Ms. Amelia; there are places where she would be putting her job in jeopardy for sharing her own aromantic identity with students. I'm not saying it's right, I'm saying that we live in perilous times.
Recommended by: Karen Yingling, Teacher Librarian, Ohio USA
See more of her recommendations: msyinglingreads.blogpost.com
