February 6, 2024 by Labyrinth Road
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Hector is having some interpersonal problems in several areas of his life; his step father and two step brothers, Jason and Lee, are very much into sports. It is also because of the step brothers that Hector has to attend a Catholic school, St. Lawrence's. He's been best friend with Blake for a while, but once Hector asked if Blake would be his boyfriend, Blake has been very mean. This severs Hector from his entire friend group, and he has to eat lunch with a group of misfits known as "the cupcakes". When Blake and his new evil friend Conrad are chasing him around the school with the intent of beating him up, Hector makes the startling discovery that he can turn invisible. He practices with this, and finds that with some effort, he can do this at will. He also meets another boy who is invisible, Orson Wellington. Hector asks the school librarian, Mr. Morhill, for information about the school, and meets his nephew, Sam, who is a girl. This should be quite a shock at an all boys' school, but Sam seems to be able to fly under the radar. In addition to meeting Orson, Hector has come into contact with a tentacled monster inhabiting the school. Orson calls this the "gelim" and the two start to wonder if the monster is affecting Blake. It is a bit odd that Blake was so put out by Hector's admission, especially since he is being raised by two mothers, but the abuse only escalates. How are Orson, the monster, and his classmates bad behavior all tied in to the mysterious history of the school?
Strengths: Being invisible is a superpower that many middle school students would like to have, and it is used to good effect in this story. Private schools are also appealing to my readers in a larger public school, and the idea of an entire abandoned and haunted building on campus is interesting. There are some long time teachers with interesting backstories who are used well in the plot. The interpersonal dynamics between Hector and Blake are some that I haven't seen much in middle grade literature; how does a relationship between same sex friends change if one of the friends introduces an unwelcome element of romance? Blake's reaction is unfortunately common (he repeatedly calls Hector "freak", but the understanding is that another, more hurtful, word is used), but the ending explains this a bit more. The author's note at the end mentions that he was greatly inspired by L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time as well as the work of John Bellairs, and this did have a vintage feel to it.
Weaknesses: I would have liked it if the powers of invisibility were used more, but they were part of the story more for allergorical reasons.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Oshiro's The Insiders or Howard's The Visitors.
Strengths: Being invisible is a superpower that many middle school students would like to have, and it is used to good effect in this story. Private schools are also appealing to my readers in a larger public school, and the idea of an entire abandoned and haunted building on campus is interesting. There are some long time teachers with interesting backstories who are used well in the plot. The interpersonal dynamics between Hector and Blake are some that I haven't seen much in middle grade literature; how does a relationship between same sex friends change if one of the friends introduces an unwelcome element of romance? Blake's reaction is unfortunately common (he repeatedly calls Hector "freak", but the understanding is that another, more hurtful, word is used), but the ending explains this a bit more. The author's note at the end mentions that he was greatly inspired by L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time as well as the work of John Bellairs, and this did have a vintage feel to it.
Weaknesses: I would have liked it if the powers of invisibility were used more, but they were part of the story more for allergorical reasons.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Oshiro's The Insiders or Howard's The Visitors.
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