Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing The School for Invisible Boys by Shaun David Hutchinson. I’ve read several of this author’s YA books and enjoyed them all, including Before We Disappear. So, I was excited to be approved for the eARC of his middle grade debut.
What would you do if no one could see you? In this surreal adventure, a boy who is used to being overlooked literally becomes invisible, only to realize there may be far more dangerous threats in his school than bullies.
Sixth grade takes a turn for the weird when Hector Griggs discovers he has the ability to turn invisible. Sure, ever since Hector’s former best friend Blake started bullying him, he’s been feeling like he just wants to disappear…but he never thought he actually would. And then, Hector meets another invisible boy, Orson Wellington, who has an ominous “I’m stuck here. Stuck like this. It’s been years. The gelim’s hunting me and it’ll get you, too.”
It turns out, there is more than meets the eye at St. Lawrence’s Catholic School for Boys, and if Hector is going to save Orson–and himself—from the terrifying creature preying on students’ loneliness and fear, he’ll need to look deeper. With the help of a mysterious new classmate, Sam, can Hector unravel the mysteries haunting his school, and discover that sometimes it takes disappearing to really be seen?
***Thank you to Labyrinth Road for providing a copy of The School for Invisible Boys via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***
I don’t read much middle grade literature, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to read this middle grade debut by one of my favorite YA authors. The School for Invisible Boys was such a great story with important themes, lovable characters, and compulsively readable prose. I rarely wanted to put this book down and craved even more of it by the end. I can only hope that this will turn into a series.
The School for Invisible Boys was exactly the type of story I would have loved as a kid. It was full of cool powers, mysteries, and monsters. Things weren’t quite what they seemed in the beginning, and I had a lot of fun navigating the twists and turns as the characters uncovered the truth of the situation. The plot struck a good balance between the fantasy elements of the story and the impacts of the family and friendship dynamics on the main character’s adventure. My only complaint is that Hector got over his friend’s horrible behavior a little too quickly, but that could just be my age clouding expectations for the characters.
The main character in The School for Invisible Boys, Hector, felt ripped straight from my past experiences. He was nerdy, sensitive, and didn’t really fit the mold of what a boy ‘should be.’ He didn’t like sports and used the library as a refuge. He was also queer. His isolation and feelings of otherness broke my heart because I related so strongly to his struggles and was transported right back to my own school library from all those years ago. I appreciated how he never lost sight of himself, though, and the story portrayed his sensitivity as a superpower, which was so awesome. I truly hope Hector’s arc inspires so many young boys to embrace who they are.
I appreciated the messages and themes in The School for Invisible Boys. The story highlighted how damaging bullying can be, but it also illustrated that bullying itself can be insidious and not always overtly obvious. It showed how words and jokes that seem like fun can be hurtful and leave lasting scars, which is an important thing for kids this age to learn because middle school can be vicious. I also loved how the monster was used to portray how bullying feeds on a cycle of fear and disparaging others for their differences. There were just so many great messages in this book, and I think kids will learn a lot from reading it while also having a great time.
Overall, The School for Invisible Boys was a solid middle grade debut for Hutchinson. It had a great plot, relatable characters, and impactful themes. I wish I’d had access to a book like this in middle school. Seeing this representation in such a fun way would likely have helped me accept myself a lot sooner. With all this in mind, I rate this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Have you read The School for Invisible Boys? Does it sound like something you would enjoy? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!