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thebrainlair's review against another edition
4.0
Meet Finn. He's slowly fading. His hair is getting whiter. His skin is paler. And he doesn't want to go to school or see people or do any of the things he used to do before The Terrible Day That Changed Everything.
Finn has this thing for name meanings. Findlay stands for "fair hero". Finn doesn't feel like a hero, he feels like a failure. He wasn't able to stop The Terrible Day That Changed Everything. Maybe that's why he's disappearing. So in a combination present-day journal/everyday story Finn tells us about his life now and then.
That's really all I can tell you because the story depends on you reading it. Finn talks to you. He shares with you. He waits for you. He wants to tel you about his family and his hopefully one day soon girlfriend but right now best friend Meli.
The Last Invisible Boy is sad and hopeful and beautiful.
There were so many lines to write down and remember:
p. 5 - I'm vanishing in bits and pieces, like a disease that will not kill me but will erase me.
p. 36 - I love happy endings. I just wish there were more of them.
p. 44 - Most people think that Meli is my girlfriend, probably because I tell them she's my girlfriend...
p. 95 - Here's something I know. I'd give the whole world...for one more visit with my dad...
It just so simple and moving. You should read it. Go ahead. I'll be here when you get back.
Finn has this thing for name meanings. Findlay stands for "fair hero". Finn doesn't feel like a hero, he feels like a failure. He wasn't able to stop The Terrible Day That Changed Everything. Maybe that's why he's disappearing. So in a combination present-day journal/everyday story Finn tells us about his life now and then.
That's really all I can tell you because the story depends on you reading it. Finn talks to you. He shares with you. He waits for you. He wants to tel you about his family and his hopefully one day soon girlfriend but right now best friend Meli.
The Last Invisible Boy is sad and hopeful and beautiful.
There were so many lines to write down and remember:
p. 5 - I'm vanishing in bits and pieces, like a disease that will not kill me but will erase me.
p. 36 - I love happy endings. I just wish there were more of them.
p. 44 - Most people think that Meli is my girlfriend, probably because I tell them she's my girlfriend...
p. 95 - Here's something I know. I'd give the whole world...for one more visit with my dad...
It just so simple and moving. You should read it. Go ahead. I'll be here when you get back.
ericathrone's review against another edition
2.0
This is one of a few books I picked at random while browsing the middle reader's section of the book store. I grabbed it largely due to the title and well-designed cover, and that its theme of dealing with grief mirrored that if my own work-in-progress.
The book is largely a comedy. It succeeded where it painted the portrait of the grief felt by Finn, his brother, and their mother. The moments of the book showing everyday life through Finn's eyes at times were almost magical with incredibly detail.
But the reading was underscored by Kuhlman's voice, which was that of a grown man trying very hard to sound like a twelve-year-old (as I'm trying to do that in my own wip, I can understand the challenge), and actually failing. I felt as though I'm being talked down to by the book, and lessons are quite forcibly taught. The constant questions and instructions from Finn, aka the author, started to feel a bit in-my-face. I was being told when to feel sad, or happy, when to question the material, and when to trust it. This kind of leading is tiresome for an adult reader like me, mostly because I had already clued into things before I got to these little speed bumps. On the one hand, I think those speed bumps might be an okay way to portray a kid like Finn. On the other hand, I don't think this book is even right kids aged 9 or 10. It's humorous, but lacks a lot in plot.
As a pamphlet on dealing with grief as a kid, I like it. As a fantasy or humour book, I wouldn't recommend it to kids. It's hard to get emotionally involved with the characters, because the author himself seems to be distant from Finn's emotions.
Though I admit there were a couple points where I cried.
The book is largely a comedy. It succeeded where it painted the portrait of the grief felt by Finn, his brother, and their mother. The moments of the book showing everyday life through Finn's eyes at times were almost magical with incredibly detail.
But the reading was underscored by Kuhlman's voice, which was that of a grown man trying very hard to sound like a twelve-year-old (as I'm trying to do that in my own wip, I can understand the challenge), and actually failing. I felt as though I'm being talked down to by the book, and lessons are quite forcibly taught. The constant questions and instructions from Finn, aka the author, started to feel a bit in-my-face. I was being told when to feel sad, or happy, when to question the material, and when to trust it. This kind of leading is tiresome for an adult reader like me, mostly because I had already clued into things before I got to these little speed bumps. On the one hand, I think those speed bumps might be an okay way to portray a kid like Finn. On the other hand, I don't think this book is even right kids aged 9 or 10. It's humorous, but lacks a lot in plot.
As a pamphlet on dealing with grief as a kid, I like it. As a fantasy or humour book, I wouldn't recommend it to kids. It's hard to get emotionally involved with the characters, because the author himself seems to be distant from Finn's emotions.
Though I admit there were a couple points where I cried.
pacifickle's review against another edition
4.0
This was an incredibly poignant memoir of a boy who has lost his father. Finn, protagonist, seems younger than his twelve years. Nevertheless, his writing is completely beautiful and believable. It is the serious, Dave Eggers version of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid." Beautiful.
hscrone's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely hit harder when I was a preteen who’s dad had died less than a year prior to reading, but it still has some important themes of grief from the perspective of a young kid
abbymars's review against another edition
4.0
Kids rated this book 5 & 7 out of 10. I ranked it higher. I think my kids were a little too young for it. We have recently dealt with grandparents dying and the timing was good for this book and led to good discussions. Recommend for that reason alone. Writing and pix are lovely.
stealingyoursunbeams's review against another edition
4.0
One of the few books that moved me to tears. Don't be fooled by the illustrations and the fact that it's the perspective of a twelve-year-old protagonist; this book deals with the heavy feeling of being "invisible" and . I found The Last Invisible Boy sad and touching, even more so than Mitch Albom books.
Definitely worth more than the P100 I paid for it at National Bookstore Recto.
Spoiler
the loss of a loved oneDefinitely worth more than the P100 I paid for it at National Bookstore Recto.
abigailbat's review against another edition
2.0
Twelve-year-old Finn is turning invisible, or that's what he believes anyway. It all started several months ago on The Terrible Day That Changed Everything. It was on that day that Finn's father died unexpectedly. Almost immediately after that, Finn's hair started to turn white and his skin began to pale. Every week it's gotten a little bit worse and Finn's convinced that he's slipping away into nothing, maybe so that he can join his dad and be happy again.
In a mix of cartoons and prose, Finn tells us the story of dealing with his grief.
Very realistic portrayal of a boy dealing with his grief, but the plot meandered and the humor in the beginning of the book wasn't carried through the rest of the book.
Read my full review on my blog:
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/10/book-review-last-invisible-boy.html
In a mix of cartoons and prose, Finn tells us the story of dealing with his grief.
Very realistic portrayal of a boy dealing with his grief, but the plot meandered and the humor in the beginning of the book wasn't carried through the rest of the book.
Read my full review on my blog:
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/10/book-review-last-invisible-boy.html
baklavopita's review against another edition
3.0
Sweet and sad, but the premise got old with not enough development of character.
lauralynnwalsh's review against another edition
3.0
OK, I'll admit it: I cheated a little on this one. I skimmed pretty much the last half of the book. But I had just finished A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. The problem is, the writing in this book is just average, and the themes are similar and, well, A Monster Calls is simply better.
kumishona's review against another edition
5.0
Another borrowed-over-and-over-and-over-again lucky find from the school library. This is one of those books I really, reaaaallly want everybody in the world to read but then again I want to keep it just to myself. The characters are sooo adorable (the whole story is, in fact) and it's just so sweet and heartbreaking and speaks to your heart like nothing else. This is one of those books that says in your face all those exams that say "use complex language to impress us!", because it uses the most beautiful simplistic language to touch us in ways books like Game of Thrones never could. (Although that is a totally different genre, so maybe this might not be a fair comparison.)
Point being: books like this deserve to be at least as famous than books like that. This is what everybody in the world should be crazing about.
(... Although I don't really hate having this all to myself to enjoy. Cheers ~ ^_^)
Point being: books like this deserve to be at least as famous than books like that. This is what everybody in the world should be crazing about.
(... Although I don't really hate having this all to myself to enjoy. Cheers ~ ^_^)