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elizajbrown's review against another edition
3.0
Super-cute middle grade fiction about a boy and his invisible friend. The language and dialogue is funny and contemporary and the plot simple and quick-paced. It's the characterization and little details that makes this book truly come alive, but that's Emily Jenkins for you.
jillcd's review against another edition
3.0
A cute book that features an invisible animal friend. A fast quick read suitable for grades 2-4.
frankisib's review against another edition
4.0
A great short chapter book. A good one for young readers. Hopefully this will be a series. The ending implies that it might be.
librarydosebykristy's review against another edition
4.0
I love this series! Fourth grader Hank stumbles upon and befriends a furry, squash loving invisible creature known as a bandapat. Inkling, as he names Bandapat, becomes a close friend and confidant for young Hank, who is missing his recently moved away best friend and dealing with a bully at school. Hank's family is portrayed as busy and loving, and occasionally wrong about things....aka realistically. I've been reading this aloud with Leo and he and I both love it. Would make a great rec for a family read aloud or a classroom read aloud.
everydayreading's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun, quick read. My girls all really enjoyed it and we finished it in a few days.
plexippa's review against another edition
5.0
I imagine airplanes that argue with their pilots, drinks that change the color of your skin, and aliens who study human beings in science labs -- all when I'm supposed to be doing something else.
Fourth-grader Hank Wolowitz is the first person to admit he has an "overbusy" imagination. But he knows he isn't imagining the small, furry, invisible animal that was hiding under the sink in his parents' Brooklyn ice-cream shop. The animal that he rescued from the neighbor's dog. The animal that calls itself Inkling, says that it's an endangered bandapat, and that it is not leaving until it repays the debt it now owes him. Hank can certainly use a friend; his best friend just moved to Iowa City over the summer. As if that weren't bad enough, Hank quickly becomes the fourth-grade bully's favorite target. Since Hank can't get any help from the ambivalent lunchroom aides, his oblivious teacher, or his pacifist parents, Inkling is determined to solve the problem for him.
With a quick pace and an engaging narrator, this sweetly funny book is sure to please. Aside from the invisible bandapat, the story feels utterly realistic without being grim. Kids will find it easy to identify with Hank, who just wants to get through a day without having half his lunch stolen. Harry Bliss' signature illustrations are the perfect complement to Jenkins' quirky story. Recommend especially to readers outgrowing Roscoe Riley and Clementine.
Book Source: e-ARC via NetGalley, by request
Fourth-grader Hank Wolowitz is the first person to admit he has an "overbusy" imagination. But he knows he isn't imagining the small, furry, invisible animal that was hiding under the sink in his parents' Brooklyn ice-cream shop. The animal that he rescued from the neighbor's dog. The animal that calls itself Inkling, says that it's an endangered bandapat, and that it is not leaving until it repays the debt it now owes him. Hank can certainly use a friend; his best friend just moved to Iowa City over the summer. As if that weren't bad enough, Hank quickly becomes the fourth-grade bully's favorite target. Since Hank can't get any help from the ambivalent lunchroom aides, his oblivious teacher, or his pacifist parents, Inkling is determined to solve the problem for him.
With a quick pace and an engaging narrator, this sweetly funny book is sure to please. Aside from the invisible bandapat, the story feels utterly realistic without being grim. Kids will find it easy to identify with Hank, who just wants to get through a day without having half his lunch stolen. Harry Bliss' signature illustrations are the perfect complement to Jenkins' quirky story. Recommend especially to readers outgrowing Roscoe Riley and Clementine.
Book Source: e-ARC via NetGalley, by request
robintz's review
5.0
Read this one to my second graders as a read-aloud. They loved it so much I had to buy the next one in the series...and several students also bought the second or third book!
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