FEBRUARY 2023 - AudioFile
Five very different students misidentified as “Mexicanos” find commonality in a superb audio adaptation of this graphic novel. While the full cast and production are all outstanding, the narrators portraying the diverse students give especially animated performances, conveying unique personalities and moving flawlessly between English and Spanish. Andrés Hinspeter-Seda is the unassuming Puerto Rican, George; Sarah Tie portrays the lone Mexican, Sara; Christian Barillas is the rich Venezuelan, Nico; Noah Rico plays the Dominicano, Miguel; and Lisset Díaz plays the tough Cuban, Dayara. All of them find a common purpose in helping a homeless woman and her daughter. This is an immersive language experience for middle schoolers. The production may ring a bell for fans of the 1985 movie THE BREAKFAST CLUB, which inspired this story. M.F. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
06/27/2022
Middle schooler Jorge “George” Rivera, an American student of Puerto Rican descent, just wants to keep his head down until he can get into a high school magnet program. When he’s called into the principal’s office about the school’s community service initiative, he’s worried that the administration knows he’s recently moved outside the school district with his single mother, who’s experiencing financial precarity. But the principal, portrayed as Black and obsessed with winning an annual award for the initiative, tells George that he can carry out his service hours in the cafeteria, alongside “students like you.” Though he doesn’t speak much Spanish, George finds himself assigned as translator for a disparate group of kids—tough-seeming Dayara, who is Cuban; Dominican jock Miguel; rich kid Nico, who’s Venezuelan; and loner Sara, who’s Mexican. When the group meets an unhoused family, though, they come together to provide assistance in their own way. Alternating flashbacks among the five students, Gonzalez (Concealed) clearly shows how each kid—all characterized distinctly and with complexity—is more than others’ assumptions. Epstein’s expressive contemporary style brings the characters’ singular experiences to the forefront in a story that largely focuses on its child protagonists finding community over change among its biased adults. Creators’ notes conclude. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Chelsea Eberly, Greenhouse Literary. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
A USA TODAY Bestseller
An instant INDIE BESTSELLER
INDIE Next List Recommended Book
School Library Journal Best Book of 2022
2022 ALA Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table Top Ten Graphic Novel
2023 Notable Book for a Global Society Award
2022 Cybills Award Winner
2022 Nerdy Book Club Award
2023-24 Texas Bluebonnet List
2022 Virginia Library Association Graphic Novel Diversity Award Winner
Amazon #1 New Release
A Barnes & Noble Most Anticipated Read for August 2022
Target Book Club Pick - February 2023
"A story that shouldn't be missed." — Entertainment Weekly
"This is a must-read." — Book Riot
★ "Illuminating and engaging. With a sweet twist at the end, multifaceted characters, and moments of genuine comedy, this is pitch-perfect for anyone who loves Raina Telgemeier or Varian Johnson." — Booklist, starred review
★ "Truly unique... An entertaining and spirited reading experience." — School Library Journal, starred review
★ "Invisible celebrates individuality and community while transcending language barriers." — Bookpage, starred review
School Library Journal
★ 08/01/2022
Gr 4–7—When George, who is Puerto Rican, is assigned community service hours working in his middle school cafeteria with "other students like you," he expects to be with the gifted kids, but instead, he finds out that the only thing he has in common with the volunteer group is that they are all Latinx students being unfairly stereotyped by their educators. There's Miguel, the jock who secretly loves drawing, who is Dominican; Dayara, a Cuban girl who constantly gets in trouble and struggles in school; Sara, a loner, who is Mexican; and Nico, a Venezuelan boy with a reputation as a stuck-up rich kid. By the end of the week, they are all called into the principal's office to explain how the five of them "conspired to do something." As each student tells their portion of the story, readers are shown the complexity and individuality of each of their lives, shattering the stereotypes that the adults and other students in the story place on them. However, what makes this modern Breakfast Club story truly unique is the use of Spanish and English text to expose readers to the complexities of multi-language literacy. Each character has their own level of ability with English and Spanish, making their individual voices and communication methods unique, but ample translations of both languages make for an enjoyable reading experience. VERDICT A welcome addition to any graphic novel collection, Invisible skillfully explores the negative impact of stereotyping while also offering an entertaining and spirited reading experience.—Amanda Melilli
FEBRUARY 2023 - AudioFile
Five very different students misidentified as “Mexicanos” find commonality in a superb audio adaptation of this graphic novel. While the full cast and production are all outstanding, the narrators portraying the diverse students give especially animated performances, conveying unique personalities and moving flawlessly between English and Spanish. Andrés Hinspeter-Seda is the unassuming Puerto Rican, George; Sarah Tie portrays the lone Mexican, Sara; Christian Barillas is the rich Venezuelan, Nico; Noah Rico plays the Dominicano, Miguel; and Lisset Díaz plays the tough Cuban, Dayara. All of them find a common purpose in helping a homeless woman and her daughter. This is an immersive language experience for middle schoolers. The production may ring a bell for fans of the 1985 movie THE BREAKFAST CLUB, which inspired this story. M.F. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
