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The Last Invisible Boy
MY NAME IS FINN GARRETT AND THIS IS MY STORY.
I don't want to give anything away, so I'll tell you what you could probably guess from looking at the cover and flipping through the book.
1. It's about an invisible boy. Obviously. That's me. Actually, I'm not totally invisible. Yet. But I'm getting there.
2. There are a bunch of my drawings.
3. There are some really funny, really happy moments.
4. Just so you know, there are also some sad moments.
5. Everything in here is the truth. So if you like stories about true things, you might like this book.
That's all I'm going to tell you. All the stuff about my dad and my mom and my brother Derek and my friend Meli and whether or not I actually turn invisible or become completely visible again or figure out how to use my invisibility for the good of all mankind or just disappear altogether, you're going to have to read to find out.
So, let's get started. Just This is my story, and anything can happen.
I don't want to give anything away, so I'll tell you what you could probably guess from looking at the cover and flipping through the book.
1. It's about an invisible boy. Obviously. That's me. Actually, I'm not totally invisible. Yet. But I'm getting there.
2. There are a bunch of my drawings.
3. There are some really funny, really happy moments.
4. Just so you know, there are also some sad moments.
5. Everything in here is the truth. So if you like stories about true things, you might like this book.
That's all I'm going to tell you. All the stuff about my dad and my mom and my brother Derek and my friend Meli and whether or not I actually turn invisible or become completely visible again or figure out how to use my invisibility for the good of all mankind or just disappear altogether, you're going to have to read to find out.
So, let's get started. Just This is my story, and anything can happen.
234 pages, Hardcover
First published October 21, 2008
40 people are currently reading
670 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews
January 13, 2009
I picked this up because the children's librarian mentioned it--she said it was reviewed as a Wimpy Kid read-alike, but she had her doubts. I had some time on my hands, so I told her I'd let her know.
Answer: no, not really. It's a read-alike in the strictest sense, in that there are diary entries and pictures/comics that help tell the story, but that's where the similarities end. The pictures here aren't as well-integrated into the story (though they're still very good), and the subject matter is so radically different from the Wimpy Kid books that I can't imagine handing this to a WK fan and expecting them to like it. This claims to have some funny moments, and I'll agree that it has some lighter moments, but I wouldn't really call them funny. This is about a kid grieving his dad, not an average kid going about his day-to-day hijinks. The narrator (Finn) is depressed and morose, and even his happier entries are still sad.
None of this is to say it's a bad book--it's actually really good, if what you're looking for is something sad. It's still hopeful and peaceful, but all the same, really sad.
This walks that fine line between Children's and Teen books, so I added it to both my lists.
Answer: no, not really. It's a read-alike in the strictest sense, in that there are diary entries and pictures/comics that help tell the story, but that's where the similarities end. The pictures here aren't as well-integrated into the story (though they're still very good), and the subject matter is so radically different from the Wimpy Kid books that I can't imagine handing this to a WK fan and expecting them to like it. This claims to have some funny moments, and I'll agree that it has some lighter moments, but I wouldn't really call them funny. This is about a kid grieving his dad, not an average kid going about his day-to-day hijinks. The narrator (Finn) is depressed and morose, and even his happier entries are still sad.
None of this is to say it's a bad book--it's actually really good, if what you're looking for is something sad. It's still hopeful and peaceful, but all the same, really sad.
This walks that fine line between Children's and Teen books, so I added it to both my lists.
December 22, 2011
LRN: It's a story about a kid named Finn Gerrett whose hair is turning white, which is a sign of invisibility. (Since there are a lot of really cool pictures in it, it's complicated to write about them in the review.)
Mum: Is he really turning invisible, or does he just think so?
LRN: He really is because...want me to tell you something sad?
Mum: Yes.
LRN:Here it is: One day, his dad was in Boston. When his dad was going to go the airport, he had to go to the plane on the runway, but...he got run over by a plane. See what I mean?
Mum: That's terrible! So it wasn't even a plane crash?
LRN: Yup.
Mum: How long before the book was Finn's dad killed?
LRN: A couple of days.
Mum: So, does he have to go to the funeral and stuff?
LRN: No.
Mum: Why not?
LRN: His mom didn't take him.
Mum: How old is Finn?
LRN: He didn't mention that.
Mum: About your age?
LRN: No. He's in middle school. (Which would be maybe 11 or 12.) The end is really sad.
Mum: Why?
LRN: I don't know why.
Mum: Do you remember Grandpa's funeral?
LRN: Yeah. He was a veteran. Which reminds me about Veteran's Day. [dramatic flashback music]
Mum: So Finn starts going invisible. Does anyone notice?
LRN: Pretty much.
Mum: Who?
LRN: Everyone. He's also going to the cemetery a lot, where his dad rests.
Mum: So, is it hard for him to be noticed for going invisible, when he might just want to be left alone?
LRN: No, it just happened.
Mum: Did you like this story? Do you feel like you learned something?
LRN: Yup. Never underestimate an airplane.
Mum: How would you rate this?
LRN: A solid five, even though there were some sad parts.
Mum: Is he really turning invisible, or does he just think so?
LRN: He really is because...want me to tell you something sad?
Mum: Yes.
LRN:Here it is: One day, his dad was in Boston. When his dad was going to go the airport, he had to go to the plane on the runway, but...he got run over by a plane. See what I mean?
Mum: That's terrible! So it wasn't even a plane crash?
LRN: Yup.
Mum: How long before the book was Finn's dad killed?
LRN: A couple of days.
Mum: So, does he have to go to the funeral and stuff?
LRN: No.
Mum: Why not?
LRN: His mom didn't take him.
Mum: How old is Finn?
LRN: He didn't mention that.
Mum: About your age?
LRN: No. He's in middle school. (Which would be maybe 11 or 12.) The end is really sad.
Mum: Why?
LRN: I don't know why.
Mum: Do you remember Grandpa's funeral?
LRN: Yeah. He was a veteran. Which reminds me about Veteran's Day. [dramatic flashback music]
Mum: So Finn starts going invisible. Does anyone notice?
LRN: Pretty much.
Mum: Who?
LRN: Everyone. He's also going to the cemetery a lot, where his dad rests.
Mum: So, is it hard for him to be noticed for going invisible, when he might just want to be left alone?
LRN: No, it just happened.
Mum: Did you like this story? Do you feel like you learned something?
LRN: Yup. Never underestimate an airplane.
Mum: How would you rate this?
LRN: A solid five, even though there were some sad parts.
January 12, 2009
Some have compared this to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but the subject matter (the sudden death of the main character's father) is much heavier than anything in Kinney's series. Told in a diary style, there is humor here to be sure, and also outright encouragements for young readers to think and create on their own. Several of the very short chapters end with lines like these:
"If you are bored and need something to do, find a sketch pad or notebook and draw a picture of where you live or write a poem about it. Do you like your house or trailer or apartment? Do you have your own bedroom or do you share your room with others? Do ghost of night elves ever visit? If you could design your own house what would it look like? Do I ask too many stupid questions? Well, do I?"
Kids will also learn much about the meanings of people's names (mine means "pure"-heh!), what the first inklings of young love feel like, and how one 12-year-old boy works through the emotions and life changes that the death of a parent cause. Definitely recommended for thoughtful 10-12s and those who have experienced a major family loss.
"If you are bored and need something to do, find a sketch pad or notebook and draw a picture of where you live or write a poem about it. Do you like your house or trailer or apartment? Do you have your own bedroom or do you share your room with others? Do ghost of night elves ever visit? If you could design your own house what would it look like? Do I ask too many stupid questions? Well, do I?"
Kids will also learn much about the meanings of people's names (mine means "pure"-heh!), what the first inklings of young love feel like, and how one 12-year-old boy works through the emotions and life changes that the death of a parent cause. Definitely recommended for thoughtful 10-12s and those who have experienced a major family loss.
December 28, 2014
I give this book a 3 star rating for middle schoolers. I thought this was a graphic novel, but I was mistaken. I did enjoy the drawings and the story. I think kids who are dealing with grief or have friends experiencing it may connect with this book. Also, anyone who enjoys reading books from different perspectives may enjoy this one, too.
Although it was a bit of a downer, I found myself connecting to Kafka's Metamorphosis. Yeah, it's a bit of a stretch, but the main character feels he has little control over becoming invisible. It gets to the point that classmates start commenting on his ghostly appearance. I kept waiting for him to admit that his girlfriend was only in his imagination and that he was turning into a bug like Gregor. Still, it was a good read and sympathetic middle schoolers would enjoy it.
Although it was a bit of a downer, I found myself connecting to Kafka's Metamorphosis. Yeah, it's a bit of a stretch, but the main character feels he has little control over becoming invisible. It gets to the point that classmates start commenting on his ghostly appearance. I kept waiting for him to admit that his girlfriend was only in his imagination and that he was turning into a bug like Gregor. Still, it was a good read and sympathetic middle schoolers would enjoy it.
October 8, 2019
I love this book because it is about the narrator's daily life and the problems he is passing with school (friends and love); however, he is also passing through a hard moment because of his father's death. Throughout the book, I felt a roller coaster of emotions. It is a very easy book to read, which we can relate to our daily problems. I recommend this book to teenagers in middle school our high school because they may be passing to the same issues.
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June 15, 2025this is like my favorite book :)
February 1, 2013
Summary:
This book was amazing it’s about this twelve year old boy (Finn, Finn Garrett) telling the story after his dad had died. He thinks that he is turning invisible because what happens to his body. His skin turns a little bit whiter and also his hair does throughout the whole story he is down on himself and tells story of things he did with his dad, as well as his current life. But he does have a friend that’s a girl that does cheer him up also his mom. Throughout the entire story it does get repetitive he always in every other chapter bring up his father and how he died as says I just can’t do it. But near the end in section 58 he finally says what happens. His father was on a plane ride to meet his old friend who had gotten beaten up at the hospital. Then when the plane landed everyone thought he was asleep. Then they find out he died. It was sad because he was obviously under 12 when that happened and I’m sure it was devastating.
Assessment:
This is one of the greatest books I have every read. I’m currently reading leviathan as a side book and so far is beating it, but for the moment the invisible book is up there. I think this book was great because an old author did a great job of acting and writing like a twelve year old he made idea and drawing that a 12 year old does no offense if illustrator actually tried. Anyways also I did feel like the book was a little bit long half why through I felt like not much has changed. But mostly what I didn’t like was that they make you wait so long to find out how the dad died. But the fact that he died in such a sad way I feel that they made it all right to take so long.
Would I recommend this?
I would definitely recommend this to almost everyone. Mostly to people who don’t have a father because he left or a father that died or even this to people that don’t appreciate their father. The reason for it is because for the first 2 group of people this book teaches you how to get over by just letting it all out and that it’s ok to feel bad. Next for the people that don’t appreciate their dad this book teaches that show the qualities in one. Finally I really wouldn’t recommend this to people that are generally happy because this was a very depressing book even though at the end he gets his color of his body back, that really doesn’t do a good job of getting the readers to get over what happened to him as a kid.
This book was amazing it’s about this twelve year old boy (Finn, Finn Garrett) telling the story after his dad had died. He thinks that he is turning invisible because what happens to his body. His skin turns a little bit whiter and also his hair does throughout the whole story he is down on himself and tells story of things he did with his dad, as well as his current life. But he does have a friend that’s a girl that does cheer him up also his mom. Throughout the entire story it does get repetitive he always in every other chapter bring up his father and how he died as says I just can’t do it. But near the end in section 58 he finally says what happens. His father was on a plane ride to meet his old friend who had gotten beaten up at the hospital. Then when the plane landed everyone thought he was asleep. Then they find out he died. It was sad because he was obviously under 12 when that happened and I’m sure it was devastating.
Assessment:
This is one of the greatest books I have every read. I’m currently reading leviathan as a side book and so far is beating it, but for the moment the invisible book is up there. I think this book was great because an old author did a great job of acting and writing like a twelve year old he made idea and drawing that a 12 year old does no offense if illustrator actually tried. Anyways also I did feel like the book was a little bit long half why through I felt like not much has changed. But mostly what I didn’t like was that they make you wait so long to find out how the dad died. But the fact that he died in such a sad way I feel that they made it all right to take so long.
Would I recommend this?
I would definitely recommend this to almost everyone. Mostly to people who don’t have a father because he left or a father that died or even this to people that don’t appreciate their father. The reason for it is because for the first 2 group of people this book teaches you how to get over by just letting it all out and that it’s ok to feel bad. Next for the people that don’t appreciate their dad this book teaches that show the qualities in one. Finally I really wouldn’t recommend this to people that are generally happy because this was a very depressing book even though at the end he gets his color of his body back, that really doesn’t do a good job of getting the readers to get over what happened to him as a kid.
March 25, 2009
Gordon Korman wrote a favorite kids' book of mine entitled "No More Dead Dogs" about a boy who is tired of reading about dead dogs. Well, this boy would like to extend that idea towards dead relatives too. Give me abduction, abandonment, illness, abuse, amputation. Just don't give me another book about a loved one six feet in the ground! If you couldn't tell, I think I may be becoming insensitive toward the genre because, for the life of me, I could not get into this one.
I think it was a very sensitive portrayal of a boy going through the grieving process, and the first-person narration sounded authentic, not too wise and not too child-like.
But I needed more from the plot because it felt way too long and meandering, bordering on mopey. The narrative needed some driving force because the invisibility angle felt underdeveloped. I didn't want to keep reading. I just wanted it to end. The illustrations felt out of place and didn't look like they were done by a middle-schooler, unlike the "Wimpy Kid" series pictures.
My indifference to the book might be because I just finished a similar story, "Bird," about a boy coping with the death of a loved one. That book was much more efficient and heartfelt for me.
I don't know. Maybe I need a break from the genre. Or maybe this book needed a better edit. Or perhaps I need a more powerful sensitivity chip implanted in my brain. Or maybe the answer is all three.
I think it was a very sensitive portrayal of a boy going through the grieving process, and the first-person narration sounded authentic, not too wise and not too child-like.
But I needed more from the plot because it felt way too long and meandering, bordering on mopey. The narrative needed some driving force because the invisibility angle felt underdeveloped. I didn't want to keep reading. I just wanted it to end. The illustrations felt out of place and didn't look like they were done by a middle-schooler, unlike the "Wimpy Kid" series pictures.
My indifference to the book might be because I just finished a similar story, "Bird," about a boy coping with the death of a loved one. That book was much more efficient and heartfelt for me.
I don't know. Maybe I need a break from the genre. Or maybe this book needed a better edit. Or perhaps I need a more powerful sensitivity chip implanted in my brain. Or maybe the answer is all three.
August 7, 2011
This is one of the best books I have ever read. Really. It's one where you wish you could sit down with the author and thank them sincerely for their contribution to this world. I literally want to own every page so I can re-read one here and there. So hard to read but so beautiful; sobbing my face off. It's a cry about how grief can be so personal yet someone can reach right inside your heart every once and a while and totally understand. Strangely, I read this over three days, and although everyone told me to read it at home, I never cried until the last page, and the last sentence brought buried tears to the surface I could not stem. The book is filled with strangely eloquent yet impeccably read language for a child narrator that is hauntingly honest and uninhibited. I am truly grateful to have read this book. Congratulations and thank you to Evan Kulhman. Ordered his other book right away.
May 28, 2017
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 ~ ^_^)
August 15, 2016
A boy named Finn Garrett deals with the loss of his father after his hair and skin are slowly turning white, leading him to believe he is turning invisible. Both uplifting and heartbreaking, Finn Garrett is a fierce, fragile person, and when he writes about his life, it feels personal, as if you are experiencing every tragedy and heartbreak right alongside him.
-Aaron, PWPLS Teen Summer Reader
Click here to find the book at the Prince William County Public Library System.
-Aaron, PWPLS Teen Summer Reader
Click here to find the book at the Prince William County Public Library System.
March 11, 2016
This book was definitely not for my age group, but I needed something to read. Vocabulary and plot line is dull but may be very entertaining for a young reader in elementary school. Pretty similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid but with a serious topic of loss. Perspective and word choice is very cheesy as well. I would recommend this to 2nd-5th grade.
April 12, 2012
i thought this book was really good.Very creative!
November 24, 2016
This is also a very good book, READ IT!! :)
January 6, 2018
Grief comes to all, even to those already suffering the heinous crime of middle-school. Finn, aged 12, is understandably not handling his grief particularly well. In fact, he seems to be disappearing. Literally. Hair after hair turns from black to white, and his skin also is becoming almost as pasty as the tombstones in the cemetery he so often frequents. He and his doctors, as well as every person who points out his freakish appearance, make their best guess as to what is causing his fade-out. You can make a guess, too, after reading the clues.
The sweet story of his mysterious calamity is engaging enough to spark the interest of even the most fiction-challenged middle-schooler. Finn’s voice is authentic, funny and endearing. Some side-effects of reading this book might include sadness, occasional laughing, increased empathy for those who are suffering traumatic loss, as well as improved gratitude at the trivial daily-ness that makes up the bulk of our lives.
If fiction is a lie which is meant to tell the truth, Evan Kuhlman’s The Last Invisible Boy tells a truth particularly poignant to those whose worlds have been torn apart: there is surprising beauty even in the darkness. Also, freaks rule.
“Have you ever had a weird feeling like you unexpectedly walked into one of the highlights of your life, one that you’ll probably want to tell your grandkids about someday or write about in your autobiography?”--Finn
The sweet story of his mysterious calamity is engaging enough to spark the interest of even the most fiction-challenged middle-schooler. Finn’s voice is authentic, funny and endearing. Some side-effects of reading this book might include sadness, occasional laughing, increased empathy for those who are suffering traumatic loss, as well as improved gratitude at the trivial daily-ness that makes up the bulk of our lives.
If fiction is a lie which is meant to tell the truth, Evan Kuhlman’s The Last Invisible Boy tells a truth particularly poignant to those whose worlds have been torn apart: there is surprising beauty even in the darkness. Also, freaks rule.
“Have you ever had a weird feeling like you unexpectedly walked into one of the highlights of your life, one that you’ll probably want to tell your grandkids about someday or write about in your autobiography?”--Finn
November 1, 2017
The Last Invisible Boy is about a boy named Finn Garrett. He is disappearing. Ever since his dad passed away he has been becoming more and more invisible. And everyone is very confused about how Finn could be disappearing. The main characters in this story are Finn, Melanie, and Finn’s mom and dad. Finn is just an normal boy going through a tough time, Melanie is the girl that Finn likes, and lastly Finn’s dad died and was the reason that Finn was turning invisible.
I kind of connected with Finn because at the end of the story Finn realized he wanted to be seen by people and by world he became visible again. I started trying to be a better person and many other things not just to be noticed but for myself too. Finn’s story doesn’t remind me of anything I’ve read before, but it is more of a kids book.
My favorite part about this book is when Finn realizes that he wants to be noticed by the world and then he starts becoming visible again. The author did a good job on making this book easy to read. One thing the author could have done better on is trying to make the book have more interesting things happen. That might make it more enjoyable to read. I wouldn’t recommend this book to another person because I personally didn’t like it but if I know someone that I think would like the book then I would recommend it to them.
I kind of connected with Finn because at the end of the story Finn realized he wanted to be seen by people and by world he became visible again. I started trying to be a better person and many other things not just to be noticed but for myself too. Finn’s story doesn’t remind me of anything I’ve read before, but it is more of a kids book.
My favorite part about this book is when Finn realizes that he wants to be noticed by the world and then he starts becoming visible again. The author did a good job on making this book easy to read. One thing the author could have done better on is trying to make the book have more interesting things happen. That might make it more enjoyable to read. I wouldn’t recommend this book to another person because I personally didn’t like it but if I know someone that I think would like the book then I would recommend it to them.
April 17, 2018
The Last Invisible Boy was not funny, uplifting, or even an entertaining book for me. What Evan Kuhlman did get right, was the emotions and voice of a grief riddled twelve year old boy.
I liked how the book tackled sensitive subjects, but did not tell the readers how they must feel, because every other teen feels that way.
I did have some questions about the story. Halfway through the book, I wondered if I could continue reading through Finn's emotions and not know how his father died. Just when I thought I couldn't read anymore, I finally find out the father dies in the airport. I read on to find out how, the story never explains this. Part of the plotline seemed to be missing.
If you like illustrated diary's about feeling I would recommend The Last Invisible Boy for the middle school age or an adult, reading on the younger side of YA genre.
I liked how the book tackled sensitive subjects, but did not tell the readers how they must feel, because every other teen feels that way.
I did have some questions about the story. Halfway through the book, I wondered if I could continue reading through Finn's emotions and not know how his father died. Just when I thought I couldn't read anymore, I finally find out the father dies in the airport. I read on to find out how, the story never explains this. Part of the plotline seemed to be missing.
If you like illustrated diary's about feeling I would recommend The Last Invisible Boy for the middle school age or an adult, reading on the younger side of YA genre.
June 28, 2020
It has been so long since I picked up a book and fell in love with it instantly. This book brought me to tears more times than I can count. It was written exactly as if a kid was writing about this experience which makes it mean so much more. Kids can show the world how to say things in ways that aren't sophisticated rather they are just true. I did not want to stop reading since every page broke my heart but in the best way possible. I don't know what else to say since I am still crying while writing this, but I do recommend reading this book.
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September 10, 2024I have a great deal of nostalgia for this book. Picking it up years ago when Borders was still a thing, so being able to go back and read it again was bittersweet. It still holds up, for how much a children's book like this can, but man it is usually hard to get a hold of this. Should be more well-known for sure. Anyways, I love this book and as I was reading I imagined how good a movie of this story would be. Something with a small indie budget, but with full animation. Would be killer to see.
January 27, 2019
My son gave me this book when we were cleaning his room. He’s thirteen, and he told me that I should read it. He said he read it when his father and I were getting a divorce and it meant a lot to him then, when he was nine or ten years old.
It’s a very sweet book, and it spoke to him in positive ways during a difficult time in his life. I am happy he recommended it to me and glad to have read it.
It’s a very sweet book, and it spoke to him in positive ways during a difficult time in his life. I am happy he recommended it to me and glad to have read it.
November 5, 2020
This is a book about the main character dealing with grief and loss of his father. You'd think this book would be tragic, however it isn't a particularly sad book, but very melancholy.
I would have gave it 5 stars if it invoked more emotion in me, especially with such a depressive topic like this.
But overall, I enjoyed reading the characters and story!
I would have gave it 5 stars if it invoked more emotion in me, especially with such a depressive topic like this.
But overall, I enjoyed reading the characters and story!
July 7, 2018
This book had every emotion a good book should have. One chapter would make you cry, the next would make you smile, and then laugh, and that's how the whole book was like. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, to say the least. I loved it! I would recommend this book to everyone.
June 6, 2019
I found The Last Invisible Boy to be incredibly moving. Finn Garrett, the narrator, grieves clearly and honestly through the book he writes documenting his life following his father's death. His voice and experiences ring true and show that not matter what, life goes on, one day at a time.
November 22, 2020
This book talks about a kid who deals with grief and the whole book is a metaphor (from what I could tell). I think it’s a good book for kids to understand grief. Maybe even for adults. Either way, it’s not spectacular, but it can be comforting and funny at times.
October 24, 2016
This is a great book. There is a lot of description. This book is also sad. In one of the chapters the dad dies. I recommend this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2017
Çocuk kitabı olduğunu unutmadan oku =)
March 19, 2018
A story about losing someone, gone, but not even close to being forgotten..
September 20, 2017
It was sad in some parts, happy too, and you can't forget comedy. It is an amazing book. I recommend it to staring readers.
July 9, 2018
She really liked this book
October 9, 2018
it is good. It almost made me cry
Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews