The Last Invisible Boy by Evan Kuhlman, J. P. Coovert (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

The Last Invisible Boy is an unusual and unique tale of love and loss as a boy who slowly begins to disappear after his father's death.

Publishers Weekly

Were Jeff Kinney's Wimpy Kid to be suddenly bereaved, his next diary might approximate this painful but often funny novel, written by the author of the adult work Wolf Boy and illustrated by a debut graphic artist. Keeping a notebook, 12-year-old Finn Garrett explains in an early entry that a few months before, "a giant eraser fell from the sky and flattened me.... It's been erasing me from the world ever since." His father has died unexpectedly (in circumstances described only near the end), and Finn's black hair and pink complexion are gradually turning white (Coovert's cartoon shows a gray Finn looking into a mirror and seeing a vampire reflected back). As Finn remembers perfect moments with his father, avoids school as long as possible and compares his mother's and paternal grandfather's attitudes about death, he is made to see his pediatrician as well as a kindly school psychologist, who have their own theories about the "whiteness thing." Precise in his metaphors and his characterizations, Kuhlman delivers a study in coping with loss that middle-schoolers will want to absorb and empathize with. Ages 10-14. (Nov.)

Children's Literature

If you or any of your students have read the book by Sherman Alexie titled The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, you have seen how powerful illustrations can be when telling the story of a young boy. Finn believes that after the death his father he is turning invisible. Finn's hair turns white, his skin grows paler, and people begin to notice the changes. Finn worries that he might be really turning invisible so he sits down to start writing and illustrating his life story. The book talks about his friends, family and the death of his father. The book does an excellent job of showing how an unexpected death can upset the routine of a family. The illustrations are well done and clearly show what Finn has a hard time telling. These illustrations allow Finn a chance to demonstrate his feelings, which are difficult for him to express. Kuhlman offers readers an opportunity to see and read the story of a boy who might remind them of themselves. Reviewer: Melissa Zanot

School Library Journal

Gr 5-7

This illustrated novel, reminiscent in style of Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Abrams, 2007), is sure to have huge appeal. Finn Garrett tells the tender yet humorous story of how he begins to disappear following his beloved dad's sudden death. The 12-year-old awakens the morning after the day when everything changes to find a strand of white hair and less "pinkness" to his skin. Each day he grows whiter and less visible. He begins to write a memoir, which is really an account of his and his family's grief over their devastating loss. While poignant and sad, the book is ultimately upbeat as they begin to heal. At times Finn feels he is being erased because he failed to save his dad. At other times he wonders if he is aging in order to get closer to him. He recounts memory after memory, ultimately realizing the importance of them, and of being the keeper of his father's stories. Finn sees a therapist, and eventually he, his mother, his grandpa, his little brother, and his friend Melanie move beyond their initial pain. Finn's invisibility reverses itself and he becomes a boy who has managed to hold on to the world. The book's engaging, intimate tone is enhanced by Finn frequently addressing readers. Stop signs placed at points when he is overwhelmed with feeling add to the tenderness. The language and style are pitch-perfect middle school, and the illustrations ably capture the boy's memories and moods.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME

Kirkus Reviews

Grief-stricken after the sudden death of his father, Finn starts turning invisible in this magical-realism tale of recovery. Finn's story starts in media res, his father dead and his invisibility far progressed, with his skin the color of paper and his formerly brown hair whitening. When he returns to school sometime after the death, the bullying jeers about his freakish new coloring are his only distraction from the awkward attempts at sympathy from teachers and friends. Through a series of brief vignettes illustrated by Finn's own cartoons, he recalls his picture-perfect relationship with his father, from games of midnight baseball to father-son motorcycle rides. It takes time for Finn to recognize the grief of others—his mother, his grandfather—and to start on the path to recovery along with his mother and kid brother. Finn's poignant story is a quietly believable tale of one family's journey through grief. Coovert's cartoons add a nice touch of bittersweet humor. (Fiction. 10-12)

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