Something Invisible

by Siobhán Parkinson

'Jake knows a lot of stuff.

He gobbles up encyclopaedias but there are some things he just doesn't understand.

New people start appearing in Jake's life.

A baby sister arrives - and everything changes.

Then he meets a new friend - a girl called Stella from a large and slightly weird family.

And then fate tests him, not once but twice.

Suddenly the boy who knows so much has to work out if he actually knows the first thing about anything.'

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Friendship, Family, Childrens

182 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Siobhán Parkinson is an Irish writer for both children and adults. Siobhán grew up in Galway and Donegal. Her books have won numerous awards and have been translated into several languages. She is currently a co-editor of Bookbird, the magazine of international children's literature organsation IBBY. She resides in The Republic of Ireland with her husband Roger Bennett and son Matthew.

Reviews

[elissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given this 3 1/2 stars all the way up to the end. I'm really a sucker for good endings (and if they're emotional, even better). I LOVED the very short (one sentence) chapters at the beginning. Most of the book was a very quiet and soothing story about families, with foreshadowing of a tragedy. It was so soothing that it kept putting me to sleep at night (for the past 3 nights), not because I didn't like it, but because I felt so soothed! I love the reminder to think of who is most important in any given situation, and not to focus on what has happened just to you. Wonderfully done, and worth searching out. It wasn't available in either the city I work in, or in the county I live in, so I had to ILL it from far away in Maryland. I'm glad that I did! Thanks for recommending this, Monica!

[Monica Edinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just mentioned this in a comment so figure I should add it to my shelves. I think this book is absolutely beautifully written. As I wrote in the comment, my taste doesn't tend to run to realistic novels, especially grief ones. But this book is absolutely outstanding and worthy of being given more attention. We had it on our 2007 Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts List.

[Brynna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful look at guilt, grief, and friendship through the eyes of a boy who wants to be a fish painter. An excellent reminder of our own unimportance.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not exactly sure how I felt about this book. In some areas it felt like I was reading a childrens book and for all I know I was.

[Harold Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Irish author Siobhan Parkinson has written a insightful novel about children having to face some of life's tragedies. This short novel for young people is surprisingly moving.

[Niamh Griffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The prose are beautiful, the dialogue authentic and the story realistic. I loved the clever opening chapters, the wisdom of Mrs Kennedy and the scenes of family life. The upset and guilt of the fight between friends was well captured as were the mixed feelings of having a new sibling and a blended family.
The tragedy towards the end was utterly heartbreaking and the aftermath was beautifully heartfelt.
I would've liked more understanding of where Jake's fascination with fish came from and possibly more of a link between that and when he dived into the water and swam like a fish to save Stella's sister from drowning. This is an emotional family drama filled with wonderful characters.

[Doris Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle School story of young boy, an only child whose life changes when a new sister is born and when he meets new friends, Stella and Mrs. Kennedy. Turning from being self obsessed, he learns to see the needs of others.

[Bridget Devane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was maybe 12 or 13 years old and still remember it over ten years on. I was moved by the emotion and surprised to find it in a book aimed at my then age group. It was a relief to find book that explode grief.

[Rogue V · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Short, quirky story with a good message. But it's a story that needed to be this short. or shorter, because there's not much to it. The main character's mistaken assumptions ring realistic to me. I remember misconceiving certain things as a child that I now chuckle at.

[Nariman Halim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked it's one of my favourite books it's simple ,lovely.It is the cause that I fall in love with reading .

[Kelvin Ace · Rating 3 out of 5]

A middle grade read. 👌

[Paula Soper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't get it. Maybe because I have an aversion to tween novels? (I do.) Maybe because I wanted something more to happen with the incident when they were fishing. I don't know. It was just kind of meh.

[Lenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

mooi!