Solo medalist winner in the young adult category of the 2015 New Apple Book Awards!
Finalist in the 2016 IPNE Book Awards.
In the first of a new series of books, military brat and albino, 13-year old Portia Maddox, has bounced from school to school, always an outsider. So when Denise Laughton, the most popular girl in her class, asks for her help in exchange for an invite to Denise's big birthday party, Portia jumps at the chance to go. But there's a Portia must spy on Randy, Denise's boyfriend, to find out whether he's cheating on her.
Portia's spying, however, unearths a tangled web of duplicity, hidden agendas and family secrets. And when Portia's budding friendship with social outcast Judy and her feelings for Randy conflict with her plans to befriend Denise, Portia must make the hard choices for the good of all.
Parental contains some strong language.
Debbi Mack is the New York Times best-selling author of the Sam McRae Mystery Series. In addition, she's a Derringer-nominated short story writer, whose work has been published in various anthologies. Debbi formerly wrote book reviews for Mystery Scene Magazine. She writes screenplays and is interested in filmmaking. Debbi also has a podcast called The Crime Cafe, where she interviews crime fiction, suspense, thriller, and true crime authors.
Debbi enjoys reading, movies, travel, baseball, walking, cats and good espresso - not necessarily in that order.
Debbi Mack is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sam McRae Mystery Series. She's also published a young adult novel called INVISIBLE ME and a thriller entitled THE PLANCK FACTOR.
She's the author of DAMAGED GOODS, the first book in a series about a female Marine veteran sleuth named Erica Jensen, which was nominated for a Shamus Award. The sequel is called FATAL CONNECTIONS, and she's currently working on the third novel. She's also written short stories, including one nominated for a Derringer. In addition, she writes screenplays and is interested in filmmaking.
Debbi hosts and produces a podcast called the Crime Cafe, in which she interviews crime, suspense, and thriller authors: http://www.debbimack.com/crime-cafe/
Debbi co-hosts and produces Dark and Twisted Alleys: A Film Noir Podcast with crime and horror author F.R. Jameson.
Debbi is a "recovering lawyer", who enjoys reading, movies, travel, baseball, walking and espresso--not necessarily in that order. She and her husband live in Columbia, MD, with their family of cats.
I just finished the book and am not sure how I want to review it. I could hardly put the book down due to the author's craft of keeping the reader wanting to know the answer to the newest mystery. Yet the book was not spectacular. I really don't mean that as a negative statement. This was a solid five star YA book.
I do believe middle school and high school girls will devour it as I did.
I just fell in love with the main character, Portia and admired her terribly. I felt sorry for the predicaments she got herself into due to wanting to be kind and respect others. Portia told herself she did what she did for acceptance, but I felt her motives were deep down compassionate even though she herself didn't recognize that.
Here is a statement Portia makes only to herself about Mindy. Mindy has claimed to be Denise's friend for years. You decide. There is a lot of hard truth in her following statement.
I think Mindy should talk to someone other than Denise. Maybe a mental health professional. Anyone with problems so severe that it drives them to hurt others in order to feel better about themselves needs help.”
Delightful coming of age story! I loved the main character and was taken back to middle school and all of my friends. It is so interesting looking at adult issues through teen's eyes as well as the most compassionate response of the main character to her parents and friends. While the story was entertaining and fun - I could see how parents/teens could learn so much from reading this book. I read straight through and enjoyed so much - a good read.
I enjoyed this book even though it was clearly written for a much younger audience. The writing style is simple and easy, but there isn't enough characterization, and the characters all act quite mature for their age. That is to say, at some times it's hard to remember that they are 13 because they act more like 17. Maybe I'm just nitpicking. I wished we went more into Portia, into who she was. I was looking forward to reading about an albino character, but in the end, it didn't really seem to matter much in the story (which is good on one hand, as someone with albinism isn't that different from someone without it) but it felt a bit gimmicky at times, unfortunately.
Invisible Me broaches some of the toughest topics kids face. Moving, making friends, dealing with bullying, divorce, romance, what is right and wrong, etc. However, it has a few flaws that makes it a book to be cautious with. Portia, the 13 year old main character of this story, is the narrator. Because of her dad's job, her family has to move a lot, which is tough enough as it is. To make things worse, Portia is an albino, so kids tend to mock her or be afraid of befriending her. Portia is cold and hardened towards people. That's certainly understandable, and many kids feel and act the same way she does when put in similar situations. However, she can be difficult to relate to, and I wouldn't call her a role model. She's the kind of character a reader sometimes has sympathy towards, but other times just want to shake until they come to their senses. I believe the themes in this book would be good for discussion groups. There are plenty of questions to be asked and real issues that people can benefit from talking about. However, it also seems to be a rather mature book, and I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone, especially not those already struggling with the same types of problems Portia is. I feel like it would only drag them further down, because it is inconclusive and the main character is self-absorbed. If someone is already feeling down, this book won't help them get any better. It would, however, be good for people to learn how to understand people who feel like Portia. It's also hard to tell what audience this book is intended for. It's written in such a way that it may seem cheesy to too juvenile for older readers, but at the same time it's innappropriate for a younger audience. Maybe it would be best for older, mature teens who struggle with reading more difficult books. It is a fairly thin book, and isn't difficult to understand or read. I zipped right through it. The one thing that bothered me the most about this book was the constant use of strong language. This is one point I stand most firmly on, especially in children's books. The f-bomb is dropped a dozen times along with other strong words that I would never allow my younger sisters to read, let alone recommend to other kids. My job as a book reviewer is two fold. I am to help the authors, and I am to protect the readers. To the author I would say this: You have writing talent that just needs a bit of polishing. That's okay, writing is a craft that we never stop perfecting. Keep working on it, because you will have a bright future and career if you keep it up. I appreciate that you aren't afraid of touching on real-life issues. However, I would appreciate it if you were a little more cautious in the future since you're dealing with young people here, and they are a delicate group that should be handles wisely. To readers and parents of readers: Use caution when reading this book or giving it to children to read. Once things are in a person's head, they never leave. If you do allow your children to read this, be available to talk to them about it, and encourage discussion. If you are a kid who wants to read this book, use discretion and understand that the way Portia acts and feels is her own decision, and you have the option to make better choices than she does.
The opening was what drew me in as I'm always interested in how writers present characters who feel that they are on the edge of society. For the most part I found the narrator engaging but felt that some of the issues presented were glossed over. Overall though it is a good read and would work well for any teenage girls who feel they are alone in the cruel world of high school.
First I would like to thank the author, Debbie Mack for sending me a digital copy of the book, in exchange for an honest review. We meet the female Protagonist of the story, Portia a strong and wise teenager not forgetting that she is an Albino. Being an albino makes her life really hard, but her strong mindfulness makes her succeed in everything she does. She is being invited to the most popular girl's birthday party, on one condition. She has to spy on her boyfriend. Accepting this invitation makes her life changed into a new way. Portia finds that being a true friend is not the easiest thing to do. The main character is well constructed, the name suits her in every faucet of her character. At first, I could not grasp the meaning of the story in full force but, now I do realise that it has a deeper meaning and carries a heavy message to the society. Being different in the society, having no friends, being a real friend and how the divorce of parents can affect children are described clearly. The story carries an important message to the society. The story was well constructed and it is a wonderful read.
I feel that it is a book that has to be read by people of all ages, therefore highly recommend it. My Rating (4/5) Exceptional
Friendships. I enjoyed this Young Adult novel, although I was not a fan of the narration, which was strangely staccato. Once I managed to adjust to this, however, I found I was rooting for the unusual albino lead character, Portia, even though she had a huge chip on her shoulder.
Portia has travelled from school to school all her life, being the daughter of a military man. The added complication of her unusual appearance has left her pretty negative about friendships, she doesn't expect any and doesn't go searching them out. Her latest move finds her in a fairly typical American secondary school and she is very surprised to be singled out by the most popular girl; to go spying on her boyfriend whom she suspects of cheating on her. In addition, another girl approaches Portia for help with maths. What follows is an interesting reflection on teenage friendships, with all their complexities, except that this did feel as if it had bit of a - help one another and don't judge - moral attached, which was well presented.
This would be an interesting discussion novel for young adults and I would recommend it for teenage libraries. The only thing that did seem to be missing was any discussion about the problems of actually being albino; there was no mention of Portia's reaction to light or severe tendency to burn.
My thanks to Renegade Press and Audiobook Boom! for a courtesy copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.
Good Story! I dont read many YA book because I often dont feel connected to the protagonist. However that was not true with this book. I felt a deep connection to this "outsider" having felt different or misunderstood in my own life. What I really enjoyed about this book was the way people opened up and communicated face to face with each other. One does not see this very often and it was quiet refreshing. The performance was great, very expressive and true to the way I felt the main character would be. The only thing I thought was funny about the performance was the chapter headings...each time the new chapter was read it seemed like a movie announcer took over..."CHAPTER 5!" but this does not takes away from the story. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."
The story is interesting, in many ways it deals with typical teen-aged drama but with Portia having albinism and moving all the time it adds more difficulty and social challenges than most people experience when trying to fit in.
There is a lot going on in the story with each teenager having their own problems and not knowing who they can talk to. In typical teenage fashion some things are handled well, some poorly and others in ridiculous and convoluted ways.
The narration was a challenge for me. The character voices are well done but I didn't like the delivery. To me it sounded really choppy and stilted. I tried speeding it up and slowing it down but neither helped.
This book was supplied free by the author/narrator/publisher and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
This is an excellent read. Even though it is a teen book, I feel that people of all ages would truly enjoy this book. It deals with issues of he said /she said. As well as jealousy and judging a book by its cover. It also covers bullying. We all have our hidden secrets and our own burdens to carry. We want to share them with someone but feel like we just can't because we feel shame. But if we could just trust in someone. A friend, a new friend, then a who new world opens up to us and it doesn't seem so bleak. Please buy this book and pass it on and tell the next person to pass it on and continue it. This book can and will change the lives of so many.. It starts with just one person, one act of kindness, or one book!!!
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I have given Invisible Me by Debbi Mack three out of five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Despite this story being for a much younger audience, I really enjoyed reading this book. It had a nice flow throughout the story which made it easy to follow but there were some parts which I thought were overlooked and had happened all too quickly. However, thinking about it from a pre-teen/teenager’s point of view, things could’ve definitely happened in that timeframe and manner.
I definitely think that the characters as a whole were underdeveloped, I didn’t form a great connection with any of them and would’ve liked to have learnt more about their backgrounds, especially Portia who is our main character. Portia hasn’t made friends with a lot of people; firstly because a lot of people seem to be taken aback by her albino pigmentation and secondly as she moves schools and areas a lot due to her fathers work. I really like the friendship between Portia and Judy, it would’ve been really nice to see that blossom into a great friendship.
I really enjoyed the authors writing and will definitely look out for more books written by her in the future. I would recommend this book for pre-teens/teenagers (there is a little use of curse words in this book).
The premise of this book was an interesting one for me. Albinism does exist, but we don't ever see it talked about often. Especially not in young adult novels, so that was definitely want drew me in. I just couldn't decide while reading it if I really liked the book itself or not. The mc could be hard to relate to at times, but even beyond that it sometimes felt like things were piecing together almost to neatly.
Middle school and high school can be hell on wheels for a kid, especially one who is seen as being different for whatever the reason might be. The odds of all those people choosing her to open up to just because of her differences felt...a little far fetched at times I guess. Though it was nice to see a somewhat happy ending for her.
I still clearly don't know how I feel entirely. I'll think about it more and return if I have any further thoughts about it.
This book was one I won from a Goodreads Giveaway some time back, and I thank the author for the opportunity to read her book.
Unfortunately, I wasn't crazy about it. On the one hand, it was short and easy to read, but the chapters were annoyingly short - most one page front and back most. The target audience is middle grade, but the content felt very high school, but the writing felt more juvenile. The dialogue was not very realistic. Also, and this is a personal nitpick that doesn't effect my rating, the names were all very dated, not ones you'd really hear on kids in 2014 when this book was published.
I do think the book had a good message, but there were too many negatives for me to give this to my 7th grader to read. I will be donating my copy.
Debbi Mack’s Invisible Me immediately pulled us into its world. Chapter 1 set the tone perfectly, and readers are completely captivated. The story feels alive, relatable, and full of intrigue. Everyone in our community is eager to continue and share their reflections it’s the kind of book that sparks discussion and curiosity from the very first page. Debbi Mack’s characters feel real and the small moments she shares in the first few pages are so relatable, Our community loved how the narrative flows naturally and sparks curiosity. We’re excited to keep reading and see how the story unfolds Debbi has created a world that feels alive from the very start.
Our community is buzzing over Invisible Me! The opening chapter drew us in instantly, and Debbi Mack’s voice is authentic, engaging, and memorable. We’re genuinely excited to keep reading, discuss, and share insights along the way. It’s a story that makes readers hungry for more, and we can’t wait to experience the rest together. We’re hooked! From the very first chapter, Invisible Me captured our attention, and our readers are itching to keep going. Debbi Mack writes with such authenticity that you feel part of the story instantly. Our group is already talking about what’s next, eager and hungry for the rest of the book.
Invisible Me has completely captured our community’s attention! From the very first chapter, Debbi Mack’s storytelling is so vivid and engaging that we couldn’t help but dive right in. Our readers are buzzing with excitement, sharing thoughts, and reflecting on the story already. There’s an authentic emotional depth in Debbi Mack’s writing that makes readers feel connected to the characters right away. We’re thrilled to explore every part of this book together it’s exactly the kind of story our community loves to discover.
I enjoyed it. A YA story about a teen with albinism and how she deals with feeling like nobody sees her. The lessons she learns about friendship at her new school is inspiring.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
DNF at 30%.
I really struggled to get into this novel, and that was mainly down to the unlikable main character. She was difficult to relate to and half the time, I just wanted to shake some sense into her. She also didn't sound like a thirteen year old to me.
I thought this book had great potential in the beginning. The story line was interesting, the characters were nice, but alas, the ending was unspeakable. It was like going upwards on a rollercoaster, expecting the steepest downward slope, except only arriving on the top and finding the ride to be over. The story could have taken a different route in the end. Overall, not a badly written book. Had some typos and errors.
Well articulated! Surely, this amazing tale is well articulated by the author. The writing style and dazzling descriptions were superb. Certainly, the life of Portia is well shaped through the various twist and turns created by the plot. The characters were astounding and realistic. I never imagine a book about teenagers would be so fun!