Invisible Hero

by Elizabeth Fensham

Philip has spent his whole life at school either being invisible or being called stupid. He’s used to being the loner, the odd one out, the boy who lives with his nan.

So when Philip’s class is given a school assignment to write about heroes and villains, the project causes conflict in the classroom as everyone weighs in on the debate.

For the first time, Philip has the opportunity to shine in school - but can he convince the class that being different is not necessarily a bad thing and that heroes have many disguises?

Genres: Young Adult, School, Realistic Fiction

237 pages, ebook

First published August 1, 2011

About the author

Elizabeth Fensham is an Australian writer and school teacher. She grew up in Sydney and now lives in Victoria's Dandenong Ranges. Her first novel, Helicopter Man, won the Australian Children's Book Council's Book of the Year for Younger Readers in 2006. Miss McAllister's Ghost achieved a CBCA Notable Award in 2009. Her third novel, Goodbye Jamie Boyd, which deals with the sensitive issue of a teenager's schizophrenia, was shortlisted for the Bologna Book Fair's White Raven Award in 2009.

Reviews

[Sian Thomson · Rating 2 out of 5]

We had to read this for school. Personally I didn’t like it. The focus of like everyone is equal sort of thing is good. But it had basically no CLIMAX. That’s what would’ve made this a good book. A larger more surprising climax because we knew it was Macca Sam and Charlie that threw the flame in the house.

I do however like the set up. Like the different point of views. Very nice.

[Robin Castor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read this book in class a while ago, not good at all. Honestly, it was so bad that even the teachers hated it. Firstly, the main character, Phillip, is dyslexic. I have nothing against this, but as our teacher showed us when we began reading, the book’s way of showing this is quite rude. (My friend who is dyslexic agreed with this.). Secondly, it was just quite boring really. Nothing else to say.

[Zoe Macaroni · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.
It was a good book, but there wasn't much suspense. I guess it kinda showed the impacts of bullying and standing up for what is right through the hero and villain task. And when Mr. Quayle (or whatever his name is) read out Phillip's diary was probably the closest this book got to a good and suspenseful climax.

[Phe · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a book geared towards lower secondary school text study, I think this hits the mark well and offers a range of prompts to springboard discussion and reflection. The ending felt disappointingly brief.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good way to introduce my student to Machiavellianism, however, a pretty poor ending, lots of mistakes and random plot points. It was a quick read but I’m unsure if I will teach it again any time soon.

[Cate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! It's my daughter's Year 7 book and it is great for that age. Made me think a lot as well. I was a little disappointed with the ending - it felt all a little too predictable, especially for a story that dealt with some good issues and behaviours.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty terrible book, first 2/3 weeks/chapters or ok, but falls off pretty bad. Especially when MADE to read it

[Ben]

i want yto teard

[Juan Pablo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugged me the whole time I read it and made me feel so identified with the protagonist that I had to run and facetime my grandma to tell her I love her.

[Glenn Capelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Elizabeth Fensham for writing an ethos for life and a message that grows in importance each day. The humanity in me read with tears, the educator in me read with hope.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the books I like best, it was in my school library and I read it, it is amazing, the characters are relatable and it offers a unique perspective on the term hero and villain. Throughout the book you see each of the characters develop and show their true colours. Phillip is the best character, I am also dyslexia and I found it amazing that an author could place a dyslexic character in a book and have him so real. I highly recommend this book. It is worth the read

[Watermelon Daisy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Invisible Hero was a unique concept, but seemed overused by the end.

It was a little too stereotypical for my tastes. All the characters seemed to fit within a certain base and none of them had personalities/traits outside their given stereotype. We have the generous losers, the horrible popular kids, the new girl who people either hate/love, and random kids scattered around without extra personalities.

That said, I did enjoy the format of this book, although I doubt ninth graders would write about their life problems in a book. It’s unusual for them to reveal so much –I’m speaking as a ninth grader myself. I wouldn’t have written half the things they would’ve, but that’s just me.

Also, they all seemed like fifth graders rather than any older age. Maybe that’s why it was hard to connect with them, because that kind of “popular-versus-loser” happens, in my experience, only in younger age-groups than older ones.

Regardless, this book did make me think a little. Definitely not the best I’ve ever read, but it’s tolerable.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Invisible Hero is a novel about a school class who is doing a research project about heroes and villains. Each student has to pick a hero or a villain and research them. They each have their own opinions, and views on what makes a hero and a villain, and it is fascinating to hear from all the different points of view, and it gives you some interesting thoughts on heroism. As the story progresses, we find that there are actually many heroes in their neighbourhood, and even in the school, as they inspire each other, and contemplate what makes a hero.

This was a really interesting book that makes you think about heroism, and what it really takes to be a hero. It was really good to read about all the different perspectives on what a hero is. I just really enjoyed this book because it made me think about something different, and reading from all the different points of view was really fascinating, because you can see how these peoples perception of what a hero is helps make them who they are.

[leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, I am sorry, but I read this book in school, and gosh I regret it. It's not that I was forced to read it, but if I didn't have to, I wouldn't choose to read this book. My classmates and teachers all agree that this book follows no succinct storyline or any great climaxes. If you pay close attention, the 'authors' of the diary entries portrayed in the book change names. Found numerous grammatical mistakes as well; it was very poorly written and edited. I wish there was a more accurate way to display all these characters, as I think they had good, concrete traits and personalities, but weren't portrayed this way. I feel bad for the way the main character, Phillip, was portrayed as I feel that the way his dyslexia is shown is belittling, inaccurate, and a weak representation of this condition.

[Klara Louise (thatbiblioraven) · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do I write a review for this amazing, troubling, perfect and horrifying book?

I guess what glued me in first was that I could identify characters with myself, my family and my school community. The bully, the loners, the outsiders, the newbie, the happy-go-lucky and the confused. While I read this book I felt like I was at school and this was happening around me and it also inspired me into what I would like to study for my year 12 research project next year.

I recomended this book to middle and senior school students as well as teachers and staff members from all year levels. It has really helped me as a student and I know that it can help others.

[mika.sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I feel like the fact that we had to do this for a school essay kind of took some of the fun of reading this book away. Overall I did get a bit bored because most of it was just the main characters talking about heros and villains. I think the idea of diary entries was quite smart and it was interesting to see all the different perspectives.

However no action really happened until the very end and that’s when the problem sort of got resolved? But only when it got really bad. If I didn’t have to read this, I probably wouldn’t have. But not a bad book so it gets a solid 3 stars.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Best book I read this year. Should be compulsory reading for kids 11 years and up. I really liked the mix of characters. I think there is someone there that anybody could relate too. The writing style is eloquent but accessible. The style is similar to Morris Gleitzman. I laughed, I cried and really enjoyed myself. People will a lot about historical characters, but more importantly you learn about yourself. Fantastic!

[Neisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the end this book became really interesting i actually enjoyed reading it, this book wasn't a book i would pick up if i didn't have to read it for school but it was a book that really opened up my eyes to a lot of different people in the world and helped me learn to respect those people in a whole new way. Another really cool thing was that it was written by a women in Melbourne that lives some what close to me. :) Definitely recommend if your looking for a heart touching kind of read.

[Izzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

We read this book in class and honestly, it was very dull.
It is designed to teach us about morals and heroes and villains but all it taught us was how much it sucked. Having to analyze this book was one of the worst experiences of my life. If you are coming here because you have to read it for school, beware. Suppose you are coming here to decide if you want to read it for fun. Please, save yourself from the torture.

[Chantal · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is probably the teacher in me that loves this story, and cringes in many places.
Themes include: bullying, fitting in, belonging, heroes, villians, school, family, consequences, standing up for what you believe in, history.
Journal/diary entries by each character build great pictures of them and their lives.

[Elegale]

I remember doing this for an assignment in Year 8, and I thought I'd already put it to 'read'....

Anyway, I love this book! It was so funny and interesting. It's not just the usual bully-and-victim story; there's a lot more plot to it. I could really relate to the main character but my favourite was t

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good book. It wasn't very interesting at the start of the book, but in the second half it became really inspiring. I enjoyed it as it shows you to be yourself and to stand up for yourself and that is something that some people find hard. I would recommend this book to people aged 13-15 years old.

[Kavita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in a day, but it was so good. It is a great message for bullying and it touched my heart. I recommend it highly and it is now one of my favorites, and I hope the whole world reads it, it is honestly an awesome book.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really clever structure; many people will be hooked into the plot-line. However, it can be very slow paced -- it is sprinkled with trivia every now and then. There's also a great, satisfying ending to this fine novel.

[Mrs Child · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read and clever format. Author steadily built each character's personality and you couldn't help but dislike some and empathise with others. I think this would make a good novel study!

[Garin College · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in the form of a class's journals as they undertake research for a project on heroes and villians, this is a powerful look at both school life and bullying.

[Lucie C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off slow it did not pick up until near the ending. I enjoyed reading the book in the journal format with All the different opinions.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't really enjoy this book that much. I might have enjoyed it more if I just read it normally, instead of having to analyse it for a term for school.

[Harry Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book it was a bit confusing at first but it got really good towards the end, great book

[Ailish Daly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really explains and lets you see into the minds of teens today. Great read. Enjoyed every bit. But found the ending a bit more interesting than the start of the book.