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Almost Invisible
Jewel is on the run from an abusive home situation and furtively living at school. After Maya discovers her classmate’s secret, should she tell? Or can she help Jewel on her own?
Thirteen-year-old Jewel has been holding her life together ever since her older sister, Charmaine, suddenly left home with no forwarding address. She tried to find Charmaine once, but that only brought her family to the attention of the police. Now Jewel keeps her head down at school, looks after her special-needs brother as well as she can, and tries to steer clear of her parents and their shady friends.
When her father’s friend comes into her bedroom one night, Jewel finally understands why Charmaine had to leave home. Soon she is on the run herself. When her food runs out, Jewel chances upon a new place to live — the cupboard of the art room at school. It turns out to be surprisingly easy to live under the radar when you have perfected the art of being almost invisible.
That is, until Jewel’s classmates, Maya and Lily, discover her washing her hair in the girls’ washroom at school and making breakfast in the lunchroom. They take her on as their project, finding her places to sleep, fixing her hair and wardrobe — even as they can’t quite understand her terror, or why she is so afraid of seeking adult help. But the girls help keep Jewel and her secret safe — until they no longer can.
Told in the alternating voices of Maya and Jewel, this is a thought-provoking and moving story about loyalty, privilege, keeping secrets, and what it means to be a good friend.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
Thirteen-year-old Jewel has been holding her life together ever since her older sister, Charmaine, suddenly left home with no forwarding address. She tried to find Charmaine once, but that only brought her family to the attention of the police. Now Jewel keeps her head down at school, looks after her special-needs brother as well as she can, and tries to steer clear of her parents and their shady friends.
When her father’s friend comes into her bedroom one night, Jewel finally understands why Charmaine had to leave home. Soon she is on the run herself. When her food runs out, Jewel chances upon a new place to live — the cupboard of the art room at school. It turns out to be surprisingly easy to live under the radar when you have perfected the art of being almost invisible.
That is, until Jewel’s classmates, Maya and Lily, discover her washing her hair in the girls’ washroom at school and making breakfast in the lunchroom. They take her on as their project, finding her places to sleep, fixing her hair and wardrobe — even as they can’t quite understand her terror, or why she is so afraid of seeking adult help. But the girls help keep Jewel and her secret safe — until they no longer can.
Told in the alternating voices of Maya and Jewel, this is a thought-provoking and moving story about loyalty, privilege, keeping secrets, and what it means to be a good friend.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2018
4 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Maureen Garvie
9 books9 followersMaureen Garvie is a young adult author who also teaches writing to young adults. She was born in Kingston, Ontario, and grew up beside the St. Lawrence River, swimming and canoeing around wrecks of ships from the War of 1812. At university she worked at Fort Henry during the summer, where she developed a fascination with history that went beyond soldiers in red coats.
After finishing her education at Western, Queen's and University of Toronto with Masters, teaching and library degrees, she married and moved to New Zealand. For 12 years she worked on farms and in libraries on the South Island, taught English and drama in Christchurch, and wrote.
Now back in Canada, Maureen lives in Kingston once more. In the golden days before Hollinger and Conrad Black, she worked as a writer and editor for the Kingston Whig-Standard and has reviewed children’s fiction for Quill & Quire for many years. She is now an instructor at Queen's University's Writing Centre and an editor for McGill-Queen's University Press. She has a daughter, Leila, who is an amazing knitter.
After finishing her education at Western, Queen's and University of Toronto with Masters, teaching and library degrees, she married and moved to New Zealand. For 12 years she worked on farms and in libraries on the South Island, taught English and drama in Christchurch, and wrote.
Now back in Canada, Maureen lives in Kingston once more. In the golden days before Hollinger and Conrad Black, she worked as a writer and editor for the Kingston Whig-Standard and has reviewed children’s fiction for Quill & Quire for many years. She is now an instructor at Queen's University's Writing Centre and an editor for McGill-Queen's University Press. She has a daughter, Leila, who is an amazing knitter.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 13, 2019
A good YA story. It really captured what it’s like to be a young teenager. Thanks Dee Dee G!
January 22, 2019
This YA novel by Canadian author intrigued me from the beginning. Because I work with youth in my day to day career, I wanted to know more about Jewel's story. How does a child end up homeless and essentially alone? It is a topic that very few people want to engage in but it happens often.
Jewel is struggling in her very dysfunctional family that is abusive and ultimately, unsafe. The adults who should be able to help her and her other siblings, do not really help. The threat of being sent back to her parents is too real for Jewel so she leaves everything behind although with great regret for being unable to take her five-year old brother with her.
I liked this book because it tells the story from Jewel's perspective and is written from that child's point of view (Jewel is in grade 6). But the story alters when two classmates see Jewel where she should not be and story is told from her well-meaning friend Maya's point of view.
After more obstacles and some mishaps the story comes to a resolution to Jewel's plight. I think that YA readers will like this story because it covers topics that some may be afraid to give a voice to. I would recommend this novel to readers grade 5 and up as it has a wide appeal.
Jewel is struggling in her very dysfunctional family that is abusive and ultimately, unsafe. The adults who should be able to help her and her other siblings, do not really help. The threat of being sent back to her parents is too real for Jewel so she leaves everything behind although with great regret for being unable to take her five-year old brother with her.
I liked this book because it tells the story from Jewel's perspective and is written from that child's point of view (Jewel is in grade 6). But the story alters when two classmates see Jewel where she should not be and story is told from her well-meaning friend Maya's point of view.
After more obstacles and some mishaps the story comes to a resolution to Jewel's plight. I think that YA readers will like this story because it covers topics that some may be afraid to give a voice to. I would recommend this novel to readers grade 5 and up as it has a wide appeal.
January 12, 2023
"Most everybody I know lives in their own little world, but there's other stuff going on out there... I know you cant fix everything that's wrong with the world but you can pay attention. You can do that much, at least."
Best final lines ever.
This story of a young teen (13) who has fled from her home of abuse to try to survive is not as unique/fictional as we would like it to be.
Teen homelessness is a very real, serious issue in our world.
But as Maya (one of the girls who discovers Jewel's life on the run) ends the book so perfectly stating that if we could at least start by paying attention!
Look around you.
Put down the phones.
Really see and hear people.
Give that extra minute to listen.
People need people.
People need compassion not judgment.
People need love and a safe place.
Like our two heros Lily and Maya... See if you can make a difference in someone's life not by trying to help them hide as much as seeing them, letting them know there is help.
Best final lines ever.
This story of a young teen (13) who has fled from her home of abuse to try to survive is not as unique/fictional as we would like it to be.
Teen homelessness is a very real, serious issue in our world.
But as Maya (one of the girls who discovers Jewel's life on the run) ends the book so perfectly stating that if we could at least start by paying attention!
Look around you.
Put down the phones.
Really see and hear people.
Give that extra minute to listen.
People need people.
People need compassion not judgment.
People need love and a safe place.
Like our two heros Lily and Maya... See if you can make a difference in someone's life not by trying to help them hide as much as seeing them, letting them know there is help.
July 4, 2018
I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did. This girl runs away from abusive home after her father's creepy friend molests her (her sister ran away previously) and turns out, her parents never reported her missing and she lives in the school, sleeping in the art room cubby. Some girls discover her predicament and do their best to try to help her out, but how long can she go on like this? Really engaging read.
June 20, 2019
Well done, in my opinion. The topic is not easy and it is neither ridiculed nor avoided, nor overdramatized in a voyeuristic way.
June 8, 2020
Straddles the line between middle grade and young adult. Quick read. Entertaining but not remarkable.
November 14, 2023
i found this at my mom's house and was bored. what is going on
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews