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Etta Invincible
In this touching debut middle grade novel, a girl with hearing loss and a boy adjusting to life in a new country connect through their love of comics and get entangled in their own fantastical adventure.
Twelve-year-old Etta Johnson has Loud Days where she can hear just fine and Quiet Days where sounds come from far away and she gets to retreat into her thoughts. Etta spends most of her time alone, working on her comic book about Invincible Girl, the superhero who takes down super villain Petra Fide. Invincible Girl is brave, daring, and bold—everything Etta wishes she could be.
But when Louisa May Alcott, a friendly Goldendoodle from across the street, disappears, Etta and the dog’s boy, Eleazar, must find their inner heroes to save her. The catch? Louisa May has run onto a magical train that mysteriously arrived at the station near Etta and Eleazar’s houses. Onboard, they discover each train car is its own magical world with individual riddles and challenges that must be solved before they can reach the engine room and rescue Louisa May.
Only, the stakes are even higher than they thought. The train’s magic is malfunctioning and spreading a purple smoke called The Fear through the streets of Chicago. Etta and Eleazar are the only ones who can save the city, save Louisa May Alcott—and save each other.
Twelve-year-old Etta Johnson has Loud Days where she can hear just fine and Quiet Days where sounds come from far away and she gets to retreat into her thoughts. Etta spends most of her time alone, working on her comic book about Invincible Girl, the superhero who takes down super villain Petra Fide. Invincible Girl is brave, daring, and bold—everything Etta wishes she could be.
But when Louisa May Alcott, a friendly Goldendoodle from across the street, disappears, Etta and the dog’s boy, Eleazar, must find their inner heroes to save her. The catch? Louisa May has run onto a magical train that mysteriously arrived at the station near Etta and Eleazar’s houses. Onboard, they discover each train car is its own magical world with individual riddles and challenges that must be solved before they can reach the engine room and rescue Louisa May.
Only, the stakes are even higher than they thought. The train’s magic is malfunctioning and spreading a purple smoke called The Fear through the streets of Chicago. Etta and Eleazar are the only ones who can save the city, save Louisa May Alcott—and save each other.
358 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 12, 2022
About the author
Reese Eschmann
13 books30 followersReese Eschmann holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois-Chicago and worked in schools for six years. When she’s not writing or taking naps, Reese enjoys rock climbing, baking, and making movies with her family. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and their hound dog. Etta Invincible is her debut novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
July 30, 2020
This story is perfect for middle grade readers; Etta is an endearing character who channels her secret dreams of bravery into her superhero characters. Everything changes when she meets Eleazar and chases his dog onto a magical train where she's forced to confront her fears and channel her own inner hero. Full of magic, heart, and adventure!
June 17, 2022
Reese Eschmann is not here to make things easy
Etta Invincible was not what I expected. I expected a warm and cuddly children's adventure with a Disney-style happy ending. That's not what it is. There is no Prince Charming swanning his way in to save the Princess, no Wizard to magically cure Etta's Meniere's disease. No one but Etta will save Etta, and Eschmann doesn't make it easy for her. Etta is a splendid heroine with a strong mind and heart.
Right from the beginning, Etta is an easy character to like. (OK, so that's ONE thing Eschmann makes easy.) Here are some thoughts that Etta thinks,
The publisher's blurb is a good introduction to the plot. We begin with a few introductory chapters in which we meet Etta and she makes friends with Eleazar and his dog Louisa. Etta, Eleazar, and Louisa meet a magical train. Louisa runs aboard and the train leaves the station. Etta and Eleazar board the train to get her back. They must proceed from the back of the train through ten magical train cars to reach the engine room, where Louisa has gone. Each train car has its own magic and presents a different puzzle that they must solve in order to proceed to the next.
From this description you might get the idea that Etta Invincible is a kind of Pilgrim's Progress or Phantom Tollbooth, whose plot consists of our hero running a gamut of intellectual and emotional challenges. But it turns out to be much better than that. There is a real story, a real challenge to be met, a real danger to defeat. You will not understand this until deep into the book, but when you do, it all becomes so much more meaningful.
I was surprised by the emotional intensity of the second half of the book. Once Eschmann has gotten us to the point that we know the characters well enough to care about them, she takes advantage of that. It's powerfully affecting and even scary. A young kid reading it will be all up in her feels, as was I. There's nothing there, I think, that you would hesitate to read to a young kid, but it is gripping.
I hesitated about what rating to give Etta Invincible. I reserve five star ratings for books, that, in my judgment, have a claim to be called extraordinary. Etta Invincible is a candidate because of the strength of the character and the way the plot elicits that. The consideration that tipped me to five stars was this being Eschmann's debut novel. I want to read more from her.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an advance reviewer copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review on my blog.
Etta Invincible was not what I expected. I expected a warm and cuddly children's adventure with a Disney-style happy ending. That's not what it is. There is no Prince Charming swanning his way in to save the Princess, no Wizard to magically cure Etta's Meniere's disease. No one but Etta will save Etta, and Eschmann doesn't make it easy for her. Etta is a splendid heroine with a strong mind and heart.
Right from the beginning, Etta is an easy character to like. (OK, so that's ONE thing Eschmann makes easy.) Here are some thoughts that Etta thinks,
The paint on the windowsills is peeling very slowly, like an immortal snail has been cursed to make his way across our house for all eternity, breaking off tiny flecks of paint with his mucus and slime.
“I’m not Spider-Man,” Eleazar says. “But I like your comics. You’re cool.” As the words pop up on the screen, he nods definitively, as though that’s the end of that, and for the rest of my days I’ll now wear a sign that says HERE IS A GIRL WHO WAS ONCE DEEMED COOL.
The publisher's blurb is a good introduction to the plot. We begin with a few introductory chapters in which we meet Etta and she makes friends with Eleazar and his dog Louisa. Etta, Eleazar, and Louisa meet a magical train. Louisa runs aboard and the train leaves the station. Etta and Eleazar board the train to get her back. They must proceed from the back of the train through ten magical train cars to reach the engine room, where Louisa has gone. Each train car has its own magic and presents a different puzzle that they must solve in order to proceed to the next.
From this description you might get the idea that Etta Invincible is a kind of Pilgrim's Progress or Phantom Tollbooth, whose plot consists of our hero running a gamut of intellectual and emotional challenges. But it turns out to be much better than that. There is a real story, a real challenge to be met, a real danger to defeat. You will not understand this until deep into the book, but when you do, it all becomes so much more meaningful.
I was surprised by the emotional intensity of the second half of the book. Once Eschmann has gotten us to the point that we know the characters well enough to care about them, she takes advantage of that. It's powerfully affecting and even scary. A young kid reading it will be all up in her feels, as was I. There's nothing there, I think, that you would hesitate to read to a young kid, but it is gripping.
I hesitated about what rating to give Etta Invincible. I reserve five star ratings for books, that, in my judgment, have a claim to be called extraordinary. Etta Invincible is a candidate because of the strength of the character and the way the plot elicits that. The consideration that tipped me to five stars was this being Eschmann's debut novel. I want to read more from her.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an advance reviewer copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review on my blog.
July 24, 2022
You can read my full review on my blog, The Bookwyrm's Den, here.
Many thanks to Aladdin and TBR and Beyond Tours for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Overall
The cover of Etta Invincible is just *chef’s kiss*. It gives me hardcore The Train to Impossible Places vibes mixed with superheroes, which if I’m honest is a brilliant sort of mixture that I never knew I wanted until I saw it. Plus, who can resist diverse characters AND a cute doggo? Not this bookwyrm, that’s for sure.
Etta Invincible is a magical coming-of-age story about a protagonist with a chronic illness who learns that it doesn’t take being a superhero to be brave. It just takes good friends and a little bit of magic.
Let me tell you something: Eschmann can write. The prose in this book is striking and beautiful, and I just wanted to crawl inside the words and live there. Wait . . . is that weird? Tell me that’s a perfectly normal desire. *cough* Anyway, I definitely want to read more works by the author because her writing style is just gorgeous. That being said, I wish the setting was a little more developed, because I was confused with the way characters ignored magical things around them, like it was commonplace, even though the book appeared to be a contemporary with magical realism. Also, if I ever hear the word THWACK used again to describe something a normal, healthy human heart does, I’ll probably scream.
My Thoughts
- Etta is a very interesting protagonist. She’s a little Black girl who believes in magic and has a chronic illness known as Ménière’s disease. I want to say, right off the bat, that the book is not about Etta’s illness. However, it’s hard to deny that it plays a part in how her adventure goes, as one might expect. For anyone who doesn’t know what Ménière’s disease (like I didn’t), this book is a really eye-opening experience. Basically, it’s a disease of the inner ear that causes pressure to build up, which causes symptoms like vertigo, migraines/headaches, and loss of hearing. Easy to see how that might be important when one’s off chasing magical trains, right?!
Throughout the book, Etta is having her Quiet days, when her Ménière’s disease flares up and she can’t hear, which means she needs to rely on things like lip reading, assistive technology through her phone, and sign language in order to communicate and understand the people around her. It doesn’t mean she can’t still go on adventures, but it sure does change the way her adventure looks because of it!
I feel like it should go without saying (though I’ll say it anyway) that I absolutely love the inclusion of this representation! When I was Etta’s age, I had hearing loss and problems related to my ears, too, and her struggles are so relatable. Especially since my grandmother also was hard of hearing, and basic ASL was a regular thing in my household that I just took for granted. So it was so meaning to read a middle grade book with this representation! Especially with how hard Etta’s parents are trying to adjust their lives to this new (maybe) diagnosis.
- Rep aside (because people are neither their illnesses nor their disabilities), Etta is a little girl with a big imagination, which is entirely endearing. She reminds me a lot of me at that age: seeing the world as this thing filled with magic and living wholeheartedly in her imagination. Etta loves comics and art, to the point of creating her very own superhero: Invincible Girl. Invincible Girl is brave when Etta feels scared and handles the big things that Etta doesn’t feel ready to take on. Oftentimes, she’ll imagine what Invincible Girl would do in a situation. Or if things get tough, Etta personifies the challenge she’s facing as a villain in one of her Invincible Girl comics, easily overtaken by the superpowered superhero.
In real life, though, Etta is afraid. A lot. Her life is unpredictable right now, especially with her new (maybe) diagnosis and how her chronic illness makes it difficult to make new friends. She’s alone and isolated and not feeling nearly as brave as her superhero counterpart. Which is such a relatable situation to be in, right? Goodness knows I was at that age (still am, even, from time to time). I imagine that middle schoolers will have absolutely no trouble whatsoever relating with and connecting to Etta!
- Etta manages to stumble her way into a small squad, with her new (hopefully) friends Eleazar and Mariana joining her in her magical adventure. And boy are these three kids different. Which is most of their charm.
Eleazar has recently moved from Colombia, where his grandmother still lives. He’s an ESL student whose first language is Spanish, and he’s new to the area. The move hasn’t exactly been easy on him, either. He puts on a brave face and says he’s not afraid, no matter what, but deep down, he’s having a hard time adjusting to his new life in Chicago.
Mariana, on the other hand, is a logical, no-nonsense girl with a plan. She’s already thought it through and knows exactly how her plan should go and what she hopes to achieve, and she’ll see it through until the end. Unlike the other two, who tend to have their heads in the clouds, Mariana is much more practical, though that’s not to say that she doesn’t believe in magic. Not at all. She just approaches it with more of a rational brain than her companions.
It’s their unique strengths (and, ultimately, weaknesses) that makes this trio work so well together. They each have different struggles in their life and different things they hope for, but at the end of the day, they’re still in it together.
- All board the magical train, where your deepest wishes can come true . . . just maybe not in ways you might expect. I absolutely loved this train. It’s magical, but also slightly ominous. When you travel from one car to the next, you never quite know what to expect, because there could be just about anything on the other side of the door. Most notably in this book, though: the train is malfunctioning. What seems magical at first takes a slightly more sinister turn as the magic goes wrong.
Moreover, when Eleazar and Etta board the train, they assume they’re alone, but that’s definitely not the case. They run across several characters on their journey, like Akio. Who is definitely a character. Probably my favorite character in this book, actually! He’s quirky and slightly whimsical and not at all happy about now having the share the train with children who are messing things up (his words, not mine).
Readers will likely love the magic of the train, combined with the mystery of what’s causing its magic to go awry. Eschmann creates a setting that will easily entrance readers of all ages.
- At the heart of this book is a rather heartwarming coming-of-age story about friendship and bravery, which I think every reader will be able to relate to and enjoy. It takes quite a bit of time to build to that story, of course. As I said, the beginning is really slow to get started. Once it does, though, the underlying story is absolutely beautiful! The big, overarching messages are written very poignantly, with passages that are sure to tug on a reader’s heartstrings. Especially anyone who can see themselves in Etta, who might be afraid or feel not particularly brave or even just someone who struggles to make friends.
My favorite parts of this book are definitely where the main trio work together and learn what it means to be friends and support each other, even when things get difficult and potentially scary. There’s a lot to be said about the power of friendship and being there for the people you care about that I absolutely loved!
Sticking Points
- Etta’s heart THWACKs an awful lot in this book. To the point where I’m pretty sure this is a medical issue that should be examined by a doctor. When I first ran across a THWACK, I assumed that this would be a red flag for something like afib or some sort of heart issue. It only came up when Etta was stressed or worried, so it makes sense if that’s part of her medical diagnosis. That appears to not be the case at all.
Etta’s heart THWACKs probably every three or four pages, and it’s such an awkward description. A couple times, fine, but it happened every time she was stressed or worried. Considering this whole book is about fear and worry, it popped up a lot. Every time, it made me roll my eyes, because that’s a horrible description of what your heart does every single time you’re stressed, and it felt so overdone.
I highly doubt this will matter to any middle grade readers, but it annoyed me to the point that I actually dreaded running into another THWACK. Actually, come to think of it, it’d make a great drinking game . . . if someone weren’t afraid of potential alcohol poisoning. This is one of those sticking points that is probably just a me thing, but since this is my review . . . ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- The beginning of Etta Invincible is very slow, and it skirts this strange line between realism and magical realism that doesn’t quite make sense, before settling on an obviously fantasy second half. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it definitely tripped me up and almost felt like the first part of the book was somehow divorced from the second part. To start with, nothing really happens in the book until about 35% of the way in. Girl has chronic illness. Girl meets boy. Then Girl meets boy’s dog. Dog goes missing. Girl (and boy) are understandably upset. That’s basically the first 35% in the nutshell, and none of that is actually spoiler because it’s in the blurb.
There are hints of magic early on in the book, but they feel almost like Etta simply living in her own imagination. She writes this comic strip about Invincible Girl, who’s basically real to her, and okay, yes, this makes sense. She also wants there to be magic and superheroes in the world (and honestly, who the heck doesn’t?!). So it makes perfect sense that when strange things happen around her, she sees it as magic. She describes purple smoke, but in a way that isn’t particularly alarming so I think, okay, that’s weird, but I guess it’s commonplace there since literally no one is commenting on it?! There are strange fireworks that feel magical, but again . . . Etta clearly lives inside her imagination and wants magic to exist. So this definitely seems figurative.
Then there’s the instance of a boy who runs so fast he keeps up with a bus and aside from some students thinking it’s cool, literally no one says anything about how weird it is. Etta has a momentary thought that maybe he’s a superhero like Invincible Girl, but that’s it. At which point, I was seriously confused.
Granted, most of these occurrences themselves are explained, but not the reaction (or lack thereof, specifically) of the characters. The genre lines were so blurry that I ended up super confused about what was supposed to be real and what wasn’t, and then I was confused about why no one reacted to what was obviously magic if magic wasn’t supposed to be commonplace in the world. This is another thing that I don’t think will bother middle grade readers (who I hope live, at least to some extent, in their imaginations, because I sure did, and it’s a great place to be!). It was enough to constantly pull me out of the story, though, to where I struggled to understand the world the author was establishing.
Many thanks to Aladdin and TBR and Beyond Tours for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Overall
The cover of Etta Invincible is just *chef’s kiss*. It gives me hardcore The Train to Impossible Places vibes mixed with superheroes, which if I’m honest is a brilliant sort of mixture that I never knew I wanted until I saw it. Plus, who can resist diverse characters AND a cute doggo? Not this bookwyrm, that’s for sure.
Etta Invincible is a magical coming-of-age story about a protagonist with a chronic illness who learns that it doesn’t take being a superhero to be brave. It just takes good friends and a little bit of magic.
Let me tell you something: Eschmann can write. The prose in this book is striking and beautiful, and I just wanted to crawl inside the words and live there. Wait . . . is that weird? Tell me that’s a perfectly normal desire. *cough* Anyway, I definitely want to read more works by the author because her writing style is just gorgeous. That being said, I wish the setting was a little more developed, because I was confused with the way characters ignored magical things around them, like it was commonplace, even though the book appeared to be a contemporary with magical realism. Also, if I ever hear the word THWACK used again to describe something a normal, healthy human heart does, I’ll probably scream.
My Thoughts
- Etta is a very interesting protagonist. She’s a little Black girl who believes in magic and has a chronic illness known as Ménière’s disease. I want to say, right off the bat, that the book is not about Etta’s illness. However, it’s hard to deny that it plays a part in how her adventure goes, as one might expect. For anyone who doesn’t know what Ménière’s disease (like I didn’t), this book is a really eye-opening experience. Basically, it’s a disease of the inner ear that causes pressure to build up, which causes symptoms like vertigo, migraines/headaches, and loss of hearing. Easy to see how that might be important when one’s off chasing magical trains, right?!
Throughout the book, Etta is having her Quiet days, when her Ménière’s disease flares up and she can’t hear, which means she needs to rely on things like lip reading, assistive technology through her phone, and sign language in order to communicate and understand the people around her. It doesn’t mean she can’t still go on adventures, but it sure does change the way her adventure looks because of it!
I feel like it should go without saying (though I’ll say it anyway) that I absolutely love the inclusion of this representation! When I was Etta’s age, I had hearing loss and problems related to my ears, too, and her struggles are so relatable. Especially since my grandmother also was hard of hearing, and basic ASL was a regular thing in my household that I just took for granted. So it was so meaning to read a middle grade book with this representation! Especially with how hard Etta’s parents are trying to adjust their lives to this new (maybe) diagnosis.
- Rep aside (because people are neither their illnesses nor their disabilities), Etta is a little girl with a big imagination, which is entirely endearing. She reminds me a lot of me at that age: seeing the world as this thing filled with magic and living wholeheartedly in her imagination. Etta loves comics and art, to the point of creating her very own superhero: Invincible Girl. Invincible Girl is brave when Etta feels scared and handles the big things that Etta doesn’t feel ready to take on. Oftentimes, she’ll imagine what Invincible Girl would do in a situation. Or if things get tough, Etta personifies the challenge she’s facing as a villain in one of her Invincible Girl comics, easily overtaken by the superpowered superhero.
In real life, though, Etta is afraid. A lot. Her life is unpredictable right now, especially with her new (maybe) diagnosis and how her chronic illness makes it difficult to make new friends. She’s alone and isolated and not feeling nearly as brave as her superhero counterpart. Which is such a relatable situation to be in, right? Goodness knows I was at that age (still am, even, from time to time). I imagine that middle schoolers will have absolutely no trouble whatsoever relating with and connecting to Etta!
- Etta manages to stumble her way into a small squad, with her new (hopefully) friends Eleazar and Mariana joining her in her magical adventure. And boy are these three kids different. Which is most of their charm.
Eleazar has recently moved from Colombia, where his grandmother still lives. He’s an ESL student whose first language is Spanish, and he’s new to the area. The move hasn’t exactly been easy on him, either. He puts on a brave face and says he’s not afraid, no matter what, but deep down, he’s having a hard time adjusting to his new life in Chicago.
Mariana, on the other hand, is a logical, no-nonsense girl with a plan. She’s already thought it through and knows exactly how her plan should go and what she hopes to achieve, and she’ll see it through until the end. Unlike the other two, who tend to have their heads in the clouds, Mariana is much more practical, though that’s not to say that she doesn’t believe in magic. Not at all. She just approaches it with more of a rational brain than her companions.
It’s their unique strengths (and, ultimately, weaknesses) that makes this trio work so well together. They each have different struggles in their life and different things they hope for, but at the end of the day, they’re still in it together.
- All board the magical train, where your deepest wishes can come true . . . just maybe not in ways you might expect. I absolutely loved this train. It’s magical, but also slightly ominous. When you travel from one car to the next, you never quite know what to expect, because there could be just about anything on the other side of the door. Most notably in this book, though: the train is malfunctioning. What seems magical at first takes a slightly more sinister turn as the magic goes wrong.
Moreover, when Eleazar and Etta board the train, they assume they’re alone, but that’s definitely not the case. They run across several characters on their journey, like Akio. Who is definitely a character. Probably my favorite character in this book, actually! He’s quirky and slightly whimsical and not at all happy about now having the share the train with children who are messing things up (his words, not mine).
Readers will likely love the magic of the train, combined with the mystery of what’s causing its magic to go awry. Eschmann creates a setting that will easily entrance readers of all ages.
- At the heart of this book is a rather heartwarming coming-of-age story about friendship and bravery, which I think every reader will be able to relate to and enjoy. It takes quite a bit of time to build to that story, of course. As I said, the beginning is really slow to get started. Once it does, though, the underlying story is absolutely beautiful! The big, overarching messages are written very poignantly, with passages that are sure to tug on a reader’s heartstrings. Especially anyone who can see themselves in Etta, who might be afraid or feel not particularly brave or even just someone who struggles to make friends.
My favorite parts of this book are definitely where the main trio work together and learn what it means to be friends and support each other, even when things get difficult and potentially scary. There’s a lot to be said about the power of friendship and being there for the people you care about that I absolutely loved!
Sticking Points
- Etta’s heart THWACKs an awful lot in this book. To the point where I’m pretty sure this is a medical issue that should be examined by a doctor. When I first ran across a THWACK, I assumed that this would be a red flag for something like afib or some sort of heart issue. It only came up when Etta was stressed or worried, so it makes sense if that’s part of her medical diagnosis. That appears to not be the case at all.
Etta’s heart THWACKs probably every three or four pages, and it’s such an awkward description. A couple times, fine, but it happened every time she was stressed or worried. Considering this whole book is about fear and worry, it popped up a lot. Every time, it made me roll my eyes, because that’s a horrible description of what your heart does every single time you’re stressed, and it felt so overdone.
I highly doubt this will matter to any middle grade readers, but it annoyed me to the point that I actually dreaded running into another THWACK. Actually, come to think of it, it’d make a great drinking game . . . if someone weren’t afraid of potential alcohol poisoning. This is one of those sticking points that is probably just a me thing, but since this is my review . . . ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- The beginning of Etta Invincible is very slow, and it skirts this strange line between realism and magical realism that doesn’t quite make sense, before settling on an obviously fantasy second half. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it definitely tripped me up and almost felt like the first part of the book was somehow divorced from the second part. To start with, nothing really happens in the book until about 35% of the way in. Girl has chronic illness. Girl meets boy. Then Girl meets boy’s dog. Dog goes missing. Girl (and boy) are understandably upset. That’s basically the first 35% in the nutshell, and none of that is actually spoiler because it’s in the blurb.
There are hints of magic early on in the book, but they feel almost like Etta simply living in her own imagination. She writes this comic strip about Invincible Girl, who’s basically real to her, and okay, yes, this makes sense. She also wants there to be magic and superheroes in the world (and honestly, who the heck doesn’t?!). So it makes perfect sense that when strange things happen around her, she sees it as magic. She describes purple smoke, but in a way that isn’t particularly alarming so I think, okay, that’s weird, but I guess it’s commonplace there since literally no one is commenting on it?! There are strange fireworks that feel magical, but again . . . Etta clearly lives inside her imagination and wants magic to exist. So this definitely seems figurative.
Then there’s the instance of a boy who runs so fast he keeps up with a bus and aside from some students thinking it’s cool, literally no one says anything about how weird it is. Etta has a momentary thought that maybe he’s a superhero like Invincible Girl, but that’s it. At which point, I was seriously confused.
Granted, most of these occurrences themselves are explained, but not the reaction (or lack thereof, specifically) of the characters. The genre lines were so blurry that I ended up super confused about what was supposed to be real and what wasn’t, and then I was confused about why no one reacted to what was obviously magic if magic wasn’t supposed to be commonplace in the world. This is another thing that I don’t think will bother middle grade readers (who I hope live, at least to some extent, in their imaginations, because I sure did, and it’s a great place to be!). It was enough to constantly pull me out of the story, though, to where I struggled to understand the world the author was establishing.
July 21, 2022
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Etta Invincible
Author: Reese Eschmann
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Black hard-of-hearing/Meniere’s Disease MC, ASL used a little, Columbian character
Recommended For...: middle grade readers, fantasy, magic trains, comic books hybird, graphic novels hybrid
Publication Date: July12, 2022
Genre: MG Fantasy
Age Relevance: 9+ (racism, anxiety, lost animal, animal kidnapping, violence, scary moments)
Explanation of Above: There is some racism mentioned in the book in regards to medicine and how hard it is for Black people to be treated adequately by the healthcare industry. There are some showings of anxiety. There is a dog who gets lost and then found to be kidnapped in the book. There is some very slight showings of violence in the book. There are a couple of scary moments that could be a bit hard for younger or more sensitive readers, but this would be a great bonding book for younger children and their guardians, especially if you want to show them characters who are hard of hearing.
Publisher: Aladdin
Pages: 368
Synopsis: A girl with hearing loss and a boy adjusting to life in a new country connect through their love of comics and get entangled in their own fantastical adventure.
Twelve-year-old Etta Johnson has Loud Days where she can hear just fine and Quiet Days where sounds come from far away and she gets to retreat into her thoughts. Etta spends most of her time alone, working on her comic book about Invisible Girl, the superhero who takes down super villain Petra Fide and does all the things Etta thinks she can’t.
But when Louisa May Alcott, a friendly Goldendoodle from across the street, disappears, Etta and the dog’s boy, Eleazar, must find their inner heroes to save her. The catch? LMA has run onto a magical train that mysteriously arrived at the station near Etta and Eleazar’s houses. On-board, they discover each train car is its own magical world with individual riddles and challenges that must be solved before they can reach the engine room and rescue LMA.
Only, the stakes are even higher than they thought. The train’s magic is malfunctioning and spreading a purple smoke called The Fear through the streets of Chicago. Etta and Eleazar are the only ones who can save the city, save Louisa May Alcott—and save each other.
Review: I think my favorite this about this book is that the MC is hard of hearing and the way that this aspect of her life is written in the book and pops up frequently in terms of writing, ASL, understanding one another, etc. is beautifully done in my opinion. I am not considered hard of hearing, but I do have what might be an auditory processing disorder or some other sort of hearing issue, so sometimes it is really hard for me to understand what is being said even if I’m looking at someone and paying as much attention to them as I possibly can and even if I can see their lips moving. I have to use captions when watching shows and stuff and I sometimes ask someone to repeat themselves or speak slower for me. So I understood to a degree how Etta felt when that aspect of her life came up. I also thought that the book was genius when it came to showing how Etta and her friend communicated even though he was more comfortable speaking Spanish and she hasn’t learned that yet. They used a translator and it really shows the ingenuity of children who will always find ways to play and interact with each other regardless of any language barriers. I also loved the comic aspect of the book, but wish that there were more panels in the book. I would also consider this a great HP replacement read if you are looking for those like I constantly am. Lastly, I thought the world building and character development was well done and the book was well paced.
The only real issue I had with the book is that I thought it would be better split up into multiple books or that it didn’t incorporate the comic book aspect enough, but otherwise it was really well done.
Verdict: I loved this book! Highly recommend!
Book: Etta Invincible
Author: Reese Eschmann
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Black hard-of-hearing/Meniere’s Disease MC, ASL used a little, Columbian character
Recommended For...: middle grade readers, fantasy, magic trains, comic books hybird, graphic novels hybrid
Publication Date: July12, 2022
Genre: MG Fantasy
Age Relevance: 9+ (racism, anxiety, lost animal, animal kidnapping, violence, scary moments)
Explanation of Above: There is some racism mentioned in the book in regards to medicine and how hard it is for Black people to be treated adequately by the healthcare industry. There are some showings of anxiety. There is a dog who gets lost and then found to be kidnapped in the book. There is some very slight showings of violence in the book. There are a couple of scary moments that could be a bit hard for younger or more sensitive readers, but this would be a great bonding book for younger children and their guardians, especially if you want to show them characters who are hard of hearing.
Publisher: Aladdin
Pages: 368
Synopsis: A girl with hearing loss and a boy adjusting to life in a new country connect through their love of comics and get entangled in their own fantastical adventure.
Twelve-year-old Etta Johnson has Loud Days where she can hear just fine and Quiet Days where sounds come from far away and she gets to retreat into her thoughts. Etta spends most of her time alone, working on her comic book about Invisible Girl, the superhero who takes down super villain Petra Fide and does all the things Etta thinks she can’t.
But when Louisa May Alcott, a friendly Goldendoodle from across the street, disappears, Etta and the dog’s boy, Eleazar, must find their inner heroes to save her. The catch? LMA has run onto a magical train that mysteriously arrived at the station near Etta and Eleazar’s houses. On-board, they discover each train car is its own magical world with individual riddles and challenges that must be solved before they can reach the engine room and rescue LMA.
Only, the stakes are even higher than they thought. The train’s magic is malfunctioning and spreading a purple smoke called The Fear through the streets of Chicago. Etta and Eleazar are the only ones who can save the city, save Louisa May Alcott—and save each other.
Review: I think my favorite this about this book is that the MC is hard of hearing and the way that this aspect of her life is written in the book and pops up frequently in terms of writing, ASL, understanding one another, etc. is beautifully done in my opinion. I am not considered hard of hearing, but I do have what might be an auditory processing disorder or some other sort of hearing issue, so sometimes it is really hard for me to understand what is being said even if I’m looking at someone and paying as much attention to them as I possibly can and even if I can see their lips moving. I have to use captions when watching shows and stuff and I sometimes ask someone to repeat themselves or speak slower for me. So I understood to a degree how Etta felt when that aspect of her life came up. I also thought that the book was genius when it came to showing how Etta and her friend communicated even though he was more comfortable speaking Spanish and she hasn’t learned that yet. They used a translator and it really shows the ingenuity of children who will always find ways to play and interact with each other regardless of any language barriers. I also loved the comic aspect of the book, but wish that there were more panels in the book. I would also consider this a great HP replacement read if you are looking for those like I constantly am. Lastly, I thought the world building and character development was well done and the book was well paced.
The only real issue I had with the book is that I thought it would be better split up into multiple books or that it didn’t incorporate the comic book aspect enough, but otherwise it was really well done.
Verdict: I loved this book! Highly recommend!
July 20, 2022
This was a fantastic story! I can't wait to share this with the Mini Lits! It's full of magic friendship, superheroes and adventure! The beginning of the book sets everything up for the characters and the setting but once everything starts to happen the book takes off! Taking the reader on a magical adventure! Etta is an easy character to like. She is strong and all heart! The relationship she has with her parents is heartwarming and sweet! Overall it's a beautiful story about finding your own strength! Thank you TBR and Beyond Tours and Reese Eschmann for sharing this fantastic adventure with me!
August 5, 2020
I was lucky enough to read an early copy of this story. It is the perfect mash-up of sweet friendship, super hero comics, and creepy magic. Readers aged 8-108 will love it!
July 19, 2022
4.5 stars. I really enjoyed the description of Etta's maybe-illness, even the 'maybe-ness' of it. The way her parents fought to treat her symptoms, and to keep her as healthy as they could, was heartwarming.. it was hard to see how they struggled to research such a vague set of symptoms was heartwarming, but you could still feel their anguish at being unable to fix it for their little girl.
I found the way the Storm was described very interesting, even as it caused different reactions on different people and the ways they dealt with it.
When Etta and Eleazar got on the train to look for Louisa May (unbeknownst to either of their parents), their journey was a whole lot of clues and mysteries, adventures and foibles. They meet some interesting characters on their way to find the Great Conductor.
I really liked the way Etta and Eleazar dealt with their challenges, and that there was a great moral to the story.
i would read their comics!!
I found the way the Storm was described very interesting, even as it caused different reactions on different people and the ways they dealt with it.
When Etta and Eleazar got on the train to look for Louisa May (unbeknownst to either of their parents), their journey was a whole lot of clues and mysteries, adventures and foibles. They meet some interesting characters on their way to find the Great Conductor.
I really liked the way Etta and Eleazar dealt with their challenges, and that there was a great moral to the story.
i would read their comics!!
July 21, 2021
A fun book for kids and adults! Well written, thoughtful, and extremely engaging. Buy this for your kids!
June 28, 2022
How can I read this
July 28, 2022
This book is just so amazing
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2023
12-year-old Etta Johnson lives in Chicago with her parents. For the past several months, Etta has been experiencing Quiet Days, where everything is muffled and difficult to understand and Loud Days where she hears everything just fine. When her allergies flare up, she even experiences headaches and dizziness. Ever since she found out about the "Big Maybe," she's had to make some lifestyle changes including cutting salty foods out of her diet and learning how to use a speech to text app on her phone, as well as learning sign language with her parents. Most days, Etta can be found working on her secret comic book project about Invincible Girl, a superhero who battles the evil Petra Fide.
Lately, however Etta and her family have been sopped with a severe storm that has blown over their town, and it seems to be affecting everyone's mood. The purple clouds hovering over the city have caused Etta to be stuck on her story and even her mom has been having difficulty with her artwork. The only bright side is when a boy, Eleazer appears at her bus stop trying to smuggle his dog aboard the bus. He even introduces her to Louisa, whose named after the famous author. Just as the two are starting to get to know one another, Louisa suddenly disappears after she makes a dash for the nearby train station and gets trapped on one of the trains leaving the station. Soon Etta and Eleazer are teaming up to rescue Louisa by boarding the magical train and as their adventure ensues, they find that each car leading to the engine room holds one challenge more difficult than the next. Can they make their way through the train cars to the engine room and the Conductor in time to rescue Louisa?
Etta Invincible has an interesting premise involving a magical train ride to rescue a dog, while also ultimately confronting one's fears. I quite enjoyed the graphic novel style illustrations by Gretel Lusky that opened and ended the story and would've loved even more throughout the book. They were so well done. Etta has Ménière’s disease, a disorder that affects her inner ear which can lead to fluctuating hearing ability, dizziness, headaches and ringing of the ears. I personally would have liked a little more clarity about her diagnosis at the beginning of the story, some more specific details other than referring to it as the "Big Maybe," however it also seems reasonable that Etta might make up her own term to help her understand her quiet and loud days. Etta is an endearing character, her use of a speech to text app throughout the story spoke to my speech pathology heart. I thought it realistically portrayed the difficulties she would experience in communicating given her fluctuating hearing abilities. I also really enjoyed the magical train. It felt like a mix of The Polar Express and The Phantom Tollbooth, but a little more ominous. I enjoyed the way in which each car they went through felt very unique and how it presented a riddle, puzzle, or challenges for them to decipher in order to get a clue to find the next train car door. And let me tell you these train cars weren't easy. I'm still squeamish about the gummi worms. I also really liked Mariana and Akio, the two fellow travelers Etta and Eleazer met along the way, they have their own specific reasons for getting on the train and a whole set of new problems that they bring, but who also prove to be valuable in helping with some of the more challenging obstacles. Overall, the messaging of the story is well done. It highlights the importance of learning to except yourself and overcoming your fears via having hope. Having hope in a brighter future and having courage to tackle the fear that is holding you back from that brighter future.
**A huge thank you to Natalie Aguirre from Literary Rambles for a copy of the book for my review.**
Lately, however Etta and her family have been sopped with a severe storm that has blown over their town, and it seems to be affecting everyone's mood. The purple clouds hovering over the city have caused Etta to be stuck on her story and even her mom has been having difficulty with her artwork. The only bright side is when a boy, Eleazer appears at her bus stop trying to smuggle his dog aboard the bus. He even introduces her to Louisa, whose named after the famous author. Just as the two are starting to get to know one another, Louisa suddenly disappears after she makes a dash for the nearby train station and gets trapped on one of the trains leaving the station. Soon Etta and Eleazer are teaming up to rescue Louisa by boarding the magical train and as their adventure ensues, they find that each car leading to the engine room holds one challenge more difficult than the next. Can they make their way through the train cars to the engine room and the Conductor in time to rescue Louisa?
Etta Invincible has an interesting premise involving a magical train ride to rescue a dog, while also ultimately confronting one's fears. I quite enjoyed the graphic novel style illustrations by Gretel Lusky that opened and ended the story and would've loved even more throughout the book. They were so well done. Etta has Ménière’s disease, a disorder that affects her inner ear which can lead to fluctuating hearing ability, dizziness, headaches and ringing of the ears. I personally would have liked a little more clarity about her diagnosis at the beginning of the story, some more specific details other than referring to it as the "Big Maybe," however it also seems reasonable that Etta might make up her own term to help her understand her quiet and loud days. Etta is an endearing character, her use of a speech to text app throughout the story spoke to my speech pathology heart. I thought it realistically portrayed the difficulties she would experience in communicating given her fluctuating hearing abilities. I also really enjoyed the magical train. It felt like a mix of The Polar Express and The Phantom Tollbooth, but a little more ominous. I enjoyed the way in which each car they went through felt very unique and how it presented a riddle, puzzle, or challenges for them to decipher in order to get a clue to find the next train car door. And let me tell you these train cars weren't easy. I'm still squeamish about the gummi worms. I also really liked Mariana and Akio, the two fellow travelers Etta and Eleazer met along the way, they have their own specific reasons for getting on the train and a whole set of new problems that they bring, but who also prove to be valuable in helping with some of the more challenging obstacles. Overall, the messaging of the story is well done. It highlights the importance of learning to except yourself and overcoming your fears via having hope. Having hope in a brighter future and having courage to tackle the fear that is holding you back from that brighter future.
**A huge thank you to Natalie Aguirre from Literary Rambles for a copy of the book for my review.**
July 28, 2022
Characters
The characters of Etta Invincible were fantastic, and I loved how they interacted with each other. One character had hearing loss, which is not something you see in many books, and as someone who also has hearing loss, I loved seeing the representation in this book. The other character was moving to a new country, and I loved seeing the world through his eyes and Etta’s.
Plot
The plot of this story was fantastic. I’m a fan of contemporary novels, and this had a dash of fantasy for those that prefer some fantasy in their novels. This novel had a magical train where a majority of the story takes place,, but you could still feel that they set this in our world. This story was fun because it was different, and it took the reader on an adventure. I loved the adventure this story took you on, and how the characters grew at the end of the novel.
Writing
The writing of this novel was fantastic. It’s difficult to go between both Fantasy and our world, and the author does it seamlessly. I loved this mixture of the different scenes set on the train because you could tell that this was a fantasy story and one that was also set in our world because of the way the characters interacted. This was a mixture of both light-hearted scenes and scenes that were heavier. The characters were having in the light-hearted scenes, and in the more heartfelt scenes, they were talking about the problem at hand, and what they were going through.
Friendship
This was a Middle-Grade Novel, so there was more of a focus on friendship. I love the friendship between the two main characters, and how they met one day. The story was played out, so the characters met at the time when they both needed each other.
Enjoyment/ Recommend For
I really enjoyed this book! The story was very fun, and I had a great time reading this. I recommend this for anyone who enjoys a Middle-Grade novel, or a mixture of fantasy and our world in their stories.
What didn’t work for me
Pace
While I enjoyed this novel, I had problems with the pace. I felt like there were some scenes that could have been longer, and some scenes that could have seen shorter. Overall, the pace of the book is fine.
The characters of Etta Invincible were fantastic, and I loved how they interacted with each other. One character had hearing loss, which is not something you see in many books, and as someone who also has hearing loss, I loved seeing the representation in this book. The other character was moving to a new country, and I loved seeing the world through his eyes and Etta’s.
Plot
The plot of this story was fantastic. I’m a fan of contemporary novels, and this had a dash of fantasy for those that prefer some fantasy in their novels. This novel had a magical train where a majority of the story takes place,, but you could still feel that they set this in our world. This story was fun because it was different, and it took the reader on an adventure. I loved the adventure this story took you on, and how the characters grew at the end of the novel.
Writing
The writing of this novel was fantastic. It’s difficult to go between both Fantasy and our world, and the author does it seamlessly. I loved this mixture of the different scenes set on the train because you could tell that this was a fantasy story and one that was also set in our world because of the way the characters interacted. This was a mixture of both light-hearted scenes and scenes that were heavier. The characters were having in the light-hearted scenes, and in the more heartfelt scenes, they were talking about the problem at hand, and what they were going through.
Friendship
This was a Middle-Grade Novel, so there was more of a focus on friendship. I love the friendship between the two main characters, and how they met one day. The story was played out, so the characters met at the time when they both needed each other.
Enjoyment/ Recommend For
I really enjoyed this book! The story was very fun, and I had a great time reading this. I recommend this for anyone who enjoys a Middle-Grade novel, or a mixture of fantasy and our world in their stories.
What didn’t work for me
Pace
While I enjoyed this novel, I had problems with the pace. I felt like there were some scenes that could have been longer, and some scenes that could have seen shorter. Overall, the pace of the book is fine.
July 30, 2022
I loved this book for so many different reasons! One, I am hard of hearing and have issues with being able to hear better on some days with others and having this be a big part of who our “superhero” is was awesome. I also loved her love of comic books! I loved the magical elements of this book and the side characters were amazing! I highly recommend this book!
July 24, 2023
CASUAL SPOILERS ABOUND: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
Etta Invincible is a debut novel and it shows. It's not bad, but there are some aspects I feel a more seasoned writer would have avoided.
(At least I *hope* a seasoned writer would avoid these missteps.)
First and foremost, the book takes too long to get started. Eschmann spends an undue amount of time setting up Etta's motivations when the train could easily have doubled as an expository journey. Particularly when the information is being retreaded.
The two kids lose Louisa on the train on page 53, and they don't actually get on the train themselves until page 108. We already know they're going to get on the train per the synopsis. Why not just put them on the train immediately? It also is a major deflation of tension because now there are 40 pages of boring everyday stuff that goes nowhere. In that intervening time, we don't learn anything: 1, we couldn't have learned via Etta talking to Eleazer /on/ the train or 2, that is actually significant.
Etta goes to school, looks for Louisa with Eleazer the organic way - again a waste of page time when we know she's on the train - and takes Eleazer home for dinner. I can admit the two get some decent character bonding during this time, but it's not anything that could not have been done on the train.
Etta's parents almost stop her from going dog searching the following day because they're worried about her getting vertigo due to her new maybe diagnosis of Meniere's disease. It would have been easy to slip their anxiety in at the beginning of the book where Etta is outlining her difficulties the past few years vs. the recent (potential) revelation. There was no need to make it a big conversation at this juncture, especially since they capitulate immediately.
The book could have been streamlined to its benefit by cutting the 'before the train' pages down to 50 (if that).
Based on what I know in hindsight I would have set it up as follows: Etta expresses how her parents have been hovering over her due to the vertigo incident she just had. Etta gets into an argument with them about it before rushing off to school. On the way she meets Eleazer. The train comes up. Eleazer loses control of Louisa's leash. She darts for the train, Eleazer follows. Whoops, Eleazer was still holding Etta's sketchbook. Now, Etta throws herself onto the train. Boom: The book has begun in 3 chapters instead of 9.
This would have laid the groundwork better for Etta's character arc. Etta would have a conflict with her parents, get trapped on the train and now has this looming worry of them never letting her go out again when she doesn't show up at school. She's going to be insecure about being strong enough for what the train throws at her fresh off a conflict about her illness, plus she's already established as a quiet, rule-following little kid. She'll have to come out of her shell to be the person she wants to be to survive the train, not just do what her parents think will keep her safe.
The train puzzles are simplistic and barely qualify as such. Puzzles usually require effort over time, quick wits, or deep thinking. The boxcar are obstacles, sure, but not real puzzles like you'd see in The Westing Game or The Parker Inheritance or The Ambrose Deception (I didn't even like The Ambrose Deception all that much and I still have to admit it had better puzzles).
For example, the second boxcar is a room of food that's designed to distract them from their goal. They get lost for a bit eating. When they snap out of it, the food starts to come alive and attack. They realize that some of the wrappers on the food have capitalized letters where there shouldn't be. When they put the letters from all the wrappers together, it spells 'Run'.
This isn't actually a puzzle because the food attacks them too soon. They were literally already in the middle of running because they were being attacked, so what good does the message do? You can argue it's supposed to be ironic that they missed it, but I'd argue that even accepting that as the goal it was still poorly done because it was resolved too easily.
Why not put the letters only on the foods Etta knows she's not supposed to be eating? That would make the outcome more rooted in Etta's choices rather than incidental. The letters being on all the foods means that even though the two kids were starving, they were supposed to just....not eat all day? That's certainly not healthy.
One of the other boxcars is a room of books. The kids naturally think the clue to leaving must be in a book. They come to find out that the trick of the room is that when they attempt to read, they'll doze off, trapped in a loop of unfinished stories - none of the books have endings. Eleazer and Etta assume they must figure out how to finish the stories in order to move on. To do so, they finish TWO books in a sea of hundreds, and the door appears.
There are four people in this room (Akio - a man they found living on the train who knows more than he lets on and Mariana - a girl who got on the train to become the apprentice to the Great Conductor have joined the duo by this point) why don't all four of them have to finish a book?
It's already been determined that the boxcar does not have to be solved by the one who wished it up, so it's not like it was important only for Etta to do it. And even if it was, what was the point in Eleazer writing the end of his book then?
The book Eleazer finishes is one his grandmother gave him before he left Columbia. He fills in the ending since he's read it before. Mariana wrote in Etta's sketchbook without her consent when Etta was asleep/having a vertigo episode. She leaves the story on a cliffhanger that Etta never would have, but nevertheless, she writes 'the end' to conclude it because she wants to move on. I have no issue with either of these as solutions for the boxcar as both books have significance to the respective characters. However, if the books were going to be the ones that were relevant to them, specifically, why bother with a room full of books? Or better yet, why not have them realize that and pursue only those books in the boxcar? It would make the puzzle feel like a real puzzle because they're now putting in work to figure out a specific part. Instead, they read at random and happen to stumble upon what to do.
Plus, how does it even make sense that Eleazer has to finish a book that has a confirmed ending - the book is Little Women - that is a matter of fact and Etta has to finish her personal book that she can arbitrarily conclude at will since it's her writing?
Despite Etta being worried about how much time is being spent on the train, she seems content to waste who knows how long searching through bottomless books. It doesn't make any sense that she or any of the other kids would not consider a common thread to search for rather than search blindly.
The internal logic of the train doesn't make any sense either. It's supposed to magic up what you wish for at each boxcar. Functionally, it's not really wishes, more like what you're thinking about or feeling in the moment. As you may have guessed, it then perverts the idea forcing you to find your way out via puzzles. The problem is that most of the boxcars are related purely to Ella's story arc.
The first boxcar is Eleazer missing his grandma. It takes them to a park in Columbia they used to go to together. The second is the aforementioned food room, which is Ella's because she was so hungry. The third is not their wish at all: they meet Mariana in her wished up room along with Akio, who lives in the room somehow. The fourth is Ella because she was thinking about her sketchbook. The fifth is Ella because she was worried about her sketchbook being ruined. The fifth even features her comic literally coming to life for her to fight in as Invincible Girl.
How are the Ella rooms supposed to help Eleazer or Mariana emotionally? At this point it's obvious Eleazer is hiding his homesickness behind apathy and that Mariana is desperate to be the apprentice to the Great Conductor because she wants to feel closer to her mother (the former Great Conductor apprentice) who is now dead. Ella's arc is about her insecurity. That has no crossover with feeling out of place in a new country or grief over a loved one.
Her boxcars in no way benefit either of the other characters' arcs. As such Mariana and Eleazer stay stagnant for far too long. Each room only serves to develop Etta further. None of them reveal anything about the others that is new.
It'd be one thing if Eleazer was tagging along on Etta's journey, but he's not; she is supposed to be along for the ride on his. So why are all the boxcars tailored to her instead of him? How is there even any crossover in the first place between them and Mariana when she's on a totally different journey? Why - if the boxcars are motivated by what passengers feed it - can't the kids manipulate where the train car takes them to some extent?
At one point, the villain Petra Fide disappears through a door. They give chase. They end up in a boxcar Petra Fide apparently wished up. Except this doesn't make any sense because no one wished to go to Petra Fide's boxcar. Akio asks whose boxcar it is and Etta explicitly states it has to be Fide's. None of them were thinking of following Fide in the moment, so why are they able to intrude on her wish? The same goes for earlier when Etta and Eleazer were somehow able to stumble into Mariana's.
And what of diametrically opposed wishes? What if Mariana was specifically wishing for a space themed wish and Etta was specifically wishing to be underground? How does the train decide what wish takes precedent over another? It's not established to be a sentient train assessing what each person who rides it best needs - it's basically a regular train that takes emotions to ride instead of normal fuel.
I just think the train could have used more firm rules and regulations. Yes, it's broken but that doesn't mean that the story doesn't have to follow some kind of structure. The train cars being evenly distributed in relation to each of the kids' story beats would not have hurt the premise of the train not working. The train was broken in that it was pumping out fear into the city, it was not broken in how the boxcars generally operated.
The final square off is anticlimactic. The kids confront Petra Fide yet it doesn't really matter because the Great Conductor is back in power. If he's back in the control room, fighting Petra Fide is meaningless since he should be able to fix things from the engine room. Why wouldn't he be able to just reset the train or poof her away or whatever? It's his train. What's stopping him? And if he can't, again what is stopping him? I understand fighting Petra Fide directly is there to finish out Etta's arc, however, that does not excuse not providing a legitimate reason why the Great Conductor can't simply do it. Especially when the stakes are supposed to be so high - why risk the entire world just so the kids can feel good about themselves? Or as an alternative, don't bring The Great Conductor in again until after Petra Fide is defeated so I'm not thinking about it.
Mariana is an alright addition to the duo, however, I think her inclusion should have been executed differently. I think the story would have been better off if she was already an apprentice on the train and lost her memory. Her journey would have been largely the same, but this way, she could have told them from the get-go what was wrong with the train instead of it being treated like some big secret. We already know from the synopsis that the train is now being run on fear. There is no reason it should be a revelation to the characters over halfway into the book. I think this would make the moment when The Great Conductor is rescued more emotionally impactful as well.
This is a minor, personal grievance. I didn't like that Etta's parents were aware she was gone the entire time. I would have preferred if the journey was a secret for the trio to share. It's entirely subjective: I just prefer my kid fantasy stories to have very little to no guardian involvement. If it's not crucial to the plot that the parent know, then I don't want to hear about them. I found it annoying when Etta would refer to getting frantic text messages from her mother, especially since it didn't matter; Etta couldn't move any faster and in the end all it amounted to was her being grounded which had no greater purpose for the story either way.
I will say on the positive side that Etta has Meniere's disease, and I appreciated how consistently present the impact of this was on the story. Etta's Quiet Days (i.e., the days when she couldn't hear as well) were referenced constantly, and she was in the midst of one the entire day of the adventure. It made her no less a hero for needing accommodations to continue on the journey.
I like that the book addressed the ableism of assuming if a person could choose they would choose to not be disabled. That's a multi-faceted, complicated thought experiment that is entirely dependent on the individual. It is horribly offensive to presume one way or the other. I enjoyed that while Etta did not always love the symptoms that stemmed from having Meniere's, it didn't make her hate having it or herself or think less of her body.
Disability can impact anyone any time, and ultimately, everyone will be disabled in some way eventually. It's important for everyone - especially kids because ableist rhetoric begins to impact them very young - to understand that disability is simply another facet of a person that can be adjusted to the same as anything else. Needing more time or effort to do things or needing to opt out of certain things entirely is something everyone has to do at some point: solely blaming disability is a convenient excuse.
Also, I never heard of Meniere's disease until I picked up this book, so it was informative for me too.
Long story short, a book that has all the expected markers of a middle grade adventure story with very few things to make it stand out on its own. It follows the beats in a predictable way, and it lacks anything by way of prose, character, or message to give it a unique identity. There are dozens of books just like this one that, at the very least, are more fun if not better written. Don't not read it, but it wouldn't be the first thing I'd pick if given the choice.
Etta Invincible is a debut novel and it shows. It's not bad, but there are some aspects I feel a more seasoned writer would have avoided.
(At least I *hope* a seasoned writer would avoid these missteps.)
First and foremost, the book takes too long to get started. Eschmann spends an undue amount of time setting up Etta's motivations when the train could easily have doubled as an expository journey. Particularly when the information is being retreaded.
The two kids lose Louisa on the train on page 53, and they don't actually get on the train themselves until page 108. We already know they're going to get on the train per the synopsis. Why not just put them on the train immediately? It also is a major deflation of tension because now there are 40 pages of boring everyday stuff that goes nowhere. In that intervening time, we don't learn anything: 1, we couldn't have learned via Etta talking to Eleazer /on/ the train or 2, that is actually significant.
Etta goes to school, looks for Louisa with Eleazer the organic way - again a waste of page time when we know she's on the train - and takes Eleazer home for dinner. I can admit the two get some decent character bonding during this time, but it's not anything that could not have been done on the train.
Etta's parents almost stop her from going dog searching the following day because they're worried about her getting vertigo due to her new maybe diagnosis of Meniere's disease. It would have been easy to slip their anxiety in at the beginning of the book where Etta is outlining her difficulties the past few years vs. the recent (potential) revelation. There was no need to make it a big conversation at this juncture, especially since they capitulate immediately.
The book could have been streamlined to its benefit by cutting the 'before the train' pages down to 50 (if that).
Based on what I know in hindsight I would have set it up as follows: Etta expresses how her parents have been hovering over her due to the vertigo incident she just had. Etta gets into an argument with them about it before rushing off to school. On the way she meets Eleazer. The train comes up. Eleazer loses control of Louisa's leash. She darts for the train, Eleazer follows. Whoops, Eleazer was still holding Etta's sketchbook. Now, Etta throws herself onto the train. Boom: The book has begun in 3 chapters instead of 9.
This would have laid the groundwork better for Etta's character arc. Etta would have a conflict with her parents, get trapped on the train and now has this looming worry of them never letting her go out again when she doesn't show up at school. She's going to be insecure about being strong enough for what the train throws at her fresh off a conflict about her illness, plus she's already established as a quiet, rule-following little kid. She'll have to come out of her shell to be the person she wants to be to survive the train, not just do what her parents think will keep her safe.
The train puzzles are simplistic and barely qualify as such. Puzzles usually require effort over time, quick wits, or deep thinking. The boxcar are obstacles, sure, but not real puzzles like you'd see in The Westing Game or The Parker Inheritance or The Ambrose Deception (I didn't even like The Ambrose Deception all that much and I still have to admit it had better puzzles).
For example, the second boxcar is a room of food that's designed to distract them from their goal. They get lost for a bit eating. When they snap out of it, the food starts to come alive and attack. They realize that some of the wrappers on the food have capitalized letters where there shouldn't be. When they put the letters from all the wrappers together, it spells 'Run'.
This isn't actually a puzzle because the food attacks them too soon. They were literally already in the middle of running because they were being attacked, so what good does the message do? You can argue it's supposed to be ironic that they missed it, but I'd argue that even accepting that as the goal it was still poorly done because it was resolved too easily.
Why not put the letters only on the foods Etta knows she's not supposed to be eating? That would make the outcome more rooted in Etta's choices rather than incidental. The letters being on all the foods means that even though the two kids were starving, they were supposed to just....not eat all day? That's certainly not healthy.
One of the other boxcars is a room of books. The kids naturally think the clue to leaving must be in a book. They come to find out that the trick of the room is that when they attempt to read, they'll doze off, trapped in a loop of unfinished stories - none of the books have endings. Eleazer and Etta assume they must figure out how to finish the stories in order to move on. To do so, they finish TWO books in a sea of hundreds, and the door appears.
There are four people in this room (Akio - a man they found living on the train who knows more than he lets on and Mariana - a girl who got on the train to become the apprentice to the Great Conductor have joined the duo by this point) why don't all four of them have to finish a book?
It's already been determined that the boxcar does not have to be solved by the one who wished it up, so it's not like it was important only for Etta to do it. And even if it was, what was the point in Eleazer writing the end of his book then?
The book Eleazer finishes is one his grandmother gave him before he left Columbia. He fills in the ending since he's read it before. Mariana wrote in Etta's sketchbook without her consent when Etta was asleep/having a vertigo episode. She leaves the story on a cliffhanger that Etta never would have, but nevertheless, she writes 'the end' to conclude it because she wants to move on. I have no issue with either of these as solutions for the boxcar as both books have significance to the respective characters. However, if the books were going to be the ones that were relevant to them, specifically, why bother with a room full of books? Or better yet, why not have them realize that and pursue only those books in the boxcar? It would make the puzzle feel like a real puzzle because they're now putting in work to figure out a specific part. Instead, they read at random and happen to stumble upon what to do.
Plus, how does it even make sense that Eleazer has to finish a book that has a confirmed ending - the book is Little Women - that is a matter of fact and Etta has to finish her personal book that she can arbitrarily conclude at will since it's her writing?
Despite Etta being worried about how much time is being spent on the train, she seems content to waste who knows how long searching through bottomless books. It doesn't make any sense that she or any of the other kids would not consider a common thread to search for rather than search blindly.
The internal logic of the train doesn't make any sense either. It's supposed to magic up what you wish for at each boxcar. Functionally, it's not really wishes, more like what you're thinking about or feeling in the moment. As you may have guessed, it then perverts the idea forcing you to find your way out via puzzles. The problem is that most of the boxcars are related purely to Ella's story arc.
The first boxcar is Eleazer missing his grandma. It takes them to a park in Columbia they used to go to together. The second is the aforementioned food room, which is Ella's because she was so hungry. The third is not their wish at all: they meet Mariana in her wished up room along with Akio, who lives in the room somehow. The fourth is Ella because she was thinking about her sketchbook. The fifth is Ella because she was worried about her sketchbook being ruined. The fifth even features her comic literally coming to life for her to fight in as Invincible Girl.
How are the Ella rooms supposed to help Eleazer or Mariana emotionally? At this point it's obvious Eleazer is hiding his homesickness behind apathy and that Mariana is desperate to be the apprentice to the Great Conductor because she wants to feel closer to her mother (the former Great Conductor apprentice) who is now dead. Ella's arc is about her insecurity. That has no crossover with feeling out of place in a new country or grief over a loved one.
Her boxcars in no way benefit either of the other characters' arcs. As such Mariana and Eleazer stay stagnant for far too long. Each room only serves to develop Etta further. None of them reveal anything about the others that is new.
It'd be one thing if Eleazer was tagging along on Etta's journey, but he's not; she is supposed to be along for the ride on his. So why are all the boxcars tailored to her instead of him? How is there even any crossover in the first place between them and Mariana when she's on a totally different journey? Why - if the boxcars are motivated by what passengers feed it - can't the kids manipulate where the train car takes them to some extent?
At one point, the villain Petra Fide disappears through a door. They give chase. They end up in a boxcar Petra Fide apparently wished up. Except this doesn't make any sense because no one wished to go to Petra Fide's boxcar. Akio asks whose boxcar it is and Etta explicitly states it has to be Fide's. None of them were thinking of following Fide in the moment, so why are they able to intrude on her wish? The same goes for earlier when Etta and Eleazer were somehow able to stumble into Mariana's.
And what of diametrically opposed wishes? What if Mariana was specifically wishing for a space themed wish and Etta was specifically wishing to be underground? How does the train decide what wish takes precedent over another? It's not established to be a sentient train assessing what each person who rides it best needs - it's basically a regular train that takes emotions to ride instead of normal fuel.
I just think the train could have used more firm rules and regulations. Yes, it's broken but that doesn't mean that the story doesn't have to follow some kind of structure. The train cars being evenly distributed in relation to each of the kids' story beats would not have hurt the premise of the train not working. The train was broken in that it was pumping out fear into the city, it was not broken in how the boxcars generally operated.
The final square off is anticlimactic. The kids confront Petra Fide yet it doesn't really matter because the Great Conductor is back in power. If he's back in the control room, fighting Petra Fide is meaningless since he should be able to fix things from the engine room. Why wouldn't he be able to just reset the train or poof her away or whatever? It's his train. What's stopping him? And if he can't, again what is stopping him? I understand fighting Petra Fide directly is there to finish out Etta's arc, however, that does not excuse not providing a legitimate reason why the Great Conductor can't simply do it. Especially when the stakes are supposed to be so high - why risk the entire world just so the kids can feel good about themselves? Or as an alternative, don't bring The Great Conductor in again until after Petra Fide is defeated so I'm not thinking about it.
Mariana is an alright addition to the duo, however, I think her inclusion should have been executed differently. I think the story would have been better off if she was already an apprentice on the train and lost her memory. Her journey would have been largely the same, but this way, she could have told them from the get-go what was wrong with the train instead of it being treated like some big secret. We already know from the synopsis that the train is now being run on fear. There is no reason it should be a revelation to the characters over halfway into the book. I think this would make the moment when The Great Conductor is rescued more emotionally impactful as well.
This is a minor, personal grievance. I didn't like that Etta's parents were aware she was gone the entire time. I would have preferred if the journey was a secret for the trio to share. It's entirely subjective: I just prefer my kid fantasy stories to have very little to no guardian involvement. If it's not crucial to the plot that the parent know, then I don't want to hear about them. I found it annoying when Etta would refer to getting frantic text messages from her mother, especially since it didn't matter; Etta couldn't move any faster and in the end all it amounted to was her being grounded which had no greater purpose for the story either way.
I will say on the positive side that Etta has Meniere's disease, and I appreciated how consistently present the impact of this was on the story. Etta's Quiet Days (i.e., the days when she couldn't hear as well) were referenced constantly, and she was in the midst of one the entire day of the adventure. It made her no less a hero for needing accommodations to continue on the journey.
I like that the book addressed the ableism of assuming if a person could choose they would choose to not be disabled. That's a multi-faceted, complicated thought experiment that is entirely dependent on the individual. It is horribly offensive to presume one way or the other. I enjoyed that while Etta did not always love the symptoms that stemmed from having Meniere's, it didn't make her hate having it or herself or think less of her body.
Disability can impact anyone any time, and ultimately, everyone will be disabled in some way eventually. It's important for everyone - especially kids because ableist rhetoric begins to impact them very young - to understand that disability is simply another facet of a person that can be adjusted to the same as anything else. Needing more time or effort to do things or needing to opt out of certain things entirely is something everyone has to do at some point: solely blaming disability is a convenient excuse.
Also, I never heard of Meniere's disease until I picked up this book, so it was informative for me too.
Long story short, a book that has all the expected markers of a middle grade adventure story with very few things to make it stand out on its own. It follows the beats in a predictable way, and it lacks anything by way of prose, character, or message to give it a unique identity. There are dozens of books just like this one that, at the very least, are more fun if not better written. Don't not read it, but it wouldn't be the first thing I'd pick if given the choice.
Did Not Finish
May 30, 2022DNF at 28%.
I love the deaf representation. I wasn't familiar with Meniere's disease, and I thought the author described Etta's experiences really well. I also love her relationships with her parents, and how supportive each parent is in their own way. Like how her mom is often anxious about how Etta's doing, and has open conversations about this with Etta, and how her dad is working really hard to learn sign language but still needs to fingerspell his words. I like the insight into how the weather and allergies can cause Etta to have 'quiet days', and so she just adapts depending on whatever her daily situation is.
I also love the concept of the superhero character she creates, Invincible Girl. I thought the way the superhero's adventures tie in to Etta's real-life experiences is clever, and I like how we see her own expanding circle of friends within the superhero adventure.
And the dog Louisa May Alcott is adorable. I like how Eleazar names her after the author because he loves the copy of Mujercitas (Little Women) that his grandmother gave him. I like how he sometimes speaks in Spanish, and Etta uses her phone text-to-speech app + Google Translate to communicate with him. I wasn't super familiar with how phones could be used for that kind of accessibility aid, so that was really interesting. The dog Louisa is also endearing enough that I'm all for a quest to find / save her, and I really hope Etta and Eleazar succeed.
Ultimately, though, this book wasn't for me. I wasn't really getting into the whole 'magical storm' elements of the plot, and the descriptions of the train rides got a bit confusing for me. Like, what's this purple stuff that Etta sees, and when adults talk about the stormy weather, do they also see the weird purple stuff? I'm sure all of that is actually explained in the book... I just felt a bit lost in the train scenes, and I found myself unclear about what was real and what was within the fantastical elements of Etta's imagination.
That's not necessarily a bad thing -- I can imagine other readers getting pulled into this semi-fantastical / semi-realistic story. It just didn't hook me, and I realized I didn't really care enough about the train or the purple magic stuff in the storm to keep reading.
+
Thanks to the publisher for an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
I love the deaf representation. I wasn't familiar with Meniere's disease, and I thought the author described Etta's experiences really well. I also love her relationships with her parents, and how supportive each parent is in their own way. Like how her mom is often anxious about how Etta's doing, and has open conversations about this with Etta, and how her dad is working really hard to learn sign language but still needs to fingerspell his words. I like the insight into how the weather and allergies can cause Etta to have 'quiet days', and so she just adapts depending on whatever her daily situation is.
I also love the concept of the superhero character she creates, Invincible Girl. I thought the way the superhero's adventures tie in to Etta's real-life experiences is clever, and I like how we see her own expanding circle of friends within the superhero adventure.
And the dog Louisa May Alcott is adorable. I like how Eleazar names her after the author because he loves the copy of Mujercitas (Little Women) that his grandmother gave him. I like how he sometimes speaks in Spanish, and Etta uses her phone text-to-speech app + Google Translate to communicate with him. I wasn't super familiar with how phones could be used for that kind of accessibility aid, so that was really interesting. The dog Louisa is also endearing enough that I'm all for a quest to find / save her, and I really hope Etta and Eleazar succeed.
Ultimately, though, this book wasn't for me. I wasn't really getting into the whole 'magical storm' elements of the plot, and the descriptions of the train rides got a bit confusing for me. Like, what's this purple stuff that Etta sees, and when adults talk about the stormy weather, do they also see the weird purple stuff? I'm sure all of that is actually explained in the book... I just felt a bit lost in the train scenes, and I found myself unclear about what was real and what was within the fantastical elements of Etta's imagination.
That's not necessarily a bad thing -- I can imagine other readers getting pulled into this semi-fantastical / semi-realistic story. It just didn't hook me, and I realized I didn't really care enough about the train or the purple magic stuff in the storm to keep reading.
+
Thanks to the publisher for an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
August 10, 2022
Thank you so much Netgalley, TBR and Beyond Tours and the author for letting me read such a magnificent debut novel!
The plot was lit and so were the characters! I was a bit confused at the beginning because I could feel there was something wrong with Etta physically but had a hard time figuring out what was going on since I never heard of Ménière’s disease. However, the book isn't based on her illness though it shows how the chronic illness is a big part of her and affects her in her daily life. She find a friend in Eleazar, another kid in the neighborhood who's Hispanic and they communicate using a translator. I thought that was really heartwarming. I love her vivid imagination - the way she interprets the world in her head in her own unique way. Her friendship with Eleazar and his dog Louisa May Alcott was adorable and marked the start of an unforgettable journey that involves a magic train. The line between realistic world and magical realism blurred a couple of times in the first half of the book but it didn't hamper the mood or setting. Definitely recommended!
The plot was lit and so were the characters! I was a bit confused at the beginning because I could feel there was something wrong with Etta physically but had a hard time figuring out what was going on since I never heard of Ménière’s disease. However, the book isn't based on her illness though it shows how the chronic illness is a big part of her and affects her in her daily life. She find a friend in Eleazar, another kid in the neighborhood who's Hispanic and they communicate using a translator. I thought that was really heartwarming. I love her vivid imagination - the way she interprets the world in her head in her own unique way. Her friendship with Eleazar and his dog Louisa May Alcott was adorable and marked the start of an unforgettable journey that involves a magic train. The line between realistic world and magical realism blurred a couple of times in the first half of the book but it didn't hamper the mood or setting. Definitely recommended!
April 17, 2022
Like many books of 300+ pages, the expository section takes its time setting the stage of characters and their conflict(s), but once Etta and her new friend Eleazar climb aboard a mysterious, magical train in search of a missing Labradoodle, the book takes off in a flash and doesn’t slow down until hope (and a fluffy dog) are found. Readers in grades 5-7, looking for magic and mystery, will enjoy Reese Eschmann’s first novel for middle graders. Representation: Etta is Black, Eleazar is Hispanic, Mariana is likely mixed race, possibly AAPI. Family configurations vary. Etta has Ménière’s disease and its effects are woven into plot seamlessly. Those looking for another magical train should consider the very different Train to Impossible Places by P.G. Bell.
Thank you for the print arc, Simon and Schuster Kids.
Thank you for the print arc, Simon and Schuster Kids.
October 2, 2023
This is a cute, empowering novel.
Etta likes to pretend she’s a superhero. It’s better than her own life where she struggles with making friends, copes with a sickness which leaves her with Quiet Days and Loud Days, and has two parents who are too worried about her for their own good.
One day, she and her friend, Eleazar (or is he a friend? She definitely wants him to become her friend), board a magical train in search of his lost dog, Louisa May Alcott. (Danger alert: never ever get on a magical train without telling your parents. It might not end as well as it did for Etta and Eleazar.)
Etta and Eleazar board the train and hope to get to the engine room, where The Great Conductor will grant them each a wish. But the journey becomes more dangerous the further into the train they get. Something’s wrong with the train.
Finally, Etta gets a chance to become a superhero in her own right. It’s up to her and Eleazar to... save the world.
The Great Conductor is missing. The train is working on autopilot and instead of spreading hope, it’s spreading purple mist with The Fear.
The entire world is in danger of being overcome by this mist. And only Etta and Eleazar can save it.
There’s one important detail to note. This is not a graphic novel. It’s a chapter book. One chapter in the beginning, and one at the end, are written as a graphic novel. These are the only noteworthy pictures in the book. So, if you’re looking for a graphic novel, this isn’t the book for you.
This story was a cute, empowering read with diverse characters, even if it wasn’t perfect.
Etta faces her fears, and even as her heart continues to THWACK, she finds courage in herself, makes good friends, and makes peace with her life and challenges.
Content:
Falling in love mentioned, and once or twice (platonic) hugging between Etta and Eleazar.
Etta uses her phone to help communicate on her Quiet Days, and also for research.
The word crappy is used as a a mistranslation of someone's speech, after which Etta starts analysing the letters and shapes of the word.
Many irresponsible decisions on Etta and Eleazar’s part. They board a magical train without telling anyone, repeatedly ditching school to do this, and have no second thoughts or concerns about it.
The story explores themes of not belonging, grief, overcoming fear, death and disappointed hopes.
Etta likes to pretend she’s a superhero. It’s better than her own life where she struggles with making friends, copes with a sickness which leaves her with Quiet Days and Loud Days, and has two parents who are too worried about her for their own good.
One day, she and her friend, Eleazar (or is he a friend? She definitely wants him to become her friend), board a magical train in search of his lost dog, Louisa May Alcott. (Danger alert: never ever get on a magical train without telling your parents. It might not end as well as it did for Etta and Eleazar.)
Etta and Eleazar board the train and hope to get to the engine room, where The Great Conductor will grant them each a wish. But the journey becomes more dangerous the further into the train they get. Something’s wrong with the train.
Finally, Etta gets a chance to become a superhero in her own right. It’s up to her and Eleazar to... save the world.
The Great Conductor is missing. The train is working on autopilot and instead of spreading hope, it’s spreading purple mist with The Fear.
The entire world is in danger of being overcome by this mist. And only Etta and Eleazar can save it.
There’s one important detail to note. This is not a graphic novel. It’s a chapter book. One chapter in the beginning, and one at the end, are written as a graphic novel. These are the only noteworthy pictures in the book. So, if you’re looking for a graphic novel, this isn’t the book for you.
This story was a cute, empowering read with diverse characters, even if it wasn’t perfect.
Etta faces her fears, and even as her heart continues to THWACK, she finds courage in herself, makes good friends, and makes peace with her life and challenges.
Content:
Falling in love mentioned, and once or twice (platonic) hugging between Etta and Eleazar.
Etta uses her phone to help communicate on her Quiet Days, and also for research.
The word crappy is used as a a mistranslation of someone's speech, after which Etta starts analysing the letters and shapes of the word.
Many irresponsible decisions on Etta and Eleazar’s part. They board a magical train without telling anyone, repeatedly ditching school to do this, and have no second thoughts or concerns about it.
The story explores themes of not belonging, grief, overcoming fear, death and disappointed hopes.
December 1, 2022
🚂🎇✨Etta Invincible✨🎇🚂
Etta has Ménière’s disease, which means she has a gradual loss of healing, alternating between Quiet Days and Loud days. Through all the complications, Etta lets her imagination take flight, along with her superhero, Invincible Girl. In her beloved home, strange things have been happening; magical fireworks, colorful smoke, and a train that appears at certain times. When Etta meets a boy named Eleazar whose dog, enters the train. The two go on an adventure of their lifetime on a train that has wishes. By gaining a wish, you lose what matters. The train has a mind of its own, playing a continuous game of tricks and achieving triumphs. Will Etta and Eleazar make it back to their home or stay trapped in the train's tricks and games forever? In order to escape, they must find the Train Conductor, a mysterious and elusive being.
The first half of the book was slow, setting up the story, and the second was fast-paced, introducing a whimsical fantasy. I had never seen a protagonist with Ménière’s disease. I feel like Reese Eschmann dealt with this in a great way, it wasn't burdensome, it was treated as something that Etta deals with-a part of who she is. Etta was a protagonist who was imaginative and brave.
Etta struggles with a lot of difficulties in life, and she was definitely a memorable main character. I enjoyed Eleazar and Etta's relationship. Sometimes Eleazar would speak his native language to Etta and they would have an interesting way of communicating. This added a lot to both their characters, a uniqueness and authenticity to their relationship.
Sadly, I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as I wanted to. Although I appreciated the whimsical fantasy and story, something about it didn't have me invested or totally transported into the story. I wondered why others didn't seem that concerned about magical fireworks and colorful smoke? Could it possibly be something that is more normal in the story because the world is more exposed to magic? The overall moral of the story was emotional, and the characters were both flawed and favorable. A great read!
✅PLOT
✅PLOT TWISTS
🆗CHARACTERS
Etta has Ménière’s disease, which means she has a gradual loss of healing, alternating between Quiet Days and Loud days. Through all the complications, Etta lets her imagination take flight, along with her superhero, Invincible Girl. In her beloved home, strange things have been happening; magical fireworks, colorful smoke, and a train that appears at certain times. When Etta meets a boy named Eleazar whose dog, enters the train. The two go on an adventure of their lifetime on a train that has wishes. By gaining a wish, you lose what matters. The train has a mind of its own, playing a continuous game of tricks and achieving triumphs. Will Etta and Eleazar make it back to their home or stay trapped in the train's tricks and games forever? In order to escape, they must find the Train Conductor, a mysterious and elusive being.
The first half of the book was slow, setting up the story, and the second was fast-paced, introducing a whimsical fantasy. I had never seen a protagonist with Ménière’s disease. I feel like Reese Eschmann dealt with this in a great way, it wasn't burdensome, it was treated as something that Etta deals with-a part of who she is. Etta was a protagonist who was imaginative and brave.
Etta struggles with a lot of difficulties in life, and she was definitely a memorable main character. I enjoyed Eleazar and Etta's relationship. Sometimes Eleazar would speak his native language to Etta and they would have an interesting way of communicating. This added a lot to both their characters, a uniqueness and authenticity to their relationship.
Sadly, I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as I wanted to. Although I appreciated the whimsical fantasy and story, something about it didn't have me invested or totally transported into the story. I wondered why others didn't seem that concerned about magical fireworks and colorful smoke? Could it possibly be something that is more normal in the story because the world is more exposed to magic? The overall moral of the story was emotional, and the characters were both flawed and favorable. A great read!
✅PLOT
✅PLOT TWISTS
🆗CHARACTERS
April 30, 2023
I really enjoyed how the story was bookended by the main character's own graphic novel creation and how much about her just that detail revealed before I even dove into the book. This story was a great one about courage and the idea that we all think that we can either be brave or fearful instead of accepting the idea that in order to be one, we really are both. We need some fear to survive and we shouldn't feel as though our fear means we can't be brave or that we aren't already brave by just living one day at a time despite so much around us. Admittedly I felt some of the train car episodes seemed a little long but that could have been because I was tired when I was reading it and wanted to get to the engine. That being said the last 5 chapters were so amazing that I felt that I needed to read them again as soon as I finished, and I did! The messages all wrapped up in those chapters were soothing and emboldening and thought-provoking all at the same time. I kept thinking that the story was all in Etta's head as she was making her graphic novel but I love the fantasy and adventure she has to travel to get to the story. Yeah!
July 24, 2022
I am always on the lookout for as many diverse books so when I saw Etta Invincible I was intrigued as the MC had Meniere's Disease which I have heard of but I had no idea it was possible for children to suffer from it. But I do know what it is like to suffer with Vertigo - I was diagnosed in 2020 and I was interested to see how Reese would depict someone having a vertigo attack and I can say they were spot on.
I felt Etta's frustrations of never knowing when one would happen how long it would last and at times it can be stressful which is a no no. I can honestly say Etta was not weak she was strong as having something like that really can take it's toll on a person.
My one dislike about the book is it's pacing at the beginning I found it slow and there were so many chapters which were longer than others. It was not until Reese introduced Mariana and Akio things began to really hot up and the main reason why I gave 4 stars. It was so close to a 5 star rating maybe add more of the graphic novel into the book would of been ideal as I loved the artwork.
I felt Etta's frustrations of never knowing when one would happen how long it would last and at times it can be stressful which is a no no. I can honestly say Etta was not weak she was strong as having something like that really can take it's toll on a person.
My one dislike about the book is it's pacing at the beginning I found it slow and there were so many chapters which were longer than others. It was not until Reese introduced Mariana and Akio things began to really hot up and the main reason why I gave 4 stars. It was so close to a 5 star rating maybe add more of the graphic novel into the book would of been ideal as I loved the artwork.
March 8, 2022
So much fun! Etta is a girl with hearing loss who spends a lot of her time alone, working on her comic book about Invisible Girl, the superhero who takes down a super villain. When Louisa May Alcott, the Goldendoodle from across the street goes missing, Etta and the dog’s boys, Eleazar have to find a way to save her. The only catch is that LMA has run onto a magical train that has arrived at the station near Etta and Eleazar’s house.
This train is magical (of course), each car is its own magical world with riddles that must be solved before they reach the engine room.
I love fantastical worlds, mysteries and quests! This book had all of those and more. The characters are easy to fall in love with. This is a beautiful story about friendship, being brave, and finding your own strength.
This train is magical (of course), each car is its own magical world with riddles that must be solved before they reach the engine room.
I love fantastical worlds, mysteries and quests! This book had all of those and more. The characters are easy to fall in love with. This is a beautiful story about friendship, being brave, and finding your own strength.
February 10, 2024
Etta Invincible is a great middle grade adventure that has all the right elements: a good dose of mystery, the right amount of fantasy and the most important part-- heart. Etta's imminent health concerns along with the immediate problem of finding her new friend Eleazar's missing dog, start the the reader on down the right track but it's the changes along the way that really keep this story, and the train, going!
I loved the "Polar Express-like" train, with it's own mysterious path and the sutbtle ways that Ms. Eschmann addressed the main character's diagnosis along with her family's concerns.
Upper Middle grade readers will find connections with the story and learn that the power to combat their fears and insecurities is often within their reach.
I loved the "Polar Express-like" train, with it's own mysterious path and the sutbtle ways that Ms. Eschmann addressed the main character's diagnosis along with her family's concerns.
Upper Middle grade readers will find connections with the story and learn that the power to combat their fears and insecurities is often within their reach.
July 20, 2024
This book was fantastic. It had all the magic your kiddos are looking for, and (although I can't speak from a Meniere's perspective) I have a disability and I thought the way disability was handled in this book was rare and astounding. Instead of painting the magic as a way to "overcome" a disability, the main character learns invaluable lessons about how this is a part of what makes her uniquely Etta. The metaphor of Etta dreaming of invincibility was fantastic and very relatable. Also, for reluctant readers, I LOVED the way that every few chapters show Etta and Eleazar traveling through the train cars as a way to mark progress in the story. This book is filled with magic and perfect for fans of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and similar books. Brava!
March 27, 2021
Kids turned superheroes. A lost dog. A magical train. All that you can imagine and more.
This is great. There's a mix of chapters and graphic novel scenes, which is intriguing and awesome for readers between the two. Etta is a kickass character, and beyond her as deaf/HOH protagonist, it's great to see a wealth of diverse backgrounds and abilities represented throughout the book. I can definitely tell this book is going to be big.
ARC from Emily at Simon and Schuster, for the ABA Kids Indies Introduce panel.
This is great. There's a mix of chapters and graphic novel scenes, which is intriguing and awesome for readers between the two. Etta is a kickass character, and beyond her as deaf/HOH protagonist, it's great to see a wealth of diverse backgrounds and abilities represented throughout the book. I can definitely tell this book is going to be big.
ARC from Emily at Simon and Schuster, for the ABA Kids Indies Introduce panel.
May 4, 2023
You will never convince me that representation in media is not important, because I, as a 49-year-old white man, jumped up and almost started crying when reading this book about a middle school age black girl in Chicago. She, like me, suffers from Ménière’s disease. This is the first time I have read any fiction, where a character talks about the damage, and impact of Ménière’s disease with hearing loss, illness, and vertigo. This is truly an uplifting story with a lot of positive diversity and messages about overcoming adversity.
August 13, 2022
If you’re new around here, you may not know that I am disabled, and as part of that have major issues with balance and dizziness, and am also hard of hearing, so while I do not have menière’s disease, it’s one I am so similar to that I sometimes get pamphlets when I go to the hospital as the symptoms are so similar to the issues I have but my condition is too niche for pamphlets. So, I already liked the sound of this and was thrilled when I won a copy in the author’s giveaway, and then I heard it was about a young girl recently diagnosed with Menière’s and I was even more excited! It follows Etta, her new friend Eleazar and his dog Louisa May Alcott as they journey through this seemingly amazing magical train to find Louisa after she runs onto it, but then they discover that it is malfunctioning, making things become even more difficult for them. I’ve been saying this forever, but it’s no less true now, so this year has been revolutionary for disabilities rep in kid lit and it makes my heart happy. What a gorgeous, glorious gift it is to see people in books like me who aren’t tragic side characters, or villains. I could relate to so many of Etta’s issues, and although I also loved how artistic and caring she was as a person too, relating to her so much was one of the main reasons why I loved her. Her friendship with Eleazar is super special and lovely, I adored her supportive parents and you know I love a dog character. The secondary characters they meet on the train also had their own interesting stories, and add so much to the book! The worldbuilding is worth noting too, because it’s so original and fun, and I loved the kind of superhero vibe to it as well. Basically, if you want to read something that’s like Circus Mirandus mixed with Marvel, this book’s got your back!
August 30, 2022
The journey Ella takes to understand the world around her in the mist of health changes is very real and easy theme to connect to. Ella’s transformation to become the hero of her own story is really inspiring. The overall read was very detailed and disjointed at times, none the less it was a good read.
September 28, 2022
My daughter's review: she's 8. This is the first chapter book she's finished. It took her about three weeks to finish.
"This could be a movie! I think the author should put more comics like at the end. And instead of just writing this person says this, I feel like this character should have a loud days.
Louisa May Alcott is the dog's name.
"This could be a movie! I think the author should put more comics like at the end. And instead of just writing this person says this, I feel like this character should have a loud days.
Louisa May Alcott is the dog's name.
October 8, 2022
3.5 stars. A cute middle grade read with a story that reminded me of Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. I couldn’t seem to get thoroughly absorbed in the story, though. It was a good read regardless, just not my favorite.
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