Invisible I

The Amanda Project #1

by Amanda Valentino, Stella Lennon, Melissa Kantor

Mysterious, charismatic, and one of a kind; the only way to find Amanda is to think like Amanda.

When enigmatic freshman Amanda Valentino arrived at Endeavor High, she chose three people— Callie, Hal, and Nia; to guide her through the choppy waters of her new school. Except she didn't tell them about each other. When Amanda leaves, the three must reluctantly work together to figure out why. But once they start piecing together the cryptic clues that Amanda herself is leaving for them, they realize that everything they thought they knew about her is false. The more they dig, the mystery of where; and who Amanda is deepens.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Teen, High School

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 22, 2009

About the author

According to WorldCat: Author Amanda Valentino is a fictitious character

They have attributed The Amanda Project to Melissa Kantor

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Reviews

[Mirabelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found myself at the bookstore yesterday looking for a good stand-alone book to read. I found this one. I liked the cover and the plot intrigued me, so I bought it.

By the first page, I was already irked. One of my pet-peeves is designer label dropping. Urg. I just can't explain how much this annoys me. Let me tell you, there was plenty of label dropping. 'She opened her COACH bag', etc. oh, and 'she watched a REESE WITHERSPOON movie'. Current pop-culture references irk me too.. haha

That was just the beginning.

We soon find out that the protagonist is in 9th grade. I usually prefer YA book about 16, 17, 18+ years old. A first I thought there was going to be a flash-forward a la Pretty Little Liars, but no such thing in sight. I decided to give our little 9th grader a chance, but alas, she disappointed. I found her completely unsympathetic. I did not feel the least bit emphatic towards her. Even when the parental/money issues were revealed. Callista was way too much a stereo-typical popular girl for me. Of course, she says that she's not 'as pretty' as her fiends and, etc. but that did not help me relate with her at all. I found her extremely snobby and annoying. And then there was the 'not to be snobby, but...' WELL, YOU'RE BEING SNOBBY. I really wanted to knock some sense into this girl. She could not stop critiquing the social-outcasts. I just could not relate.

I found the writing juvenile. I'm not saying that the author is not talented. I'm just saying that the writing style seemed for a younger audience.

I was very close to giving up by the fifth chapter. Then, I re-searched the book to see what others were thinking about it.

That did it for me.

I found out the book was the first in a 8 book series, and that it was meant to be very interactive - website and all. Well, no thank you.

I just couldn't do it. I gave up.

My rating might be a bit unfair since I gave up so early on... but I just couldn't do it.

[Jake Rideout · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little dubious about this at first. It sounded an awful lot like Paper Towns by John Green: girl commits wild act of vandalism, girl disappears, friends don't know what happened to girl and have to follow clues to find her. Beyond these basic plot points, though, Invisible i is nothing like Paper Towns. For a start, the main character, Callie, is a "mean girl" type who is hiding all the abnormal things about herself in order to fit in with the popular crowd. When her secret friend Amanda disappears, she is thrown together with two social pariahs and blamed for Amanda's last act of vandalism. She has to balance her desire to find Amanda with her desire to hide their friendship from the "I-girls," Kelli, Heidi, and Traci. By itself, this is a well-developed mystery with a really interesting protagonist. In addition to being the first of a new series, though, this is also an interactive project where readers can posit theories about Amanda, contribute music and art to the project website, and generally determine the trajectory of the series via the website www.theamandaproject.com. It's a really cool idea and I'm excited to see what kind of response it gets. In any case, the book is great and I highly recommend it.

[Rene Kirkpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to tell you that I really wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did! A girl moves into town and starts at a new school. She makes a friend. Or two, or three. and then she disappears. All three of the people she makes friends with are certain they are her ONLY friend. When she disappears, the principal calls them all in to the office to find out what they know- Of course, they don't know why the others are in the office. It doesn't take too long for them to begin to get suspicious and realize that she lied to them and that they have to work together to piece together the clues she's left behind.

Really a fun book, psychologically fun. I can't wait to read the next one. Which I noticed should be coming soon!

[Evey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Demasiado soso, llano, simple y predecible. Los personajes no son la gran cosa y la trama de la historia es algo que ya se ha visto y hecho en otros libros. Diría que es para lectores muy, muy jóvenes que recién se meten en el mundo de la lectura. Además, no hay siquiera un mínimo sentido de resolución ni de avance en lo que va a ser la trama global. De todos modos, sí me da curiosidad saber qué pasó con Amanda, así que en una de esas sigo leyendo la saga.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I thought it was the newest book by one of my more beloved authors, Melissa Kantor, and was really surprised when the book cover credited Stella Lennon. So I thought, "Did I pick up the wrong book? And who the heck is Stella Lennon?" After much Googling, I realized that Stella Lennon was just an alias. Kantor actually DID write this book; it's just that the Amanda Project is a series, and the next two books are written by different authors that they all decided to just use one name for the series. After I realized that, I could finally go back to enjoying the book.

The first thing I'd like to mention are the pictures. Simply adorable. I was reading this on the subway, and when I came upon the first image, I thought, "Aw, isn't this cute? The person who'd borrowed the book before me drew a little flower for me. And oh, wow, s/he drew me a bird too! What an artist!" After much inspection, I realized, no, someone hadn't left me drawings, the illustrations were part of the novel. Silly me, right?

I liked it, overall. I love how the story unfolds with the action, instead of setting it up tortuously with irrelevant information. Everything you read here is related to Amanda, some way or another, and further provides clues into finding her. Even when it's about Callie's life, it's also about Amanda. Amanda still remains an enigma, but I'm intrigued by her. She's pretty awesome. People are probably going to somehow link her to Margo from Paper Towns, but let's not. Margo was annoying and seemed childish at points with her outrageous clues. Amanda, however, is really smart. She creates all these alias for herself and everything she says and does fall straight into pieces that it's hard not to applaud her intellect and careful planning. Even though she's driving the main characters crazing with her cryptic messages, I've sunk so deep into the mystery that I just need to know what's going to happen.

[Rebekah]

I quit reading this because it's book 1 of 8, but the whole back cover is a breathless discussion of how readers can log onto the book's website and discuss where they think Amanda might be, and how they can influence the arc and their ideas might make it into later books! What this says to me is: I don't know what the fuck my plan is for the 7 books I have left to write. And if you don't know what your plan is, why should I invest my time? THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Omg so I just remembered this book that I read about 6 years ago. Hahaha I picked it up in the bookstore because it had my name in the title. I also remember how disappointed and confused I was after reading it. Ah memories.

[♤Nora · Rating 2 out of 5]

No se que pensar sobre este libro. Siento que no paso algo interesante más que la revelación de Cali sobre el secreto de Heidi.

Cali es un chica que sufrió el abandono de su mamá y el alcoholismo de su papá, es una chica “popular” que quiere guardar las apariencias.

Así que desde que conoció a Amanda una chica misteriosa su amistad fue un secreto para el resto del mundo, creía que Amanda y ella tenían una conexión especial pero o sorpresa descubre que su “amiga” tenía un montón de secretos que irá descubriendo poco a poco.

El libro se la pasa narrando en cómo Cali, Nia y Hall tratan de encontrar a Amanda y solo ocurren cosas más raras, siento que debieron dar un poco de más respuestas para tratar de entender un poco todo este lío.

[orión · Rating 3 out of 5]

que nostalgia acordarme este libro Man por estas cosas Roleo.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Proyecto Amanda’ ES DE ÉSOS LIBROS HABILIDOSAMENTE ESCRITOS, A PESAR DE SU SENCILLEZ NARRATIVA Y DE LA POCA ORIGINALIDAD DEL MISTERIO PRINCIPAL QUE NOS PLANTEA: LA DESAPARICIÓN DE LA JOVEN QUE DA NOMBRE A LA SAGA.
TIENE LA DUDOSA APTITUD DE UN POLÍTICO, QUE DICE MUCHO Y CONCRETA POCO, LLEVÁNDOSELO A SU TERRENO. AÚN ASÍ, QUEDAS SATISFECHO CON SU DISCURSO Y HA HECHO UN ARTE DEL OCULTAMIENTO.

Pero voy allá con el argumento y demás apreciaciones sobre la obra...

Esta novela, que abre la saga, está narrada desde el punto de vista de Calista Leary, una adolescente de instituto, no muy segura de si misma, aceptada por las guays de la clase y con un hogar inestable por circunstancias recientes.
Ella tiene en común con otros dos chicos su amistad con Amanda: una joven desconcertante, anarquista, inteligente, filosófica y muy misteriosa.
La obra comienza cuando Callie llega a clase pensando en el problema que vivió Amanda como testigo en el hogar de la chica (un misterio que se abre previamente al principal). Esperando que no se lo tenga en cuenta y viendo que esa mañana no ha aparecido por el aula, es requerida al despacho del subdirector. Allí se encuentra con otros dos alumnos: Hal y Nia (uno, un antiguo pringado y actualmente tío bueno, y la otra, una outsider a su bola). El subdirector les pregunta acerca del porqué de su coche pintado por Amanda y la involucración de los tres en ese acto vandálico.
Todos se quedan perplejos ante ésas palabras, pues ni sabían de su amistad en común con la misteriosa joven. Cuando le dicen que se lo pregunte a ella, EL SEÑOR THORNHILL LES DICE QUE AMANDA HA DESAPARECIDO...

Bien, A PARTIR DE AQUÍ LA NOVELA NO DEJA ALIENTO PARA EL LECTOR, YA QUE SE COMIENZAN A SUCEDER UNA SERIE DE SUB MISTERIOS CENTRADOS EN EL PRINCIPAL. SIN SER UN RITMO VERTIGINOSO, SI ES ÁGIL Y ESPECIALMENTE HÁBIL EN SU DESARROLLO, NO DEJANDO MARGEN PARA EL ABURRIMIENTO Y EL VACÍO NARRATIVO DE INTRIGAS. HE CONTADO MÁS DE UNA VEINTENA DE ELLAS, DE LAS CUALES SE RESUELVEN, A MEDIAS, UNA DECENA.
A parte de la sucesión de enigmas y el desarrollo en la investigación de los tres chicos, hay espacio para la amistad que surge entre ellos, los problemas hogareños en principio ‘ajenos’ a lo de Amanda y los conflictos internos a nivel moral y amoroso de nuestra protagonista narrativa (con mensajes éticos para la juventud); cosa típica de una novela juvenil, pero que tampoco tiene excesiva presencia aquí, y es de agradecer. Además, se intercala en la narrativa pasajes con flashbacks de las vivencias y diálogos de Callie con Amanda. Estos tiene un aura extravagante, con conversaciones a priori ilógicas y no lineales (nunca sabes por dónde saldrá Amanda), con mensajes subliminales y filosóficos para la persona de Callie.
TODO LO QUE ENVUELVE EL MISTERIO DE LA DESAPARICIÓN ES UNA MEZCLA DE COSAS QUE PUEDEN ENTRAR EN LA LÓGICA COMÚN MÁS APLASTANTE, CON CONEXIONES EN LOS CAMPOS DE LA ASTROLOGÍA, EL CHAMANISMO Y HASTA LLEGAR AL GOBIERNO..QUIÉN SABE..PISTAS LAS HAY. SE PUEDE INTUIR ALGO, PERO NO ESTAREMOS SEGUROS DE NADA COMPLETAMENTE.
En su parte final, buena que no tensa. se resuelve uno de los primeros sub misterios de la novela para invitar al lector a participar en la interacción del desarrollo de la trama en posteriores entregas (en principio iban a ser sobre unas seis y se quedó en cuatro)

POR EL ENFOQUE DE LA SAGA, PARECE QUE SE TRATABA DE UN PROYECTO INTERACTIVO CON LOS LECTORES DE LA PRIMERA NOVELA, PARA QUE APORTASEN SUS TEORÍAS A LA CONTROVERTIDA DESAPARICIÓN DE AMANDA. ALGO ORIGINAL, SIN DUDA, PERO PELIGROSO EN CIERTO MODO..¿FUE UN MODO DE INTENTAR ENGANCHAR AL PUBLICO MÁS JOVEN? ¿O NO TENÍAN LA AUTORA PRINCIPAL Y LOS CO AUTORES (uno diferente por cada entrega), UNA TEORÍA PARA LA RESOLUCIÓN DE LA DESAPARICIÓN DE AMANDA? ¿ AÑADIERON COSAS DE LOS LECTORES?..QUIÉN LO SABE, TODO ES MISTERIO.

Una vez acabada su lectura, QUEDAS CON LA SENSACIÓN DE HABER PASADO UN BUEN RATO, HABER ACLARADO POCO Y GANAS DE LEER MÁS.

Así pues, UNA LECTURA QUE CUMPLE LO QUE PROMETE, SER MISTERIOSA Y ENTRETENIDA, CON LA PARTICULAR HABILIDAD DE CREAR AMBIENTE PESE A NO SER LO MÁS ERUDITO QUE PUEDAS ENCONTRAR EN EL MERCADO, NO ES UN HOLMES NI UNA CHRISTIE, NI TAMPOCO LO PRETENDE. SIN EMBARGO, HACE UN ARTE DE LA SENCILLEZ.

ESPECIAL MENCIÓN A SU BONITA EDICIÓN, CON ILUSTRACIONES Y NOTAS QUE FORMAN PARTE DE LA NARRATIVA EN SUS PÁGINAS.

[The Book Whisperer (aka Boof) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a quirky little book this is! I had great fun reading it. It even has its own website – yeah it’s aimed at teenagers but I still had a blast reading it.

Invisible I is the first book in The Amanda Project series. It starts with three pupils – Callie, Hal and Nia who are all in the same grade but have nothing in common – being summoned to the Principals office and accused of knowing where Amanda Valentino has disappeared to. They all claim ignorance to even knowing Amanda but it turns out that they had all been picked as “guides” for Amanda when she joined the school and nobody else knew about their friendships with the quirky, independent Amanda.

Although Callie, Hal and Nia previously had nothing to do with each other, especially Callie who was a member of the I-Girls (think Mean Girls), they find themselves teaming up to find out what happened to their secret friend, Amanda Valentino. Who was she? The plot thickens as they discover that they had all been told different things by her (where she was from, where she lived etc). They all discover that Amanda had each given them an animal totem that represented who they are too.

This first book in the series is narrated by Callie Leary, who has major problems of her own and is also trying to cope with the disappearance of her own Mum as well as her friend. I believe that the second book is narrated by Hal (which leaves me to guess that there will be a third by Nia). In this first book Hal’s younger sister, Cornelia, sets up a website called The Amanda Project to help them find out where she is. This website actually exists and is great fun. I did the totem test and it turns out that my totem is a Raven (which means I am an intellec – oh yeah!!). Also, the book itself has the cutest illustrations in the pages:

[Burçak Kılıç Sultanoğlu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okuldayken telefondan girdiğim için yorum yapamadım geç oldu kusura bakmayın :)

Amanda gittiği okulda birbirinden habersiz 3 kişiyle arkadaş olup onların hayatını yoluna sokar ve ansızın ortadan kaybolur.. Ve Amanda giderken bir takım işler çevirir olaylarda bu 3 kişinin başına yıkılır.. Ve birarada düşünemeyeceğiniz bu tipler birlik olup Amanda'nın bıraktığı ipuçlarını kullanarak aramaya koyulurlar.. Kitabı sevmedim ama ben.. Artık okul içinde geçen havalı, ezik tipli öğrencilerin sürtüşmesinden bıktım. Yaşla ilgili belkide ortaokul lise çağındaki çocuklar sevebilir belki:P Aşk yok, aksiyon, kovalamaca yok bana göre değil ve proje yeni başlıyor kitabın sonunda yani sonuca da bağlanmıyor benim gibi sinir olmak istemiyosanız diğer kitaplarında çıkmasını bekleyip öyle okuyun :D

[Esmeralda Verdú · Rating 4 out of 5]

Invisible es el comienzo de una saga llena de intriga y misterio. Puede que lo que menos me ha gustado es que lo he encontrado a veces un poco infantil y que se descubrían pocas cosas a lo largo del libro. Se puede decir que podría ocurrir en la realidad la historia, pero lo hace todavía más real e interactivo con los lectores, que los protagonistas ideen una web para tratar de reunir pistas sobre Amanda y su paradero: www.proyectoamanda.com. El siguiente libro, Desde ninguna parte, estará contado por Hal, cosa que me encanta, pues es el personaje que más me ha gustado. Y como no, estoy deseando leerlo para descubrir algo más sobre el misterioso Proyecto Amanda.

Lee la reseña completa aquí: http://fly-like-a-butterfly.blogspot....

[Ange · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's very obvious to me that this was totally inspired by the Pretty Little Liars sensation. Also, I know this is the beginning of a book series (that wasn't completed, I guess) and that's why not a lot is revealed in this first installment (well, basically nothing is revealed), I was just left with a lot of questions, but I don't think I'm going to get the answer to most of them since this series wasn't even completed.
But well, this was on my TBR since FOREVER ago, so I felt I had to read it to finally knock it off the shelf.

[Mana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was pretty interesting, but it kept repeating some of the same lines over and over again to where it was noticable , but not annoying. I think that it's one of thos books you breeze through without remembering anyithing o.O

[Ariane Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'ai adorée l'intrigue!

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the book "The Amanda Project" When I first started reading this book I was confused, because it talked about this group of girls called the IGirls. They are a group of girls who think that they run the whole school just because their families are well known in the world, as famous people or people who own there own business in the community.
But what the other girls in the group didn't know was that one of there friends Callie was friends with this girl Amanda, and something about Amanda is that no one likes her because they all think that she is weird, strange, also that she doesn't fit in with everyone else. Callie then finds out that Amanda is friends with other people that she didn't think Amanda would hangout with. Once you get further into the book you find out that Callie and the other 3 people that Amanda is hanging out with named Nia, & Hal that all three of them which are Callie, Hal, & Nia have something in common. Which that Amanda is playing a game with all three of them.
They get blamed for things that Amanda has done like, spray paint the principle's car, trash his office, all three of them have henna tattoos of animals that Amanda thinks represents them. Then you find out that Amanda has put something into each of there lockers a note or a clue to where she could be, because she is missing. Then they find out that Amanda has told them different things that aren't true like where she lives, where she works, what her last name is, & They have know clue who Amanda really is because their friendship with her has been a lie the whole time. I hope that everyone reads it and the rest of the series.

Overall, I think that people who like mysteries, Drama, & Adventure this is a book for you. I would give this 3 stars because I think that the author could've had a romance between Callie & Hal after her & Lee break up. If they made a movie out of this series I would watch it to see who would play them.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the new girl in math class, Amanda Valentino is the most unique, mysterious, and independent person that Callie has ever met, and she has chosen Callie to be her "guide" through life at a new school. But when Amanda mysteriously goes missing, Callie finds herself and two other "friends" of Amanda's getting accused of knowing information about her whereabouts. The three uncover that Amanda has lied about her life to each of them, causing them to wonder who Amanda really is and where she could possibly be.

I read this for a "Youth Literature in the Digital Realm" course, and though the "digital" aspect of this book was unfortunately lacking eight years after publishing, I did enjoy the missing girl story that the novel sets up. It doesn't function that well as a stand-alone novel and leaves many questions unanswered, but it sets up the mystery in a way that will encourage you to read the other novels in the series.

[Gwen]

As a junior high librarian, being an adult reading YA lit is either an occupational hazard or a job requirement and I'm not sure which way this book causes me to think. I don't know why I picked it up, but I did. The characterization of the three main character teenagers was believable, but I hate educators, administrators and parents written as such heavily negative stereotypes. I was willing to suspend belief until I noticed that the character, Amanda, was named as/after one of the authors. The further I read the more obvious it became that this story wasn't wrapping up in one book and I definitely had no plans to read more books to drag out this ridiculousness. The grains of a story line with Callie's missing mom were weak, but the unexpected turn of events near the end of book one (of a 4 or 5 book series) AND the fact that the next book continues the story from another character's POV has me willing to read on.

[Lucy ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book once I got into it. I love anything that has a bit of mystery about it. I wish she described what features the characters in the book had more so I could picture them better. All she really seemed to describe was their hair and outfit. It was a page turner and couldn’t put it down but once I finished the book, Amanda was still missing. I realise it is a series of books but I was hoping their would be a big clue like a good cliffhanger at the end of the book but nope. The ending disappointed me. I can’t afford to buy all the rest of the books yet but if you are someone who can afford to buy them all then I would recommend it.

[Cynthia Nobuta · Rating 5 out of 5]

La verdad no esperaba mucho de este libro, pero la verdad estoy contenta de decir que me sorprendió bastante. Sé que la historia es muy juvenil, pero había algo en su escritura y en la historia que me tenia muy picada, eran sus personajes y el ir descubriendo cosas las que me entretuvieron bastante.

Y tengo que confesar que cuando lo empece mi idea era solo leer el primer libro y ya no seguir con los demas, pero en estos días he extrañado mucho a Nia, Hal y Callie y quiero saber el misterio de Amanda, así que comprare los siguientes libros.

[Amber Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to read it as it didn't capture my attention as fully as other books can, but I was intrigued enough to finish it. It wasn't until closer to the end that I became more enthralled and the book leaves off enough that I want to read the next book.
This book in the series is told by Callie, a popular girl. Her speech is just high school enough, but doesn't annoy me. I hope the next book, told by a different perspective, is as enthralling.

[Veronica Ardary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had originally read this series when it first came out, but recently something reminded me of it and I couldn't recall what it was all about, so I decided to re-read it. I did recall that I really liked it and I can say that that holds true today. It was a very easy read and held my interest from the beginning. I could identify with the characters and the story was very interesting.

[Ashley Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved reading this book. It kept me wondering where was Amanda, Chole, or whomever she said she was. The intensive feeling I got from this story really made me wish that there was more information without using my own imagination! The way this book is written, you get to personally add your touch as to what happen with Amanda!!! I give this a definite 100%!

[Amanda Casas Fernández · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo leí siendo adolescente y, sumado a que me llamo Amanda y nunca había tenido la oportunidad de ver mi nombre en una protagonista... Simplemente me morí de la ilusión, la verdad.

Además, el hecho de que fuese un proyecto activo, en que se podían aportar ideas y sugerencias para la continuación de la trama, me pareció excelente a la hora de captarnos a la juventud lectora.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've owned a copy of Invisible I for quite sometime. It's been buried amongst my collection until I finally found it and gave it a read.

It's a simple read, about three unlikely school peers coming together due to the mystery of "Amanda", whose forced these three peers to piece together, who and where she is.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5
Lo había leído hace mucho mucho tiempo y justo el otro día lo encontré en digital así que decidí releerlo. Me gustó y tengo unas terribles ganas de saber que pasa, así que a seguir con el segundo.

[Keshia Swaim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept, though I am too late for the interactive element of this story. Fairly well written, but Amanda just doesn't feel like a teen to me. And there are too many story lines hanging out there.

[Liwy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3'5/5

[Heather S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Callie's character development throughout the story.