Things Not Seen

Bobby Phillips wakes up one morning before school. He takes a shower in the dark like he always does. But this morning when he turns on the light and looks in the mirror, he’s not there! Sometime in the night Bobby Phillips has become invisible. He rushes downstairs to tell his parents. At first they think it’s some kind of elaborate prank. Then, Bobby picks up a glass of orange juice and downs it. The glass floats through the air; the orange juice disappears into his invisible body. Bobby’s parents finally believe him, and like Bobby, they are totally freaked out. Bobby’s parents are both extremely intelligent. Mrs. Phillips is an English professor and Mr. Phillips is a physicist. Once his parents recover from the shock of Bobby’s disappearing act, they begin to look at the problem very logically, too logically as far as Bobby’s concerned. Bobby parents decide right away that he must keep his condition a complete secret from everyone. They believe there are too many people out there who will exploit Bobby. Bobby’s parents call the school and say he has the flu. They instruct him stay in the house and lay low.

For a while Bobby does just as they say, but then he begins to think, “What if this invisibility thing is only temporary and I waste it hanging around inside my house?” He decides he needs to go out and enjoy this unexpected gift for just a few hours. He bundles up from head to toe, making himself visible enough to get a cab to the library. Once inside the building, he hides his clothes in the bathroom, and goes out into the library to explore it invisibly. It is here in the library that he meets Alicia. Alicia is a girl about his age who has been blind for the past two years. At first Bobby doesn’t tell her about his special condition. But he comes clean pretty quickly when Alicia realizes he doesn’t have a shirt on outside in Chicago in February. Alicia and Bobby begin spending time together, talking on the phone, and instant messaging on the computer. Meanwhile, Bobby’s scientist father keeps formulating theories as to what has happened to Bobby. Bobby is tired of theories and he chooses action instead. With Alicia’s help, Bobby begins to gather clues. As the clues build up to what seems like a solution to the mystery, Bobby wonders if knowing the cause of his invisibility will be any comfort if there is no way to cure it.

I picked up this book because I was on a hunt for a good science fiction book. Invisibility seems like something that would be high interest for middle schoolers. What kid hasn’t dreamed of being invisible at least once? One aspect of this story that really spoke to my inner child was Bobby’s food choices as he sits at home by himself. He watches old movies and eats all sorts of yummy junk food. It brought back memories of several “mental health days” I’ve had of my own. The author describes several fun, suspenseful scenes where Bobby uses his invisibility to sneak around, and the suspense really heats up when children’s protective services and the police begin looking for Bobby. The CPS suspects that Bobby is either missing, in danger, or both. A lot of the story is just about Bobby’s feelings, however. Before he became invisible he felt like he and his parents were disconnected in a way. His mother and father both work hard at their jobs, but even when he does spend time with them he feels like a big disappointment. In a way, Bobby feels sort of invisible even before he actually is. Then there’s Alicia. Bobby and Alicia hit it off right away. Alicia has so much attention from her parents that she is stifled. They worry about her constantly. Her mother even quit her job just so she could be there for Alicia. Alicia has cut herself off from most of her friends at school. She feels as if no one, even her parents, really sees her anymore. They only see a blind girl, so in a way, Alicia feels invisible too. Bobby and Alicia can understand each other like no one else can. Bobby is invisible to the world and the whole world is invisible to Alicia. This book is as much about the friendship between Alicia and Bobby as it is about Bobby’s quest to find out why he turned invisible. Andrew Clements seems to have a gift for tapping into the kinds of thoughts and inner struggles that middle schoolers can really connect with. I’ve only read two of his books, but I’m becoming a fan. Both Things Not Seen and A Week in the Woods are part action, part thought provoking inner dialogue. It seems that Clements has a nice sense of balance as a writer. I’d love to hear some feedback from middle school students who have read his work.

A couple of notes for parents and teachers: The main character goes around naked a lot. Immature readers may get lost in snickering about this, but the nudity is described very tastefully. There is also an incident where someone “flips the bird” at Bobby and Alicia. I’m sure most of the readers mature enough to be reading this book will be able to handle that too.