Invisible

Hautman, P. (2005). Invisible. Waterville, Maine: Thorndike Press. Douglas (Dougie) Hanson is considered weird by many. Girls at his school find him disgusting, the boys at his school beat him up, and his parents send him to therapy. The only person who truly accepts him is his best friend Andy Morrow, the popular football player that is loved by everyone. Dougie and Andy have no secrets for each other and can talk about anything except what happened at the Tuttle place. As Dougie tries to handle all the pain he has been hiding he retreats to his basement as he obsessively builds his model train and railroad. The more he tries to push away the secret he is hiding the more this secret threatens to destroy his grip on reality. Dougie’s immense grief and character development makes this novel a perfect example of dark modern realistic fiction. This novel is recommended for students ages 12-17.