Invisible

Hautman, P. (2006). Invisible. New York: Simon Pulse.

Something about Dougie is just not matching up. His friendship with Andy and their conversations about fire, makes the reader question what exactly is wrong with Dougie. Taunted at school, Dougie becomes isolated from his peers and obsesses about finishing the 22,400 matches in the basement. It isn’t until the end that the reader realizes that Dougie is talking to his deceased friend, Andy, who died in one of the fires he and Dougie set. When Dougie’a parents enroll him in a school where he will be monitored, Dougie lashes out by setting his last fire, the 22,400 matches in the basement.

The protagonist of the story tragically crumbles beneath his mental state and coming to terms with his involvement in the death of his best friend. Adolescents of age 12 and up can see what can happen when playing with fire and the consequences that come along with carelessness. This dark realistic fiction deals with death, denial, bullying, and coming to terms with ones consequences. This book provides teachers an opportunity to use as an example of what happens when individuals are careless with their behavior and actions.