LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
October 2013 Book of the Month When sixteen-year-old Laureth’s father vanishes she is determined to track him down. So determined that she flies to New York to find him. But Laureth doesn’t go alone; she takes her seven year old brother with her because she needs him. Laureth is blind and Benjamin is essential as her guide. Award-winning Marcus Sedgwick tells a pell-mell adventure as the children unravel the mysteries of obsession and coincidence as they solve the riddle behind their father’s disappearance.
In addition to our Lovereading expert opinion for She Is Not Invisible a small number of readers were lucky enough to be invited to review this title. Here's a taster....'There are some young adult books that stand out and demand to be read, not only by teens but by adults alike, and this is one of them.'
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About
She Is Not Invisible Synopsis
Three-time Printz Award honoree Marcus Sedgwick's She Is Not Invisible is an intricate puzzle of a novel that sheds a light on the delicate ties that bind people to each other.
Laureth Peak's father has taught her to look for recurring events, patterns, and numbers--a skill at which she's remarkably talented. Her secret: She is blind.
But when her father goes missing, Laureth and her seven-year-old brother, Benjamin, are thrust into a mystery that takes them to New York City, where surviving will take all her skill at spotting the amazing, shocking, and sometimes dangerous connections in a world full of darkness.
This title has Common Core connections.
Praise for She Is Not Invisible:
"Laureth is sixteen, smart, self-doubting, and blind. She is also desperate to find her missing famous author father . . . Readers will applaud Laureth's believable evolution into a more confident - and definitely more visible - young woman." --
The Horn Book "This novel will have readers feeling a creepy sensation on the backs of their necks long after the last page." --
School Library Journal "Sedgwick takes the somewhat shopworn theme of siblings on a parent hunt to a fascinating new level." --
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "In a race against time, Laurel and Ben must investigate what happened to her father using the meager clues they have available . . . Recommend this book to mystery lovers and especially to those who enjoyed
Girl, Stolen." --
VOYA "A thriller that challenges readers' understanding of the universe . . . It's no coincidence that Sedgwick has crafted yet another gripping tale of wonder." --
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"This fast-paced thriller delivers a compelling mystery, thought-provoking questions about existence, and brilliantly lifelike characters." --
Booklist, starred review
"Printz-winner Sedgwick (
Midwinterblood) again demonstrates his remarkable versatility, trading the generations-spanning horrors of his recent books for an equally tense contemporary story about coincidence, obsession, and the ways in which we see the world." --
Publishers Weekly, starred review
"What this book proves, is that Marcus is not only one of the greatest British YA writers, but one of the most versatile too. Unlike anything he has written before and a book that will reach a whole new audience. Bloomin' loved it." --Phil Earle, author of
Heroic,
Being Billy and
Saving Daisy "Marcus Sedgwick doesn't speak down to his teen readers. He tells it how it is, without footnotes or gloss, and it's up to the reader to decide how much they want to take from his books. A rollicking good adventure? No problem - that's there and easily available. Just let your eyes slide across the bits in italics and jump to the next event. It would be a shame to do that, though, because for those prepared to deal with it, there's much, much more in this book: theories and philosophies and ideas which stretch the reader and give the adventure far greater depth and resonance." --
The Bookbag "Sedgwick's prose is as crisp and clear as always, without losing a single fathom of emotional depth, and Laureth and Benjamin will resonate soundly with anyone who has ever negotiated the ups and downs of sibling relationships." --
Rebecca Davies, The Independent: Children's Book Blog "Marcus Sedgwick has written a story which really makes you think. He has referred to it as an iceberg and certainly the story can be read on two levels; on the surface a simple story of a girl, Laureth, accompanied by her young brother, Ben and his beloved soft toy, Stan, determined to find their missing father, in spite of Laureth's personal circumstances making this no easy task and, below the surface, a much more complicated story, concerning the nature of obsession and coincidence; all of which leaves you pondering and re-reading. . . . Totally absorbing." --
Gill Perry, Waterstones.com Novels by Marcus Sedgwick:
Saint Death: A propulsive, compelling, and unsparing novel set in the grimly violent world of the human and drug trade on the US-Mexican border.
Blood Red Snow White: A gripping, romantic adventure novel based on the true story of Arthur Ransome's experiences with love and betrayal in war-torn Russia.
The Ghosts of Heaven: A Printz Honor Book! Timeless, beautiful, and haunting, spirals connect four episodes, from prehistory through the far future.
She Is Not Invisible: When her father goes missing, a blind girl talented in identifying patterns and her brother are thrust into a mystery.
Midwinterblood: A Printz Medal Winner! Seven stories of passion and love separated by centuries but mysteriously intertwined.
White Crow: A scary, thought provoking novel about secrets that are better left buried.
Revolver: A Printz Honor Book! A taut frontier survivor story, set at the time of the Alaska gold rush.
Graphic novel by Marcus Sedgwick, art by Thomas Taylor:
Scarlett Hart: Monster Hunter: A rip-roaring romp full of hairy horrors, villainous villains, and introducing the world's toughest monster hunter--Scarlett Hart!
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781250056986 |
| Publication date: |
21st April 2015 |
| Author: |
Marcus Sedgwick |
| Publisher: |
Square Fish |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
240 pages |
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Press Reviews
Marcus Sedgwick Press Reviews
A small number of readers were lucky enough to be invited to review She Is Not Invisible. Read their reviews below.
Jenny Duffy, age 20 - 'While the reader is made very aware of her blindness and how it affects her life, the lasting impression of Laureth is that she is courageous, resourceful and active.' Click Here to read the full review.
Safiyah Afghan - 'Addictive and intriguing, She is Not Invisible is perfect for all readers, especially those who are looking for something a bit different.' Click Here to read the full review.
Sam Harper - 'The mystery comes together piece by piece until you can finally see the whole picture at the very end. This is an ingenious and very cleverly written story. Fantastic!' Click Here to read the full review.
Jade Craddock - 'There are some young adult books that stand out and demand to be read, not only by teens but by adults alike, and this is one of them.' Click Here to read the full review.
James Newbery - 'If I had to sum up this book in one word, it would be "Coincidence." This is thought provoking, writing from an interesting viewpoint, and one of the best books I have read for a while.' Click Here to read the full review.
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Further praise for She Is Not Invisible.
This is a novel that demands to be read more than once because it is only at the conclusion of the seven interlinked episodic stories that the complexity of the novel's extraordinary story of doomed love becomes clear... Sedgwick is a fine writer and this hugely atmospheric and demanding book will satisfy adults too. -- Sally Morris THE DAILY MAIL
Author
About Marcus Sedgwick
Marcus Sedgwick April 1968 - November 2022
Marcus began to write seriously in 1994. His first book, Floodland, was published by Orion in 2000, and won the Branford-Boase award for best debut children's novel. Witch Hill followed in 2001, and was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award.
The Kiss of Death was published in paperback in April 2009, and picked up a thread from his highly acclaimed My Swordhand is Singing (winner of the 2007 Booktrust Teenage Book Award). In between came what Marcus calls “my big one - a project I've been working on for so long my head hurts.” – Blood Red Snow White, which was first published to considerable acclaim in 2007.
2009 saw Marcus turn his attention to books for younger readers with the launch of a humorous new series: The Raven Mysteries, narrated by a grumpy raven, Edgar.
Marcus has been shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal five times, the Edgar Allan Poe Award (twice) and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize (four times). He is also the most noted author in the history of the Printz Award, with one win and two honour books, for Revolver, The Ghosts of Heaven and Midwinter Blood.
In his spare time, was also a stone carver and wood engraver and illustrated all his novels. Marcus was also an enthusiastic drummer.
Q&A with Marcus Sedgwick
Many of your novels are inspired by history and by myth and legend - have these areas always been a fascination of yours since childhood and if so how did this passion come about?
Yes, I always loved myths and legends - I used to read and re-read two books from the library - one a big illustrated edition of Greek Myths and the other Old Peter's Russian Tales. I don't know why I was fascinated by these stories, but maybe simply because I find them to be more glamorous than contemporary stories...
Apart from writing what are your passions?
I love music, both listening to it and playing it (I'm a drummer). A day without music is not a proper day... I also love travel and try to travel as much as I can manage.
Where did the idea come from for The Raven Mysteries?
It was a single line, the first line in the book in fact. I'd had it for ages but didn't know where I was going to use it until the character of Edgar came along: "I suspect I may have fleas again".
The Raven Mysteries are full of humour and mad-cap action, which is quite different from your novels for older readers. Was this a conscious decision of yours when setting out to write this series?
Absolutely, and it was great fun. After writing a few hardcore goth books, it was great to let my hair down with these stories. And it gave me fresh impetus to go back to the next YA novel, Revolver, with renewed determination to be gloomy!
Where and when do you write?
I write at the weekends, and mostly in the study in my loft, but also sometimes I travel to write - eg much of Revolver was written on trips to Sweden.
What age did you first start writing and when did you think that one day you'd write a novel that would actually be published?
I started to write as a teenager a bit, but properly when I was in my mid-twenties. It took a few years to think it might actually happen!
With both your publisher and author hat on, what advice can you give would-be children's authors in getting published?
The most important thing is to know your market! Who do you think your book is going to be read by? What else is out there that's like it? Are you writing something that will sell?
The historical context of most of your novels must mean a huge amount of research prior to writing each book. What does this involve and how long does it take?
It varies from book to book but it's not a chore as I love to do research. It's easier than actually writing the things! For Revolver, the research spanned about 16 months, of little trips here and there and lots and lots of reading!
What was your inspiration for Revolver ?
Finding an empty shell casing on the pavement in St Petersburg. It was a long way from there to the finished book but that was the start of it.
What was your favourite book as a teenager?
Without question, the Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake.
If you got into Doctor Who’s tardis, where (or when) would you go?
Great question, impossible to answer. So many amazing things to go and see – the building of the pyramids, a Viking boat putting out to sea, Man Utd winning the European Championship in 1968…
Who would you choose to be if you could be a celebrity for the day?
Matt Bellamy on any day with a gig.
If you were invisible for a day what would you do?
I’m invisible most days, so nothing much would change.
10 things you didn't know about Marcus Sedgwick
1 - I have an embarrassing middle name, but I'm not going to tell you what it is
2 - I am learning Swedish
3 - As well as playing the drums, I play bass guitar
4 - My grandfather invented the hydraulic tipper truck
5 - I have a pet raven called Edgar, though he doesn’t say much, eat much, or indeed, move much. There’s a possibility that he’s stuffed, I guess.
6 - I’m extraordinarily sleepy right now.
7 - I represented England (Juniors) at Fencing.
8 - I totally love football.
9 - I'm allergic to red peppers
10 - I believe there is only one radio or TV station worth listening to: Radio 3.
Author photo © Kate Christer
One of the World Book Day 2015 Authors Marcus was our Guest Editor in July 2010. Click here to see all his selections.
Marcus also wrote with his brother Julian, and contributed to a short story collection with fellow YA authors.
More About Marcus Sedgwick
