The Opposite of Invisible [Mass Market Paperback]

Liz Gallagher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 2009

“Gallagher’s debut—like Alice—shines.”—VOYA

Alice and Jewel have been best friends since grade school. Together, they don’t need anyone else, and together they blend into the background of high school. Invisible. To Alice, Jewel is the opposite of invisible. Jewel is her best friend who goes to indie concerts and art shows with her. Jewel scoffs at school dances with her. Alice is so comfortable around Jewel that she can talk to him about almost anything.

But she can’t tell him that she likes the cool, popular Simon. Simon asks her to the school dance the same day that Jewel kisses her for the first time. Still, she can’t say no to Simon. He seems like the easy choice, the one she’s attracted to, the one she’s ready for. But will it mean losing Jewel?

In a bright debut novel set against the lively backdrop of Seattle, Alice must learn the difference between love and a crush and what it means to be yourself when you’re not sure who that is yet.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8–10—Alice has never been part of the in-crowd at school. She hangs with the artsies, as well as her best friend, a boy named Jewel whom she has known since grade school. Then one day something weird happens—a popular football player named Simon starts noticing her. Jewel starts noticing her too. In the course of one week, both boys kiss her and she likes both kisses equally. Initially, she dates Simon, and, as a result, her friendship with Jewel is shattered, and she must make a decision about what's really important to her. The story is upbeat, but the pacing is slow, and the plot is a bit obvious. However, the mood of reflection is sustained throughout, the characters are fully fleshed out, and high school life is accurately portrayed.—Jennifer-Lynn Draper, Children's Literature Consultant, Aurora, ON, Canada
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Liz Gallagher is a former children’s bookseller and early education teacher. She received her MFA in writing for children from Vermont College. She lives in Seattle, Washington.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf; Reprint edition (October 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375841539
• ISBN-13: 978-0375841538
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.5 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,147,793 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Embarrassing fact: One of my earliest memories involves a five-year-old me overhearing a teacher at my school telling another teacher, "Lizzy sometimes talks to herself, but I'm not worried about it."

In the spirit of overcoming the embarrassing nature of that statement, let me here embrace talking to myself. I'll try to ask myself questions that you, as a visitor to my author page(Thanks for stopping by!) might like to know.

So, Liz. Where'd you grow up?

You know that! You were there.

Ahem?

Okay. Last joke about talking to myself. I grew up in Paoli, a suburb of Philadelphia on what's called the Main Line. A book that I think is set on the Main Line is THE LOVELY BONES by Alice Sebold. It's also set in heaven. You should read it if you're very brave.

So you live in PA?

No, now I live in Seattle. But I go home when I can to see friends and family. And to eat cheesesteaks.


Hey, aren't your books set in Seattle, too?

Yes, they are! Convenient, that. THE OPPOSITE OF INVISIBLE is set in the neighborhood where I lived for five years, Fremont. MY NOT-SO-STILL LIFE is set in Ballard, one 'hood over.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I can honestly say I have. I didn't always think it was possible as a career, but I've always loved writing. It was the part of me that was nurtured all through school. I was never sure if this story was true, but my kindergarten/first grade teacher predicted that one day she'd see my book at the library. Now I have proof, a letter from that teacher. My mom found it in a closet!

So what other jobs have you had?

Café girl, bookseller at the fabulous All for Kids Books & Music, editorial intern at Highlights for Children, Montessori school assistant (the longest-running part of my grown-up jobs), other school jobs, freelance writer for some fun web sites and magazines, product copy and marketing writer at a daily deals shopping site.

Why do you want to write for teenagers?

I just think that my inner voice is perpetually fifteen years old. I think like a fifteen year old, who's lived for twenty-nine years, if that makes any kind of sense. I write the kind of books I like to read. I'm just drawn to the themes of growing up, too. I do think people come of age more than once, so it wouldn't shock me if I sometime wrote a book about an older girl, but even if my character is in her thirties, a lot of the themes will stay the same.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars At First Sight, January 9, 2008

By 

Little Willow (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Opposite of Invisible (Hardcover)

"Some girls have journals. I talk to my poster."

So begins The Opposite of Invisible, an absolute gem of a story.

Alice and Jewel have been best friends since the age of three. They have never had any romantic feelings for one another, always acting more like sister and brother without the sibling rivalry. They are more comfortable with each other than with anyone else in the whole world. Alice feels like she's invisible to everyone except Jewel, and though he's also under the radar at school, she considers Jewel to be "the opposite of invisible" to her.

Then, unexpectedly, Alice gets a boyfriend: Simon, a popular boy at school, her secret crush. Just as unexpectedly, Jewel starts to take notice of Alice in a new way. Along the way, an art class coaxes Alice out of her shell, just a little, just enough, as art gives her something that is hers and hers alone.

The Opposite of Invisible should be given to hopeful young artists along with a sketchpad, a journal, or an art print to inspire them as Picasso's Le Visage de Paix (The Face of Peace) inspires Alice. Le Visage de Paix is "Dove Girl" to Alice; this is the poster on her wall that she talks to and tells her deepest secrets, the things she can't even tell Jewel.

Alice is truly sweet sixteen, full of questions and confusion, with a hint of naivety that is endearing rather than disenchanting. She narrates the story in first person present tense, in a voice that is honest and refreshing. She finds solace in the silence and beauty in the little things.

The Opposite of Invisible is all about friends, first crushes, art and young artists. A quick read, this story will definitely appeal to fans of Cecil Castellucci's books. It will also interest those liked Bringing Up the Bones by Lara M. Zeises but are seeking something lighter, happier.

A notable debut by Liz Gallagher.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stands Out -- The Opposite of Invisible, January 13, 2008

By 

Paige (Here.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Opposite of Invisible (Hardcover)

This book was -- well -- cute. It was a clean, simple story told with an original voice. I loved the characters -- Jewel, the artsy best friend; Simon, the nice guy without a clue; Vanessa, the girl who's so "out there"; and Alice, the girl caught in the middle of so many things, struggling to find herself.

Alice finds herself torn between her best friend and her enormous crush. I like that the characters have quirks -- Alice and her Dove Girl, Vanessa and her strings. I also like that the story moves along smoothly.

I thought this book was great. It was a fast, fun read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful debut!, April 9, 2008

By 

M. P. Barker (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Opposite of Invisible (Hardcover)

A Seattle teenager tries to choose whether to let her lifelong best guy friend become something more than that, or to become romantically involved with cool, popular Simon. If you're thinking "I know the way this story goes--the jock is a jerk, and the girl figures out that she should have stuck to her best friend all along," well, think again. Simon is a sweet guy, so Alice's dilemma is very real and very difficult. What I loved about the story was that Alice's final decision (which I will not divulge) turns out to be not about who she wants to be WITH but who she wants to BE. The novel is poetically written, making Seattle's gloomy rainy climate seem inviting--which might not be a plus for those Seattleans/Seattlites/Seattlers? who want to discourage newcomers from moving in!