Customer Reviews

The Schwa was Here

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3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Calvin Schwa seems to be invisible. Now you see him, now you don't. Antsy Bonano and his group decide to study this "Schwa effect" and use it for financial gain by taking wagers on Calvin's ability to enter improbable places unseen. The scheme is profitable until they accept a bet to steal a dog dish from the home of Mr. Crawley, the neighborhood eccentric. The Schwa is discovered by Crawley who can see him very clearly. As punishment, Calvin and Antsy become dog-walkers for the old man's 14 dogs. Later Crawley asks Antsy to befriend his visiting granddaughter, Lexie, who is blind. Schwa, Antsy and Lexie begin a search into Calvin's past and try to find out what happened to his mother. Is Calvin's "invisibility" tied to his past?

This detailed story is a page turner. Schusterman writes with compassion and humor.

As someone who works in a school setting, I found the story very moving because these "invisible" kids are in our classes. They are quiet, engaged and self sufficient so we sometimes overlook them. So much of a teacher's attention is claimed by high-needs students but the quiet ones also need all the recognition and acknowledgement that their teachers and friends can give them. The Schwa reminds me to make an even greater effort to keep these kids on the radar!

This is a great read that will be appreciated by kids in grades 4 and up.

The basic story of Anthony "Antsy" Bonano and his friends is fairly straight forward - Anthony and his friends suddenly become aware of this kid who is pretty much an inconspicuous person in the world. I won't summarize the plot, as it is done pretty well in the reviews. What surprised me, though, was the depth of the book. It could have been just a recounting of the basic events as detailed in the summary, but instead, you get tantalizing images of some really interesting characters: Anthony, and Calvin "The Schwa", of course, but also Mr. Crawley, Lexis, Anthony's family, and even Anthony's friends. This is a deeper and more complex world than the simple facade would have you believe. At the same time, it is not belabored. This is not a didactic book - it isn't trying to teach you something, but it is showing you a world that is complex and multi-faceted.

You can read the story as a straightforward accounting of events - and the plot is strong enough to make it a good read in that regard. Or you can see more - character study, exploration of values, decisions about what is important in life.

Better than I expected somehow.

Schwa: The faint vowel sound in many unstressed syllables in the English language.

Neil Shusterman says he got the idea for "The Schwa Was Here" when he did a Q&A session at a library and kept overlooking a boy who had his hand raised. The boy evolved into the title character, the Schwa.

This book is as biting as its chapter titles ("Maybe They Had It Right In France Because Getting My Head Lopped Off By A Guillotine Would Have Been Easier"). Its main character, Anthony "Antsy" Bonano, is an Italian living in Brooklyn ("Jews and Italians seem to get along just fine. I think it has something to do with the way both cultures have a high regard for food and guilt"), a city known for simultaneously accepting, ignoring, and trampling over all its residents. The Schwa is especially a victim of being overlooked: He uncannily blends into his surroundings and can't be seen even when he is right in front of someone's face.

Neil Shusterman's book is fantastically entertaining. He has taken an everyday problem (who hasn't felt neglected and ignored?), raised it to an almost paranormal status, but kept it at such a level where the Schwa almost a realistic character(the Schwa isn't actually invisible, but is mysterious enough to have a disturbing presence).

The plot could have turned into a sniveling melodrama of deathbed confessions, persistant love triangles and tearful reunions, but Neil Shusterman cleverly avoided literary pitfalls. Instead, "The Schwa Was Here" is an offbeat novel, an urban myth of quirky, fascinating characters.

This book show the very real plight of many teens in America today as they try to make their mark on the world. What I really liked about this book was the way that the characters helped me take a look at society from a different angle. I was very glad I read it.

Currently, I am near finished with this book. But already, I know this book is amazing. It starts with Anthony Bonano, a normal teenager who lives a average life of a kid his age. But when Calvin Schwa enters his life, his world flips upside down. He learns that Calvin has the power to make himself seem nonexsistant. From there, young Anthony experiences love, confusion, broken friendship, stealing, and much more. And the most confusing thing of all is, why is Calvin Schwa invisible and why can't people see him?

Can you imagine being invisible to the world in a way that no one-not even your parents-acknowledge your existance? This is a realistic fiction about a boy who, with his friends tries to deal with "The Schwa Effect". And, in his small town gets himself into a little trouble, only to meet the boy who will help him find out about the strange dissappearance of his mother.

Knowing nothing about the book, I was a little skeptical of whether I would like it or not. It ended up to have a great storyline, one that I would definitely reccommend to all ages. Its a little bit of mystery, during the time "The Schwa" is trying to find his missing mother, and then they are using "The Schwa's" power to go unnoticed for things at school, like sneaking homework in late; little things like that. The beginning was a little bit slow, but towards the middle when the book starting picking up, I didn't want to put it down. It ends up having many things at once going on, and I was surprised by the whole idea of the book, considering the information I already had on it was VERY little. I strongly think that alot of different age groups would really enjoy reading this book, it could be perceived differently by different people. If perceived one way, it could be complicated with alot going on, if perceived from another way, it could be simple and light. No matter what point of view you are looking in, from an adult to a child, this book is very clear and a good read. I really liked this book, and I think that people should try it even though at first glance it looks way simple.

Anthony "Antsy" Bonano struggles with the pressures of adolescence, argumentative parents, peer friendships, and beginning to understanding girls. The plot centers around Antsy's relationship with Calvin Schwa, a boy who is also struggling but in a more fundamental way with discovering his own identity. "The Schwa" has an interesting but also handicapping ability and Shusterman uses poignant humor to tell an enjoyable story about these engaging friends.

The only disappointment is that Shusterman does revert to the overused plot convention of the absent mother. In this story thankfully however, there is also the positively portrayed character of Anthony's mother. Enjoy!

Neil Schusterman's "The Schwa was Here" is an engaging and well-told story. Calvin Schwa, one of Antony "Antsy" Bonano's classmates, is invisible. Well, not really, but he blends in to the point that he is what Antsy calls "effectively invisible." He sits next to Antsy in science class, but Antsy has never noticed him. Antsy, Calvin ("the Schwa"), and a couple of other friends embark on a series of experiments to test the Schwa's invisibility. They have him dress in a crazy costume and sing and dance in the girls' bathroom, among other tests; no one ever notices him. His name is appropriate: like the schwa sound in language, Calvin blends into his surroundings. Antsy and friends decide to use the Schwa's invisibility to pull a prank on the neighborhood recluse, Old Man Crawley. However, Mr. Crawley catches them at it, and requires that Antsy and the Schwa return every day to walk his 14 Afghans as punishment. After a time, Mr. Crawley asks them to befriend his blind granddaughter. The paradox of the girl who can't see and the boy who can't be seen leads both Antsy and Calvin to question themselves. Ultimately, "The Scwha was Here" is a story of identity: finding it, losing it, not having it, and rebelling against it. In the end, the Schwa discovers his identity by discovering what really happened to his mother who disappeared many years ago, and Antsy discovers his by befriending and respecting both a strange boy and an eccentric old man.

I loved this story; it was very readable and teaches important lessons without the reader being aware of them.

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I have discovered this book long before it came out. My language arts teacher went to an convention for books, and she got all these books- some not even published yet! I was the first in her class to get the book, and I finished it in two days. That's how much I love it! I think this is a great read for kids in middle school, like me. I highly recommend this book!

This book was awesome. It has an effect on all young adults, and can relate to anyone. This book, in the beginning was so interesting. Mr.Shusterman has made such an amazing story of this book. I really hope every teacher will introduce this into their classrooms, because every student needs help in their lives. Many people have to worry about the question, why does no one notice me, and this book shows that there is someone out there for everyone. I did actually learn a lot from this book, too. I learned that no one can put you down, life is nothing without friendship, and sometimes people like to exaggerate the truth.