INVISIBLEGIRL

Author (last name first):
Stone, Mary Halon
Publisher, Date of Publication: 

Pholomel Books/2010

Grade Level/ or Age Level: 

8th - 12th

Classification:  Fiction 


Fourteen-year-old Stephanie is deserted by her abusive mother in Boston.  When her mother leaves them she is sent away by her father to live with wealthy friends,the Sullivan's, while he gets things straightened out. Stephanie arrives in California hoping to start a new life. She tries to fit in with her "cousins" popular group of friends. She sees how much easier it would be to be invisible and feels that she finally has gotten away from her alcoholic mother's stigma and often fantasizes that the Sullivan family is her own. Suddenly her dreams are crushed when Michael Sullivan(her father's childhood friend) tells the family why she is really living with them. She is treated no better than she was when she was living with her parents. Yet, Stephanie grows into a confident young lady and learns that not every one is like her mother and the Sullivan's. 
This book has strong material that deals with abuse and is very graphic. The author does a great job drawing you into Stephanie's life and keeps you wondering if she ever gets past her mother's abuse. The story is a good book for older children. It also can be used to teach awareness about child abuse.


Reviewed By: Lila Davis (Night Circulation Manager at Moffett Library)