Things Not Seen

by Andrew Clements

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Age group: 10+
Type: fantasy

One day Bobby Phillips wakes up and looks in the mirror. But he's not there. He is invisible. His parents tell him not to tell anybody and they say he is sick with the flu and can't go to school. But then his parents get in a car crash. Bobby decides he is going to go out in public. He bundles up and goes to the library, but at the library he takes off all his clothes so nobody can see a bunch of floating clothes and walks around naked and invisible. Then he meets a blind girl called Alicia who can't see him and therefore doesn't know he's invisible. They become friends and eventually Bobby tells Alicia he's invisible. She's mad, but when she asks a passing policeman if she or Bobby is taller, he can't see Bobby.When his parents recover from the terrible crash, a commitee member comes and says that she can get a permit to search the Phillips household. Bobby needs to become visible again--fast. Then he discovers a piece of information that could help a lot. What will happen?

This book is really good but definitely not realistic. It is kind of complicated with all the invisibleness and keeping it a secret, but it is really good. It is a really unusual thing that makes Bobby invisible, and his Dad is a scientist so there might be some complicated things the dad talks about, like forcefields of electricity. Also, this book is more serious than other Andrew Clements books.

You might like this book if you like science-y or suspenseful books.

PARENTAL SECTION
Sexual parts: no!!
Violence: no
Fighting: no but people of course get mad
Pregnancy: no
Kissing and romance: a little bit mentioned at the end about kissing
Stealing: yes. Alicia and Bobby steal some information that they need.
Vandalizing: no
There is nakedness but that is only because only Bobby's body is invisible, so in order to sneak around unseen, he needs to take off his clothes so nobody sees him.

Cosmic

by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Age group: 9+
Type: Fiction

Liam Digby is only 12 but he already has a beard and is about 6 feet tall. He first discovers this when he is stopped at the students-only exit gate at an amusement park and the guard thinks he is an adult. He pretends his fellow classmate, Florida Kirby, is his daughter, and together they do all sorts of things. But then Liam's dad saves him just in time from doing something illegal, and Florida doesn't want to pretend anymore. But then Liam gets a text saying that he has been specially selected to go to a dad-and-kid preview of an amusement park--in China. He convinces Florida to come with him as his daughter, but then Liam gets into big trouble. One of the rides is a rocket--a real one. And Florida is going into space. Without him. What will Liam do?

This book is not supposed to be realistic. But it is SO GOOD!!!!! Frank Cottrell Boyce puts a lot of humor into the book and it really is very funny and good. Also try listening to the audiobook. It is narrated by Kirby Heybourne and he makes it very funny too. However the narrating is kind of confusing because it skips back and forth in time. But that is just about the only drawback. This is a great book.

You might like this book if you like humor.

PARENTAL SECTION

Sexual parts: no!
Violence: no
Fighting: no
Pregnancy: no. Well yes but only mentioned once and only in passing. Liam's teacher is pregnant so she can't go on a ride with him at the first amusement park.
Kissing and romance: no
Stealing: no
Vandalizing: no
Somebody does get drunk though.