Saturday, March 2, 2019

Review - Invisible Emmie (DNF)

Invisible Emmie
by Terri Libenson
Date: 2017
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Reading level: MG
Book type: graphic novel
Pages: 192
Format: e-book
Source: library

Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Jennifer L. Holm, Invisible Emmie is a humorous and surprising debut graphic novel by Terri Libenson, creator of the internationally syndicated, Reuben Award-winning comic strip The Pajama Diaries.

This is the story of two totally different girls— quiet, shy, artistic Emmie popular, outgoing, athletic Katie —and how their lives unexpectedly intersect one day, when an embarrassing note falls into the wrong hands. . . .

All the crushes, humiliations, boredom, and drama of middle school are compressed into one surprising day in this extraordinary novel.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

DNF @ 36%

I think I've given this one enough of a chance. All Emmie does is complain about middle school, her parents, and being an introvert. There's no plot yet, and I'm more than 1/3 of the way through. A book needs to capture my attention well before that point if I'm going to want to continue. As it is, I keep seeing this one in progress on my Goodreads page and feel guilty for not cracking it open... but I just can't subject myself to any more boredom.

This is another of those "American middle school" books that I just can't relate to. We don't even have middle school where I live (we go from elementary school to high school between grades 7 and 8), so all of this "middle school is the worst!" stuff is just foreign to me. In this case, it's also exaggerated to a ridiculous degree, portraying rats (alive and dead) all over the school's floors. I think it's supposed to be funny, but I thought it was pretty stupid.

A graphic novel shouldn't be this much of a slog, so I'm calling it quits. There are other people waiting for it at the library, so I'm going to return it and let someone else be bored.

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