Common Sense Media Review
By Darienne Stewart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Texting drama helps an insecure and popular girl connect.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 2 parent reviews
Based on 11 kid reviews
Kids say this book is entertaining and funny, particularly resonating with middle school themes, but some find it cliché and lacking depth, with unrealistic portrayals of adolescence. Readers appreciate its relatable moments and the positive message about self-advocacy, although younger audiences may struggle to grasp certain nuances, making it best suited for fourth to sixth graders.
- entertaining and funny
- relatable themes
- cliché story
- middle school focus
- self-advocacy message
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
INVISIBLE EMMIE follows two girls having very different experiences in seventh grade. Emmie describes herself as "quiet, skinny, and flat," and she feels invisible. Aside from her friend Brianna, no one seems to notice or care about her. Katie is smart, athletic, pretty, and popular -- it seems to come naturally for her, though she works hard to succeed on so many fronts. Katie's delighted when Tyler asks her out. Emmie has a secret crush on him, too, and she and Brianna jokingly write love letters to their crushes. A class bully finds Emmie's letter and shares it throughout the school, leaving Emmie squirming in the spotlight. Katie wants to help her out -- but Emmie wants to find her own voice.
Is It Any Good?
Cartoonist Terri Libenson gets to the heart of middle school anxieties with her keenly felt -- and funny -- debut novel about two unalike seventh-graders having an emotional roller coaster of a day. Libenson, who focuses on family life in her comic strip, The Pajama Diaries, shows a deep understanding of how painful middle school can be for insecure kids in Invisible Emmie.
Libenson presents Emmie's story with smaller, detailed art in muted colors surrounded by text but tells confident Katie's story with large comics-style panels, bold lines, and bright colors. Emmie is self-deprecatingly funny, and it's easy to root for her as she starts to shed her overly sensitive skin. Katie's storyline might seem unsettling to readers: As she admirably confronts the boys mocking Emmie, Katie feels ignored and cast aside. The surprise ending resolves this nicely, but the message about standing up to unkind behavior gets a little muddled.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Invisible Emmie finds her voice. What changes once she starts speaking up for herself?
Which character seems more realistic to you: Katie or Emmie? Why?
Have you ever found a sense of humor helpful when you felt uncomfortably in the spotlight?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Graphic Novel
- Topics : Friendship , School ( Middle School )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Balzer + Bray
- Publication date : May 2, 2017
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 192
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate