Invisible by Pete Hautman

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In this first person narrative, we are introduced to Doug Hanson, a 17-year-old boy that only cares about two things, his railroad, the Madham Line, and his best friend Andy. Doug is viewed as a creep by the other kids, and Andy is a football star. Doug is psychologically unhinged, and like some people with mental illness, he believes he is fine and that it is others that have a problem. Doug is beat up after school, stalks his crush, and refuses to talk about an incident that happened a few years back at the Tuttle place, for which he sees a therapist and is strongly medicated. After calling in a bomb threat at school, Doug is kicked out and it is revealed that he is no longer taking his medication. While speaking with a psychiatrist, Doug recounts the moment when he and Andy started a fire in an abandoned house, which ended up taking the life of Andy. However, Doug still believes Andy is with him, and doesn't realize it is only in his head. Afterwards, Doug sets fire to his train and the town of Madham, and his basement burns down. Doug then claims to be in the Madham burn unit, with Andy by his side, but the reader is unsure whether Doug survived the fire or is in a mental institution. This realistic fiction novel covers mental illness and makes readers question whether a narrator's point of view can be trusted. 

Grades 7 and up.


Hautman, P. (2005). Invisible. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

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