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The book reads quickly, yet has a bit more text than the standard graphic novel, working more as a transitional chapter book to move this audience into reading books with more girth. It is beautifully and thoughtfully designed and this also sets it apart from the average fair. Katie is large splashy cartoons in vibrant colors. Emmie has more text with smaller doodle-like illustrations in muted colors. Libenson pens both characters differently. The ending is a twist that readers will love and it is executed really well. The difference lies in the contrasting characters and points of view. As typical for this genre, the main character struggles with fitting in with her peers, lacks self-confidence, and is suffering through middle school. The latest in the popular trend of semi-autobiographical novels geared primarily towards girls, first made popular by Raina Telegemeirer's Smile, Invisible Emmie is the same, yet different. Emmie pulls through her humiliation with more confidence and strength and she has opened up and made a few new friends in the process. A surprise ending shows the reader that we are all a little Emmie and a little Katie and that no one is completely perfect or hopeless. Emmie gains the needed confidence, pushes Katie away, and finds the courage to actually talk to the crush herself and to make a new friend.

Help surprisingly comes from Katie, who encourages Emmie to stand up to bullies and to speak-up for herself.

Emmie writes a love letter, partly in jest, to said crush, only to have it fall into enemy hands and lead to exposure and severe humiliation. We see the different takes on the same school day as related by the two different girls. In direct contrast is Katie, who is athletic, popular, and confident. The only way to cope is by drawing and submersing herself in her artwork to get through the day. School is torture and she struggles with asserting herself and feels invisible. Two very different girls recount the same day at school with some interaction, yet very different points of view and experiences. Balzer & Bray/HarperCollins, 2017 185 pages