Invisible Emmie

The story’s protagonist, Emmie Douglass, introduces herself as a “puddle of slime” who recently had an embarrassing incident (i). She never really found herself attractive to begin with, but now she feels even worse. An illustration shows a puddle of slime with eyes.

Emmie is dissatisfied with typical stories about outcasts, as she feels like these stories never feature a kid who goes unnoticed; instead, it is always someone who is remarkable in some way. Emmie wonders where she fits into all of this since she isn’t picked on or extraordinary; instead, she is just an ordinary girl who nobody seems to realize exists. Emmie recounts the standard progression of these stories, in which a stereotypical outcast is bullied and then finds a way to get revenge or learn something from the experience. These children are illustrated in the most stereotypical fashion, with the smart kid wearing glasses and the strange kid with bulging, bloodshot eyes. They also seem to magically make friends as they go along this journey of self-discovery. An illustration shows Emmie sitting with a paper bag over her head and cobwebs attached to her. She wonders about kids who are “heroes in waiting” (4).