Invisible

Invisible is a middle-grade graphic novel written by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, illustrated by Gabriela Epstein, and colored by Lark Pien. Originally published in 2022, it is a realistic fiction novel that examines diversity and understanding by exploring the Unseen Pressures on the Children of Immigrant Families, Kindness Inspired by Diversity, and Individual Identity and Group Solidarity. The recipient of 29 recognitions and awards, Invisible has been well-received for its honest yet kind-hearted discussion of difficult topics.

This guide utilizes the 2022 Scholastic edition of the graphic novel.

Plot Summary

Set in Conrad Middle School on April 26, Invisible opens with five students (George, Sara, Dayara, Miguel, and Nico) sitting in Principal Powell’s office and wondering if they are about to be punished. A man who does not speak Spanish arrives to interview them for reasons as yet unknown to them, and he stereotypes them because they are all of Latinx background. Neither Nico nor Dayara can speak much English yet, so Sara and George translate for them after they introduce themselves by name and explain their own individual heritage. The interviewer asks George to explain the events that transpired over the past couple of weeks. George relates that he was called into the principal's office on April 9 because he had not yet contributed his three hours of community service like the other students in his grade. Worried that the principal might discover that he and his family recently moved outside the school district when they could no longer afford to rent their duplex, George had no choice but to acquiesce when Principal Powell signed him up for community service in the cafeteria before school in the mornings. George’s mom agreed to take him to school early each day.

George continues the story, relating what happened the next day. When George got to school the next morning, he found a group of students (Sara, Miguel, Dayara, and Nico) with whom he felt he had nothing in common. He realized that the principal put them together based on his assumption that they would all get along simply because they are all of Latinx heritage. Instead, they seemed to do nothing but argue at first. Mrs. Grouser, the school cafeteria worker, labeled them problem students and became irritated by Dayara’s lack of English-speaking skills. She instructed them to clean up leftover food and then go outside to pick up garbage. Outside, George tripped over a soda can and the other kids made fun of him, but Sara helped him up, only to be made fun of as well.

Back in the principal’s office in the present moment, Miguel takes over the story next. He describes how he whacked a bottle cap over the fence and nearly hit a woman sitting there with her daughter. In class, Dayara struggled to complete her homework and was too embarrassed to ask for help. After school, Miguel’s father picked him up following baseball practice and berated him for spending time on drawing instead of focusing on the game.

The next day, Miguel and Dayara spotted the same woman and her daughter, and the little girl walked up to them and introduced herself as Lisa. She pointed to a van and revealed that she and her mother were living there, which concerned Dayara and Miguel. They related the sad news to the rest of the group, and together they all decided to find a way to help. In the present moment, Dayara steps in next to narrate, first recalling that she went to visit her mother at work that afternoon and chose not to tell her about the trouble she was having at school. The next day, the mother and daughter were still there, and Miguel gave Lisa a dress for her doll while the others asked the mother if she needed their help. The mother denied being in trouble at first, but then admitted that her current living situation was only temporary. George insisted that they would bring her some food from the cafeteria the next morning.

The next morning, the students grabbed some of the leftovers and took them outside to give to Lisa and her mother. Mrs. Grouser discovered what they did and yelled at them for breaking the rules, but George managed to talk their way out of it. Nico tried to blame Sara for the trouble, but Dayara reminded her to be strong. Sara slowly opened up to George as well. Now, when Sara begins to narrate the story, she thinks back to being at home with her papi and remembers the night he told her that her mother and brothers would finally be moving to America to join them. When she came to school the next day, she offered to bring more food from home to avoid Mrs. Grouser’s suspicions. The next day, she and Miguel both brought some food from home and took it out to Lisa and her mother.

The students accused Nico of not doing enough to help Lisa and her mom, stereotyping him as selfish because of his family’s wealth. Now, Nico steps in to tell his side of the story. He remembers going home with his aunt, who lives in a retirement complex and regularly gets hounded by the neighbors because Nico is staying with her. To his aunt, he expressed his worries about his family and hoped that they would be coming to America soon. Nico and his aunt went out for dinner with a neighbor, and they found the manager to be overworked and understaffed. Nico had an idea to suggest that the manager offer a job to the woman who was struggling, and the manager agreed.

Nico ran into school the next day to tell the others the good news, and they all made a plan to tell the mother and her daughter the news about the job without Mrs. Grouser noticing their absence. Sara volunteered to be the one to sneak out. When the plan unfolded the next day, Mrs. Grouser caught Sara, which left George to take the risk of going outside to deliver the word about the job. Although he made it back in time, Mrs. Grouser and the principal became suspicious nevertheless and called the students into the principal’s office after slipping on some soap that Dayara poured on the floor. There, George explained why the kids lied, and Principal Powell recognized their desire to help someone in their community. Inspired by their newfound friendship and recent good deeds, the students’ lives began to change for the better. Dayara decided to ask for help with her homework and take a chance on making some effort in school, and Miguel decided to show his illustrations to his art teacher, realizing that he could both play baseball and draw. George figured out that he was proud of both his American and his Puerto Rican heritage, and Sara was glad to have finally made some friends.

In the present, the interview ends, and the man reveals that the students are about to be on television to celebrate their community leadership. The principal tells them that the woman, Celeste, got the job and has since been doing much better. They are given medals, a photo is taken, and they stand together knowing that they each played a part in helping someone in need.