The Invisible

by Mats Wahl

One ordinary Monday morning in May, Hilmer Eriksson walks into his high school classroom and discovers that he has become invisible. No one can see him, no one can hear him. In fact, a police detective named Harald Fors arrives at school that very morning to investigate Hilmer's disappearance. The boy has no idea what's going on, but he's frightened, and he's starting to forget things - including what happened to him a few nights earlier. Detective...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374336091
• ISBN13: 9780374336097
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 186 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

The book is great!

I really liked this book! It differs very much (and the final too) from the movie, so be ready to find here absolutely new heroes, if you order "The Invisible" to read about Annie & Nick. But still it is great. Life, society and people as they are.

ThE InViSiBlE KcS

How would you feel if you beaten one night, but didn't know what has happen to you and discovered that you have become invisible? This is how Hilmer Erikson feels in this story. The title of this book is The Invisible by Matts Wahl. The setting of this story takes place in Northern Sweden and is modern time. The main character of this book is a 9th grader named Hilmer Erikson that has become invisible and is trying to discover why and Detective Fors who is trying to find the disappearance of Hilmer Erikson. On a Monday morning at Lugnet School, Hilmer Erikson finds out something weird, no one can see or hear him and does not know why. hilmer soon discovers that he has become invisible. Detective Fors is trying to put the disappearance of Hilmer together. He soon finds out that it was a group of kids from Hilmer's school that has kicked him to death. While being beaten, Hilmer is called a traitor for being nice to immigrants. Hilmer finds that his body is still alive and its his spirit that is trying to save him. He waits so that he can learn about the past events in his life. I think that the theme of this book is to watch out for others and to always be aware. The meaning of title The Invisible is about Hilmer being Invisible. I think the pacing of this book was very good and the authors craft was very detailed and he left you wondering throughout the whole book. I didn't think that this book was in Christian perspective because there was a lot of swearing throughout the story but in the ending there was people praying. The genre of this story was realistic fiction because everything in this book could happen in real life. I thought this book was excellent and I would recommend it to people who like mysteries.

Evil needs to be acknowledged and dealt with

As Detective Fors conducts his investigation, he turns up undercurrents of evil in the town, which have mostly used Neo-Naziism as a vehicle for their problems. Officials of the town have endeavoured to hide those traces, and look the other way. Had it been met and fought, things might have been different - but this is fiction, and designed to get one to think about what might have been. There is a saying that runs somethng like, "To free the guilty is to condemn the innocent." Or, as Albus Dumbledore put it, "Remember Cedric."

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Hilmer walked into school on Monday morning like normal, but quickly discovers that this isn't going to be a normal day. No one can see him. No one can hear him. Hilmer is invisible. Being invisible is a big enough problem on its own, but what makes it worse for Hilmer is the fact that he has no idea why he is invisible. It doesn't take long for Hilmer to find out that everyone thinks he has disappeared and that many people suspect foul play. Detective For is in charge of Hilmer's disappearance case. Hilmer decides if he stays close to him, he'll find out what happened and where his body is. Detective For hits many obstacles while trying to figure out what happened on the last day Hilmer was seen. Several local officials encourage Detective For to consider Hilmer a runaway and to not look too deeply into the mystery because it might look bad for the community. The community leaders are hoping the town will become a tourist/vacation spot. Turning up anything negative will bring in the press and possibly turn potential visitors away. Getting anyone to talk about what is going on in the school is difficult. Detective For can clearly see that Hilmer's locker has been recently painted in order to cover up graffiti. The word "Traitor" is scrawled on top of the new paint job, giving the detective a place to start. He finds out that there have been altercations between many of the locals and the immigrants moving in from other countries. After questioning students and teachers, Detective For learns that Hilmer defended one of the immigrants shortly before his disappearance. Issues of prejudice, white power, immigration, and hatred surface during the investigation. Can Detective For put together all the clues in time to help Hilmer become visible again? THE INVISIBLE by Mats Wahl is now a major motion picture; however, after reading a synopsis of the movie, so much has been changed that it doesn't resemble the premise of the book. It would be fair to say that the movie is LOOSELY based on the book of the same name. Reviewed by: Karin Perry

A superbly crafted mystery

Just how do you go about solving a murder - especially when the victim is supposed to be you? When Hilmer walked into his high school and what seems like a perfectly ordinary day, he finds that he's somehow turned invisible to everyone around him! A police detective arrives at school to investigate a teen's disappearance and in the course of his investigation, turns up undercurrents of bigotry and violence. Hilmer can't remember what happened to him, he can only follow the detective as clues are uncovered - and time is of the essence if what began as a missing-persons case turns into a murder investigation. An especially recommended addition to both school and community library fiction collections, "The Invisible" is a superbly crafted mystery that will leave young readers raptly engaged in the unfolding and deftly crafted story.