Praise for INVISIBLE EMMIE: "In her first children's book, cartoonist Libenson offers strikingly different visions of seventh grade through two very dissimilar narrators. Praise for INVISIBLE EMMIE: "This funny and heartfelt tale will ring true for anyone who's ever felt invisible." - Victoria Jamieson, Newbery Honor author-illustrator of ROLLER GIRL Reading INVISIBLE EMMIE sums up middle school: You laugh, you cry, you get beaned in the head with a volleyball." - Stephan Pastis, author of Timmy Failure Praise for INVISIBLE EMMIE: "Clever, funny work by a great cartoonist. INVISIBLE EMMIE is unforgettable!" - Lincoln Peirce, author of Big Nate A fantastic debut novel with plenty of laughs and tons of heart. Praise for INVISIBLE EMMIE: "This is middle grade fiction at its best. "The story is light but resonant for middle graders, with constant comedic asides in the illustrations." - Kirkus Reviews A poignant twist ending adds a heartening note to an already charming story." - Booklist
"Libenson nicely touches on classic middle-grade tropes, such as shifting friendships, crushes, and developing confidence. "Libenson captures middle-school dramas-family, friendships, crushes, stereotypes, grades, self-discovery-with candor, fast pacing, and authentic, relatable characters. Libenson stresses the importance of being true to oneself, and readers will root for the characters to succeed." - School Library Journal "Funny details of Brianna and Izzy's lives ring true as the author explores relatable topics such as middle school friendships, self-discovery, and family dynamics. A poignant twist ending adds a heartening note to an already charming story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.) Libenson nicely touches on classic middle-grade tropes, such as shifting friendships, crushes, and developing confidence, while the combination of comics, which make up Bri's story, and sections of text with spot illustrations are particularly well suited to the themes. Sneaking out obviously isn't a great idea, but Izzy's determined to get her time in the spotlight. Meanwhile, Izzy has been practicing for the talent show for weeks?to the detriment of her other school work?but when her mom finds out she flunked an important test, she grounds her on the night of the performance. When her mom, the new middle-school drama teacher, asks her to perform a scene for the talent show, she agrees despite her serious case of stage fright. Brianna knows she's smart, but she's starting to chafe against her nickname, the Brain. MaGrades 3-6 Following a similar structure as Invisible Emmie (2016), Libenson's sophomore illustrated novel tells parallel stories of two middle-school girls struggling to find a way to fit in.