The School for Invisible Boys by Shaun David Hutchinson (review)

Reviewed by: The School for Invisible Boys by Shaun David Hutchinson Adam McConville Hutchinson, Shaun David. The School for Invisible Boys. Labyrinth Road, 2024 [304p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780593646298 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593646311 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 5-8 A year into being the new kid at his all-boys Catholic middle school in Florida, Hector Griggs feels more unseen than ever. Blake, his former best friend, protector, and crush, angrily rejected Hector and called him homophobic slurs when Hector asked if Blake wanted to be his boyfriend. Now openly bullied by Blake at school and overlooked by his stepfamily at home, Hector's sense of invisibility manifests literally when he discovers he can disappear at will. This new power lets Hector see the truth about the ghostly rumors surrounding his school, showing him both a lost boy forgotten by everyone else and a ghastly, manipulative monster hunting them both down as it feeds on their fear. Hutchinson's middle grade debut effectively combines creature horror and the cruelty of middle school machismo, with a protagonist relatable in both insecurities and flaws. Lurking in a nest of tar and black mold, the monster is a grotesque embodiment of toxic social pressures, a writhing mass of tentacles covered in fanged mouths that has psychologically tormented students for decades. Hector can't best it alone, but he's perceptive, "sensitive," and that combined with his strong sense of self and unique power draws allies. Yet his first-person narration also makes clear that years of defensiveness and insecurity can make him lash out or cloud his judgment. While Hector is right that Blake was under the monster's influence, their heartfelt reconciliation acknowledges that [End Page 253] Blake independently chose to reject Hector, and that Hector had turned a blind eye to the ways Blake could bully other boys while being kind to him. The conclusion sees the monster defeated and groundwork laid for emotional healing, even as hints of others with unique powers and timely aid from a mysterious organization leave the door open for more dangers.