The Invisibles

By Author / Illustrator

Susie Bower (Author)

Genre

Fantasy

Age range(s)

Publisher

Pushkin Children's Books

ISBN

9781782694601

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

05-06-2025

Synopsis

A magical kingdom. Four friends. One terrible mistake...In the Land of Magic, four friends live a life filled with wonder. But there's one rule they must not break: never set foot on the Island of Darkness. So, when one child does the unthinkable, they must all pay a terrible price - exile to Wasteland, the bleak world where only grown-ups live. For Grace, this fate is particularly cruel. She wakes up with no memory of her magical home, or how she ended up here - and the only clue to her past is guarded by two hostile and mysteriously invisible children. As Grace uncovers the Invisibles' secrets, she must work out a way to return home, before Wasteland traps her forever...

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Reviews

Jacqueline

Four children live on a magical island. They have everything they need and only one rule; never go to the Island of Darkness. But one child breaks the rule and catapults his friends into a world called Wasteland, where there are no children and it is unbearably bleak. Grace wakes up with no memory of the past and no idea who she is. She only knows the mysterious and terrible Catcher is after her. Somehow, she must work out the past in order to save herself and the others from a terrible fate.

The Invisibles is delightfully original and also a little bit scary. It comes together in a delicious mix of slightly familiar and completely strange. The Catcher, for example reminded me of the Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Whilst he might look and behave differently, the adults don't like children, so they have someone to catch them.

The Island of Darkness holds a terrible secret and yet it also reminded me of Greek myths. I love the two aspects working together as it makes it really difficult to guess what comes next - I'm a reader who really likes originality.

Grace is very likeable, and the reader is taken on her journey as she struggles to remember who she is and what has happened to her. The Invisibles themselves are two children who are, as the name suggests, invisible. But it is not much fun being invisible in the world of Wasteland and they are struggling to survive.

The Invisibles is quite dark and scary in places, yet you somehow know that good will triumph in the end. Suitable for 9+, this book is great for talking about world building and the two worlds contrast very nicely for that.

240 pages / Reviewed by Jacqueline Harris, teacher