Flamingnet Student Book Reviewer KBer
Visibility by Sarah Neufeld tells the story of a girl
struggling to understand herself and the people around
her. One thing separates her from sharing this situation
with her peers: on her eighteenth birthday, Natalie
discovers that that she has a superpower of sorts - she
can turn invisible. With her bodyguard sitting in for her
absent father and her mother, Jadyn, acting invisible in
more ways than one, it's no surprise that Natalie is
unsure of how to deal with her new ability. After spending
years in the infamous Jadyn Irving's shadow, Natalie
strives to keep her talent hidden, but this proves to be
more of a challenge than she expects. Caught up in a world
of blackmail, deception, and absent family, Natalie must
learn how to use this ability to discover truth, without
endangering her own life and the lives of those around
her.
As an illustrated novel, Sarah Neufeld's
Visibility falls in between graphic novels and common
novels. Less intimidating than a graphic novel, it has the
potential to introduce otherwise cautious readers to the
genre. As someone who is always trying to convince her
friends to try out a graphic novel, I am thankful to find
a book I know they won't regret reading. Furthermore,
Meister's illustrations are extraordinary, adding to the
vividness of the plot without distracting from the text.
Neufeld skillfully merges the power of invisibility into
her work of fiction so that Visibility remains accessible
to readers of all genres, not just fantasy. Told from
Natalie's perspective, the reader feels her panic at being
caught by her bodyguard after sneaking out and even
experiences invisibility with her. While Visibility won't
take long to read thanks to the fast-paced plot and
frequent illustrations, it will leave the reader with a
first-rate impression of illustrated novels that will
linger for days to come.
Reviewer Age:19
Reviewer
City, State and Country: Farmington, CT USA