I just finished reading The Schwa Was Here today.  I enjoyed it immensely!  At first I thought it was going to be about supernatural events, but it was anything but.  One of the main characters is "invisible-ish," according to classmates.  Nobody ever seems to really notice or pay attention to him.  His name is Calvin Schwa.  He is likened to the schwa referring to the vowel sound that largely goes unnoticed and is marked by an upside down e. 

 

 

The boy feels unimportant and unnoticed since his mother disappeared when he was five and his father retreated into his own world, ignoring Calvin for the most part.  The story is told by Anthony (Antsy) who befriends Calvin (the Schwa).  Together they have several adventures.  Antsy tries to help the Schwa deal with the fact that nobody ever seems to notice him.  At first he exploits this "talent," making money from it.  Then he feels bad for the Schwa and tries to help him solve the mystery of what happened to his mother.  The two boys end up working for grumpy Mr. Crawley and must endure verbal abuse.  Mr. Crawley's blind granddaughter comes to spend the summer.  Mr. Crawley requires the boys to spend time with her and make her feel welcome.  Through a series of events, the Schwa's family mystery is finally solved.

 

One reason I really liked this story is because of the subtle messages it contained.  How many children at one time or another in their lives feel like they may as well be invisible, either at home or at school?  Both Antsy and the Schwa had to deal with this feeling.  They also dealt with unfair treatment.  They even fought over a girl that both of them liked.  The boys learned all the right lessons, although they suffered some while doing it. 

 

Kids will like the fast pace of this book as well as how the action moves from one thing to another.  There are several subplots within the main plot, wich adds more interest to the story.  I would highly recommend this book!