Overview
Alicia may be blind, but that doesn't mean she can't see what's happening right in front of her eyes. Like how her parents try to give her freedom. Or how Bobby-now Robert-has returned to figure out their relationship. Or even the invisible man, William, and just how dangerous he is to Alicia, to Robert, to their whole family-or so the police say. Or is Alicia wrong this time? If her normally sharp instincts are wrong, the results could be disastrous.
From award-winning author Andrew Clements, here is a novel full of adventure, romance, and mystery, which at its heart is about trusting-even things we know but cannot see.
Synopsis
Alicia may be blind, but that doesn't mean she can't see what's happening right in front of her eyes. Like how her parents try to give her freedom. Or how Bobby—now Robert—has returned to figure out their relationship. Or even the invisible man, William, and just how dangerous he is to Alicia, to Robert, to their whole family—or so the police say. Or is Alicia wrong this time? If her normally sharp instincts are wrong, the results could be disastrous.
From award-winning author Andrew Clements, here is a novel full of adventure, romance, and mystery, which at its heart is about trusting—even things we know but cannot see.
KLIATT
Alicia, blind for the past four years, prides herself on dealing "with things as they are," even things as bizarre as an invisible boy, Bobby, whom she met in Things Not Seen and helped to turn visible again. In the sequel, Things Hoped For, Bobby goes to New York City to audition for music school, and he encounters an invisible man. In Things That Are, this scared, desperate man follows Bobby back to Chicago, finds Alicia, and begs her for help in becoming visible again. But can Bobby and Alicia trust him, and also keep the dangerous secret of invisibility safe from the FBI? Invisibility has worrying military applications, and in addition Bobby doesn't want to become the subject of scientific experiments. As Alicia and Bobby wrestle with these issues, their relationship turns romantic, and fans of Clements's earlier books about Bobby will certainly want to read this latest intriguing entry, with its theme of trust in what can't be seen. Reviewer: Paula Rohrlick
Editorials
VOYA -
Two years ago, Bobby became invisible, and Alicia, who is blind, aided him. His trust helped her accept the reality of her blindness. Now in Clements third novel about the two, as she hopes their relationship will deepen, the invisibility issue threatens them again. An Englishman named William approaches Alicia at the university library and tells her that the FBI is following Bobby. Alicia does not realize that William is invisible and looking for Bobby to discover how to change back. Bobby deeply distrusts William. But Alicia, who is not distracted by sight, hears desperation and fear in William's voice. Their uncertainty about William's motives heightens suspense. Hanging over everything is the knowledge that if a government or terrorist group knew about invisibility technology, they would at best disrupt the lives of Bobby and Alicia-and at worst put them in terrible danger. The fathers of both teens are physicists, who explain some basic principles of electrical energy fields, cloaking technology, and the possibility of an invisibility process. Told in Alicia's wise-beyond-her-years, credible voice, the story's tension begins on page one when she overhears a cell phone argument between Bobby and William, and it mounts as complications arise. In order to accept the dangerous situation in which they find themselves, Alicia reminds herself how she deals with blindness: She faces reality (the "Things That Are"), deals with it, and moves forward. Every day she makes a decision not to be blind, which is different from being unable to see. Her attitude leads her through the darkness, literally and metaphorically. Reviewer: Florence H. MunatKLIATT -
Alicia, blind for the past four years, prides herself on dealing "with things as they are," even things as bizarre as an invisible boy, Bobby, whom she met in Things Not Seen and helped to turn visible again. In the sequel, Things Hoped For, Bobby goes to New York City to audition for music school, and he encounters an invisible man. In Things That Are, this scared, desperate man follows Bobby back to Chicago, finds Alicia, and begs her for help in becoming visible again. But can Bobby and Alicia trust him, and also keep the dangerous secret of invisibility safe from the FBI? Invisibility has worrying military applications, and in addition Bobby doesn't want to become the subject of scientific experiments. As Alicia and Bobby wrestle with these issues, their relationship turns romantic, and fans of Clements's earlier books about Bobby will certainly want to read this latest intriguing entry, with its theme of trust in what can't be seen. Reviewer: Paula RohrlickSchool Library Journal
Gr 7 Up
Alicia's best friend, Bobby, has gone to New York to scout out colleges, and she realizes that sooner or later she is going to have to tell him that she wants more than just friendship. As she faces the possibility that he is leaving her behind, and is still dealing with her blindness, a new problem crops up. At one point Bobby became invisible, and now there is another invisible person named William stalking him. He follows Bobby home, FBI agents are dropping by, and Alicia wonders just what's going on. Does William just want to return to normal? Is the FBI trying to steal the technology to turn people invisible? Or is William the real threat? Alicia's internal monologues are long, repetitive, and stilted. The plot gathers steam near the end, but Alicia's constant angst over Bobby detracts from it. Their relationship does not seem to have grown any deeper at the end of the book other than the fact that they have kissed. The language and writing seem a little too simple for the YA crowd, but fans of Things Not Seen (2002) and Things Hoped For (2006, both Philomel) might enjoy this installment in the series.-Jennifer-Lynn Draper, Children's Literature Consultant, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada