Title: The Schwa Was Here

Author: Neal Shusterman

Paperback: 228

Publisher: Puffin; Second Edition edition (March 2, 2006)

Genre: Humor

Source: purchased

Synopsis: (From Amazon)

When Anthony "Antsy" Bonano and his friends meet Calvin Schwa, they are impressed and puzzled by his ability to appear and disappear before their very eyes. Antsy concocts a moneymaking scheme based on the Schwa's invisibility that seems promising until he and his friends overreach and are caught by the town's legendary mean millionaire, Mr. Crawley. Their resulting community service project--walking the 7 virtues and 7 vices (Crawley's 14 afghan hounds) and going out with Crawley's granddaughter Lexie--cements and ultimately challenges friendships. The humor is just right for boys, but the complexity of plot, the depth and richness of the characters, and the underlying seriousness of the issues belies the easy-to-read comedy. Schwa is an average kid who hangs on the periphery of the crowd and longs to be noticed and included, not simply ignored. His character is extreme, but far too many adolescents--and the adults who work with them--will sadly and guiltily recognize him.

My Thoughts:

This is possibly the greatest, most confusing book ever. Schwa is a "Functionally Invisible" child ignored by everyone, even his dad. I really love this story because it goes through all the problems of being a teen like girls, parents, and who is and who isn't your friend. But I sometimes feel sad for the Schwa because no one listens to him, no one sees him, and in the story he talks about his paper clip collection using those paper clips as a metaphor for himself. He says that, like the paperclip, his life is about holding everything together and never being noticed for it.

I also like Mr.Crawley, the crazy old man that just happens to own everything. He's absolutely insane, but he can be insane with the amount of money and power he has. Antsy tells a story about one year a group of kids egged Mr. Crawley's house, and for the next month, no one could find eggs anywhere within their neighborhood.

If you like this book, look for Antsy Does Time.

Thə End

---------------------------------------------------------------

SNAPSRating: ✭✭✭✭

Would I read it again? Yes
Would I read more from this author? Yes
Who should read this? This book is for tweens or teens and sometimes older. You should read this book if you like weird random events and humor.
Next on the TBR pile: Paper Towns by John Green