What's Your Superpower?

As a former camp counselor and current teacher it's safe to say I have lead a fair amount of icebreakers.  If you are unfamiliar with the concept of an icebreaker it's basically a quick game or silly questions designed to make a group of people who haven't met before feel comfortable around each other.

One of the most common icebreaker questions is "If you could have any superpower, which one would you want?"  Flying is a popular answer, as is reading minds or super strength.  But I think the most popular answer, and the one I always went with, was the power to be invisible.

That's exactly what happens to 15-year old Bobby Phillips in Andrew Clements Things Not Seen.  One night, he goes to sleep-totally normal.  The next morning he wakes up invisible.  Now this sounds like a dream come true, and at first-it is.  Bobby does all the things I would want to do if I became invisible, listen in on conversations, scare your parents, etc.

But then it gets complicated.  See you can only miss so many days of schools and it's not like Bobby's mom can write a note saying "sorry Bobby wasn't at school today, he suddenly turned invisible."  And while being invisible sometimes feels powerful but it can also feel lonely and isolating.  There's also this small, slightly awkward, detail: Bobby is invisible, but things he touches stay visible.  So in order to stay invisible he has to be...naked.  His clothes will still show up.

Desperate to get out of the house Bobby bundles up, gloves, hat, scarf and sunglasses-so no invisibleness peeks through-and heads to the library.   There he has the (mis?) fortune to bump into Alicia, who doesn't notice he's invisible because she is blind.  Together can they solve the mystery of Bobby's invisibility?  Or will he be unseen forever?

I loved this book. I loved Bobby, I loved Alicia, I loved their parents.  This was a great one.

Giving back your superpower (or not)...that's kids stuff.