This is my first book by this author and is my favorite YA book of the year so far. By the time I got to the end I couldn't believe how many hard topics the author had covered. It is a hard look at what is a reality for many people. I loved this eye opening book so much and will be recommending this to everyone I know.

From the Publisher:
Life can change in an instant.
When you’re wrongfully accused of a crime.
When a virus shuts everything down.
When the girl you love moves on.

Andre Jackson is determined to reclaim his identity. But returning from juvie doesn’t feel like coming home. His Portland, Oregon, neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying, and COVID-19 shuts down school before he can return. And Andre’s suspicions about his arrest for a crime he didn’t commit even taint his friendships. It’s as if his whole life has been erased.

The one thing Andre is counting on is his relationship with the Whitaker kids—especially his longtime crush, Sierra. But Sierra’s brother Eric is missing, and the facts don’t add up as their adoptive parents fight to keep up the act that their racially diverse family is picture-perfect. If Andre can find Eric, he just might uncover the truth about his own arrest. But in a world where power is held by a few and Andre is nearly invisible, searching for the truth is a dangerous game.

My Thoughts:
In March 2020, when the moon tilted and society and education as we knew it shut down like large stadium lights, what burned brightest in the darkness was what Ladson-Billings, (2021) identifies as residual effects of the four pandemics: the COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic of systemic racism, the economic crisis, and the climate crisis. These four pandemics just made obvious those deep disparities in our own community and in our systems of education. Previously, as a social justice educator, I firmly believed that education would save us. What these pandemics clearly showed through our leaders who made decisions based on misinformation and arrogant privilege was that education did not have the power to save us. I was so used to working within a dirty fish tank that I did not realize that the water was dirty.

Reading Kim Johnsonʻs novel is like being put back in the midst of the oncoming pandemic from the point of view of an African American teen wrongly accused of a crime, and put on house arrest just as the world, and Oregon, starts to shut down. From his perspective, we also see the BLM movement as it unfolded in Portland with the Proud Boy stirring up trouble in a peaceful demonstration. In hindsight, those of us that lived through these times and watched it unfolded daily from our television sets, can see this from a more personal perspective than our own. In addition, if we are reading this, we have survived, All of us know of family and friends who did not make it to this point. I have been to a COVID wedding viz Zoom. I know some of my students went through trauma during this time, moved into shelters to get away from abuse, even got ill along with family members and lost family members. I too lost a family member to COVID. I have participated in a virtual graduation, a drive by graduation, a "family bubble" graduation. I have taught on Zoom, observed my student teachers teaching to black screens via Zoom, sat with my preschool aged grandson during Zoom class, taught behind a line in a social distance classroom with a mask while the rest of the students were on Zoom (here or there hybrid). This book does not talk about all of these, but that is what this book brought back for me.

It is interesting that for our middle grade students, this is already historical fiction when for the adults this feels like yesterday.

Similar to Johnsonʻs This is My America where there are many smaller storylines and social injustice subplots happening, this too is complex and undefinable in just one or two words or hashtags. This is a story about Andreʻs experience, but it is also a budding love story between Andre and the girl next door, Sierra. In addition, this is a mystery around what happened to Eric, Sierra's brother and the one who may have framed Andre. It is a "from the ground" view of the Black Lives Matter protest in Portland, Oregon. It is a story about the power of social media to warn and rally. It is a story about a family dealing with the racial side of the COVID 19 virus and its consequence on small business owners, essential workers and the black, Hispanic (and Indigenous) families who have paid a higher price in this pandemic. It is about Andre trying to find justice for himself.

When the Black Lives Matter movement was happening in Portland, my youngest son was graduating from Reed College and his girlfriend was working at the Doc Marten in Portland. They are both asian and native Hawaiian. They both are about six feet and fair. She told us that she quit because one of the white "protestors" came in, saw her name tag (she has a Hawaiian name), and said what are you? What kind of name is that? This kind of arrogant privilege of blatantly searching for otherness was more than she wanted to deal with in a multiple pandemic environment. Reading this book helped me to understand her experience better even if it was a little different. Perhaps an Asian YA author will tackle the China virus backlash from a YA point of view

Suggestions for Curriculum and Classroom Use:
Thematic currents:
Racism
Sexual harassment
Child Abuse
Violence
Stereotyping
Illness, Death
Trauma
Activity:
Anticipation Guide: never start a book by starting to read the book or even worse, having students read the book on their own in a cold reading. You want students to think about key concepts before they read in order to provide a tangible purpose for reading, and perhaps a way to bring their own experiences into the transaction of reading and meaning making. How it works:
1. Create a few (3-5) short questions or statements related to the text, using true/false, yes/no, or agree/disagree formats. The best questions pose big, open-ended issues, rather than previewing micro-details from the text.

2. Questions posed should not have a single correct answer. Instead try to activate prior knowledge, beliefs, and ideas. If you have time, they can discuss their answers with a partner before you call the class back to make some consensus predictions or bring up a core disagreement amongst the pairs. At the end of the book, they can go back to their original anticipation guide responses.

3. Example questions: School administrators and police target students that are colored and poor. (Agree/disagree); Many white Americans have power and privilege to operate above the law; The COVID 19 pandemic made Americaʻs inequality worse.

Audio-assisted Re-Reading: The audio book of this novel, narrated by Kim Johnson (the author), and Guy Lockard is expertly done and will help students to build fluency skills and prosody from these narrators. If this book is very difficult for struggling readers, even with assistance, they can be given the audio book. However, for others, the audiobook can be a way to enhance their understanding and build meaning making by reading a chapter the first time (in whatever way you want to do it, but please, not popcorn or round robin reading that is not stopped by think aloud from an expert reader like the teacher) and then having students "re read" with the audiobook. You can ask leveled questions that go beyond mere comprehension to motive, characterization, tone, etc.

Publication Information:
Author: Kim Johnson

Publisher: Ember (May 14, 2024)

Paperback: 432 pages

ISBN-13: 978-0593482131

Grade level: 9-12

Invisible Son by Kim Johnson is a young adult thriller that tells the story of Andre Jackson, a teenager who is wrongly accused of a crime. After spending six months in juvenile detention, Andre returns home to a world that has been changed by a pandemic. He is determined to clear his name and win back his girlfriend, but he faces many challenges along the way.

The book has been praised for its social justice themes and its portrayal of the Black experience in America. It is a fast-paced and suspenseful read that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Invisible Son by Kim Johnson is a story about a kid who goes away to a juvenile detention center for a crime he didn’t do. On top of that he is released at a time that coronavirus is spreading throughout the world.

This book touched my soul in such a way that is so hard to describe. I could feel the pain and the suffering of the characters as I still remember when the virus was spreading and we didn’t understand what was going on. I remember the protest against the police of what happened to George Floyd. This book was an A+ read!

Thank you Netgalley and Random house for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book offers so much - truth, hope, and an amazing sense of how does one recreate their lives after a wrongful conviction?
Andre's conviction is overturned - finally proven innocent in the eyes of the court, he must now convince his community. Piecing his life together, tracking down his friends during Covid. Claustrophobia plays a huge role - almost a character of itself.
So well done.

Kim Johnson is a master at portraying the complex ways society and individuals deny personhood to people of color. It affects the court system, at the community level, in healthcare. And there was no point in our shared recent history where that was more evident than in 2020.

Andre is a relatable protagonist because he just wants to be a good kid, but is faced with circumstances where no one around him believes that. Andre, Sierra, Boogie, and so many of the characters here are interesting and sympathetic, and there are so many important discussions here.

Despite the intense subject matter (while dealing with the pandemic and BLM movement from 2020, there are also discussions of transracial adoption, child abuse, sexual assault, and gentrification), it doesn’t hit as hard as This is My America. It’s a good book, but doesn’t transcend to greatness.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

"Invisible Son" by Kim Johnson is a gripping and thought-provoking thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. I was captivated by Dre's journey to reclaim his identity and solve the mystery of his wrongful incarceration, all while navigating the complexities of family, friendship, and first love.

From the moment I started reading, I found myself rooting for Dre, the resilient and determined protagonist. Johnson's writing is so realistic that I felt like I was watching a True Crime documentary, completely immersed in Dre's quest for justice. The incorporation of the COVID-19 pandemic added an extra layer of realism to the story, shedding light on issues of systemic racism and the disproportionate impact on communities of color.

One of the standout aspects of the book is its exploration of complex social issues, including wrongful incarceration, the juvie system, and gentrification. Johnson tackles these topics with thoughtfulness and fearlessness, sparking important conversations about race and justice.

Despite the weighty themes, "Invisible Son" is also a story about personal relationships and the power of resilience. Dre's journey is not only about seeking truth and justice but also about navigating the complexities of family dynamics and decoding mixed signals from his crush.

Overall, "Invisible Son" is an engaging and mysterious thriller that will leave you wanting more. Johnson's masterful storytelling and compelling characters make this book a must-read for anyone seeking an immersive and thought-provoking literary experience.

Let me first say that the cover is an artistic masterpiece! Classic tale of a young black boy accused of a crime and sent to juvie. Saddens me due to the school to prison pipeline for our boys of color but it's an unfortunate reality. Bound to the code of not snitching, Andre doesn't. He resolves to make some changes in his life amid the COVID pandemic at the same time trying to prove he's innocent. The ending was amazing! I enjoyed this book.

3.5 stars rounded up. I would be lying if I didn’t say that the author’s note, the playlist, and the ending didn’t influence my rating. This book was written very well, the story was interesting, and the characters were like able.

This is a story that needed to be told. The trauma of 2020 and the deep depression that a lot of us including myself experienced. Some of the things and topics in this story made me have flashbacks and a visceral reaction.

The ending honestly blew my mind and i can’t honestly say it made me wish I would have focused more in the middle of the book.

The book started off very good but somewhere between 30-75% it was very repetitive and the focus on the pandemic was so tiring. The constant reading about the masks, social distancing, and Covid talk was so tiring and bogged down. I do wish that part was not so much.

Overall it was a good read. I would love to read more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

Thank you @prhaudio and author @kcjohnsonwrites for this book in exchange for my honest review.

I had the opportunity to meet Kim Johnson when the community college I work for read This is my America as our community read a few years ago. She is amazing and I loved hearing her talk about her writing process and how she develops her characters.

Invisible Son is her second book and is just as good if not better than her previous book. Her writing style flows easily and the way she weaves complexity into both the story and characters is top notch. She has the ability to hook me from the start and fully immerse me in the story. I literally can’t put her books down or in this case hit the pause button.

She’s definitely an #autobuyauthor for me and I can’t wait to read her next book!

This took me 3 tries to get into. After living through 2020, this felt like just a repeat of life in America that year. We see Andre's experience with social distancing, masking, and loved ones falling ill with COVID-19. Andre talks about videos of George Floyd, the death of Breonna Taylor ("We aren't safe in our homes, we aren't safe anywhere"), and attending BLM protests. This is all handled well, I just struggled with it having lived through the hell of 2020 myself.

Through all this, Andre is trying to prove his innocence as yet another young black teen charged with a crime he did not commit. Secrets are revealed along the way, and the mystery element of the book was very well done and finally hooked me later in the story.

If I hadn't lived through the hell of 2020 myself, I would have liked this book much more.

It's hard for me to even know where to start with this review. This was one of my favorite books of the year, and it reached that pinnacle with such well-crafted, subtle, unassuming prose and richly formed characters that tug at your heart. This is the first book I've read that incorporates the pandemic into its story -- in fact, it's front and center -- in a way that truly captured everything that the pandemic was for so many people -- the uncertainty, the fear, the surreality, the anger, the bizarreness, the unfairness... I could go on and on. I strongly feel that people in the U.S. have not even begun to reckon with or process the gaping psychic wound that the COVID-19 pandemic left us with, much less the necessary but painful racial reckoning that came with it, but this is the first book I've read that even attempts to help with that processing, and it's a wonderful, successful, valiant attempt at that. I felt the pain of the protagonist as he searches for answers, and I appreciated how real and accurate the portrayals of all aspects of the pandemic and how it progressed were. I reported on the pandemic as it was happening, so I'm deeply intimate with the timeline of events and the emotions that accompanied each new even in that timeline, and I was astounded at how well the author captured all of it without skipping over parts or feelings or trivializing the uncertainty and fear. She also portrays the complexities of race relations accurately and fairly, and she clearly knew the history of Portland and expertly weaved in that knowledge into the narrative such that the setting became a character as well. I will be recommending this book to everyone I can.

Kim Johnson could write down her bedtime routine and I’d read it happily. She just knows how to suck you in to a story.

Kim Johnson writes amazing contemporary fiction with mystery elements. The only other author who is writing this genre to the same caliber as Johnson is Angeline Boulley--and I highly recommend them both!

This book faces the issues of wrongful incarceration, the juvie system, and the systemic racism against Black people and people of color with so much thought and fearlessness. Invisible Son is also set during the COVID-19 pandemic. I hadn't read a pandemic book yet and was honestly avoiding them. I didn't know the pandemic would be a major factor in this book, but it was flawlessly incorporated and the issues it brought up (like POC being affected more than white people) were integrated perfectly.

But don't get it twisted--this book is engaging and mysterious and lovely. Our main character, Andre, deals with complicated family dynamics which are exacerbated by his parole, he's trying to figure out what happened to one of his best friends while he was in juvie, and he's trying to decode the mixed signals from his crush. I adored the personal relationships in this book and the mystery element as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Take an already difficult situation - a kid released from Juvenile Hall trying to make things right with his family - and add in the complications of COVID and a missing neighbor. It's a bit too much. The plot is disjointed to the detriment of all three major plot lines. Too scattered and doesn't give characters enough development.

INVISIBLE SON was an excellent, tough, emotional book, one that pushed aside other entertainments and obligations, one that I had to finish before bed because Andre and others felt so real, so courageous, and I cared about them.
The dealings with police, the implications of COVID, and the scenes of BLM protests in Portland were intense, like being there, angry and scared and determined to set things right. This is an important book, one I’d include in high school curriculum and in every library.

Accused of a crime he didn't commit!

17yo Andre returns to his home in Portland, Oregon feeling angry, confused and disgruntled after serving two months in a juvenile detention center for something he didn’t do. He also has to adjust to pandemic life because everything seems to have changed. Andre was framed for robberies when someone placed a backpack of stolen items in his locker and that’s the evidence that sent him away. He has an idea of who did it and he wants to know the truth. When his friend Eric goes missing, the danger builds and secrets are revealed as Andre tries to find his friend and get justice.

Likes/dislikes: The chapter titles are fun since they’re named after songs. The history of our country’s turmoil during the pandemic is represented well. I enjoyed the book and read it straight through. The story reminds me a bit of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, because of the harsh reality brought to life, but with less swearing.
Language: R for 45 swears and 4 f-words.
Mature Content: PG-13 for underage smoking and the mention of underage drinking.
Violence: PG-13 for mention of attempted murder suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning.
Ethnicity: Ethnicity is predominantly white with the Black main characters of Andre, Sierra and Eric. Luis is Mexican American.

As the blurb promises, this is a book about being a young Black man in America. There is the injustice Andre faces when he is accused of and held responsible for something he didn't do. The book also touches on the protests following George Floyd's death, the effects of Covid on people, and the importance of family and community. The author does a good job with the main character and many of the secondary characters as well. I thought the mystery aspect of the book was good and I was quite surprised by the ending!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.