Invisible Son by Kim Johnson
on June 27, 2023
ISBN: 0593482115
Genres: Suspense
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

Set in the year 2020, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest, 17-year-old Andre Jackson returns to his grandparent’s house, after a two-month stint in juvenile detention for a crime he didn’t commit, with an ankle monitor and a question hanging over his head–where is his best friend Eric Whitaker? The Whitakers are a white family that lives next door, who adopted Eric and his sister Sierra (who also happens to be Andre’s longtime crush) as well as a Hispanic boy named Luis. While the Whitakers have been instrumental in helping Andre and his family through his incarceration, Andre can’t shake the feeling that there is more to their story that Eric simply “ran away.” This slow-burn thriller tackles gentrification, racism, privilege, the juvenile criminal justice system, and transracial adoption–dropping hard truths into readers’ laps and giving them plenty to chew on. Fans of Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, and Angie Thomas won’t want to miss this. Highly recommended for grades 9-12.

Nominated for Cream of the Crop. 

Kerrie Lattari, York Middle School, York