The Amanda Project: Book 1: invisible I
By Stella Lennon, Melissa Kantor
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 
Invisible I is the first of eight books in a YA series called The Amanda Project. There are four main characters: Callie, Nia, Hal, and Amanda. The book begins when the school principal’s car has been vandalized, and all four teens are implicated. However, there is one problem: Amanda is missing, and no one knows where she’s gone. Callie, Nia, and Hal have never hung out together before, and their only connection is that they are all friends with Amanda.
As they band together to figure out what is going on, they follow clues Amanda has left for them. They must work together toward this common goal, and they soon discover that they are not so different after all.
This book is told from Callie’s perspective, and it doesn’t take long to figure out that her mother has abandoned Callie and her father. While Callie and her new friends are hot on Amanda’s trail, Callie finds clues that lead her to believe there might be more to her mother’s disappearance than anyone knows. While the book doesn’t make the connection, you have to wonder whether or not Amanda’s disappearance is somehow related to the disappearance of Callie’s mother.
Invisible I is full of mystery and possibility. The plot and subplots have been nicely interwoven. I wish there had been more of a conclusion to at least one of the big mysteries in this book. After finding all of the clues along with the characters, I was hoping for some sort of resolution, and I was a little let down when it didn’t come. However, the lack of resolution is also what makes this series so interesting. When you’ve finished reading the book, check out the website:
On the website, you can offer up your own ideas of who Amanda really is and what could have happened to her. If your ideas help to tell Amanda’s story, they will be included in future books.
I liked this book. It keeps a steady pace, and there is always something else spurring the plot forward. I really enjoyed seeing Callie’s character unfold and develop as she deals with her clique and then decides what type of friends she wants to hang out with. I also really like the idea of incorporating the reader’s ideas into future books. It’s very creative, and I’m excited to see the direction the authors and publishers are taking with this.
Check it out. Let me know what you think.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
It seams like there’s only about three or four styles of books coming out right now, and everyone’s just borrowing e.o.’s ideas. That’s not particularly bad as long as a book is well-written, has its own spin, and its own strengths. But this is an interesting premise. It sounds very different from everything else I’ve read lately. This is definitely going on my to-read list.