Things Not Seen

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Things Not Seen is a 2002 Philomel book by Andrew Clements. It is about a 15-year-old boy living in Chicago named Bobby Philips. He wakes up one morning to find that he is invisible. His father, a physicist, tells Bobby not to tell anyone he is invisible or else the government will be after them. Soon after, Bobby's parents get in a car accident and he has to fend for himself all alone in his house. One day while his parents are still in the hospital, Bobby goes to the library, heavily clothed to disguise his invisibility, and he meets a girl named Alicia. Alicia is blind, and she cannot see him, so Bobby feels safe in trusting her with his secret. When Bobby's parents recover, although they are upset about Bobby sharing his secret, they soon team up with Alicia's parents to help find a cure for Bobby's condition. When the police come to the house to investigate Bobby's mysterious three-week long absence from school, his parents have to claim that Bobby is in Florida with a relative, so that the police do not suspect that he was killed or kidnapped. Bobby eventually discovers that it was his blanket that made him invisible and he finds a way to return back to normal.