Synopses & Reviews
Bobby Steele and his pals, Marcus and Big Poobs, all public school kids from working class
backgrounds, are waiting for tenth grade to start when they come across an application form
for Whitestone Academy, a prestigious and posh private school. Just for giggles, they decide
that a nonexistent kid should applyand so Rowan Pohi is born. (Named for their favorite
hangout, Pohi is IHOP spelled backwards.) Amazingly enough, the phantom Rowan is accepted
at Whitestone. Eager to escape the boredom of public school and his unhappiness at home,
Bobby shows up at Whitestones new student orientation, reinventing himself as Rowan. He
begins a suspenseful career as an impostor, hoping that the two worlds hes living in will stay
separate forever. For a short, exhilarating time, they do. Ralph Fletchers signature light touch
in addressing serious issues in young peoples lives is evident in this story of identity lost and
found.
Review
"Hearts will go out to Bobby as he learns that being true to himself is as important as realizing his dreams."-Publishers Weekly "Bobby's family and home life are authentically depicted, and teens will respond to Bobby's desire to create a path to his dreams and root for his crazy idea to work."--Booklist
Synopsis
Winner of American Library Association Schneider Family Book Award
Bobby Phillips is an average fifteen-year-old-boy. Until the morning he wakes up and can't see himself in the mirror. Not blind, not dreaming-Bobby is just plain invisible. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to Bobby's new condition; even his dad the physicist can't figure it out. For Bobby that means no school, no friends, no life. He's a missing person. Then he meets Alicia. She's blind, and Bobby can't resist talking to her, trusting her. But people are starting to wonder where Bobby is. Bobby knows that his invisibility could have dangerous consequences for his family and that time is running out. He has to find out how to be seen again-before it's too late."
Synopsis
Will the real Rowan Pohi please stand? To dispel boredom while waiting for tenth grade to begin, Bobby and his friends create an imaginary kid named Rowan Pohi (thats IHOP backwards) and apply to the prestigious Whitestone Prep in Rowans name. When, surprisingly, Rowans application is accepted, Bobby impulsively reinvents himself as Rowan and embarks on an edgy life of deception in the rarefied world of Whitestone. Told with Ralph Fletchers trademark blend of humor and depth, the story of Rowans rise and fall is a funny, poignant, and suspenseful riff on the adolescent search for identity.
About the Author
Ralph Fletcher is the versatile author of 30-some books, including (for young readers) novels, picture book texts, poetry, and books about writing, as well as books for writing teachers. Recipient of a master's degree in fiction from Columbia University, he worked in New York City classrooms for the Teachers College Writing Project, designed to help teachers develop better ways of teaching writing. He travels widely to teach writing and talk about his work. Mr. Fletcher lives in Durham, NH, with his wife and four sons. His website is www.ralphfletcher.com.