Thursday, November 14, 2019

Throwback Thursday: The Schwa Was Here, by Neal Shusterman

Anthony "Antsy" Bonano's new friend has a  very cool superpower. He can't fly through the air or melt steel with laser vision or have super strength or anything. He doesn't even have a sweet car. And he certainly doesn't bring criminals to justice. But he IS invisible.

Well...not legitimate invisible. Not like Harry Potter donning the cloak of invisibility or anything. But he can so perfectly and naturally blend in with his surroundings that he may as well be. So much that people often forget about him. They forget he's in the room. They forget he even exists! He would be a legend...if only people remembered him.

Wait... who are we talking about again?

Oh yeah... Calvin Schwa. 

Nice kid, The Schwa. Smart, funny, would do anything for a friend...

Wait... WHO?

I see The Schwa Effect is impacting even me, the reader. 

Anyway, Antsy decides to use The Schwa's ability to his advantage. Learn some secrets, make a few bucks, pull a few pranks... And The Schwa Effect works. 

Until it doesn't.

When attempting to break into Old Man Crawly's place on a dare, The Schwa gets busted. And now he, Antsy, and Antsy's whole existence are in jeopardy. because Old man Crawly is a very powerful, very grumpy guy. And he doesn't take kindly to being pranked. 

Neal Shusterman's novel The Schwa Was Here is today's Throwback Thursday feature. It strikes a balance between hilarity and heart and is just a fun read. And if you can't get enough of Antsy antics, you'll love the followup Antsy Does Time. The Schwa isn't in the sequel, however (or maybe he is and you just can't see him).

--AJB

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