Riding Invisible by Sandra Alonzo, illustrated by Nathan Huang
Hyperion: New York. 2010.
isbn: 978-1423119777
This is a quick read and is suitable for a wide audience of readers including young readers who may be more reluctant or resistant to novel reading. It features sketches and drawings by Nathan Huang and uses a hand-written style of lettering. It is told in a journal format (with occasional poetry) and has a nice balance of poignant and humourous anecdotes. It is an fairly gently treatment of mental illness in a family: the oldest brother, Will is diagnosed with "conduct disorder" and the reader feels the rawness that this causes in the rest of the family as seen through the younger brother's eyes (15 year old Yancy). I found the relationship between Yancy and his trail horse Shy added a great deal of interest, as well as the southern California setting. Many elements of the story are a bit too shiny to appeal to those readers who like grittier realism in young adult novels but this book still has much to recommend it.
