The Invisible Day

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Even though she is almost 11, Billie’s mother still watches over her
like a hawk. It is bad enough that they live in a tiny loft apartment
where there are no doors or walls or chances for privacy. What is worse
is that her mother is also the librarian at Billie’s school.

One day Billie finds an old purse in Central Park, and her life
changes. Inside is some weird makeup that turns her invisible. Now no
one can watch her. At first being invisible is fun, as she crashes a
movie set and sneaks a free horse-and-buggy ride. But the novelty wears
off when she realizes that her mother may never see her again. Billie
has to figure out not only how to become visible again, but also how to
keep her sneaky classmate Alyssa, the school snitch, from telling her
mother.

Set in New York City, Billie’s wacky adventures run counterpoint to a
slightly grim backdrop of panhandlers and pickpockets. The author wisely
does not try to beat the reader down with pseudoscientific details about
the principles of invisibility; she just tells you Billie is invisible
and lets the story move on. The result is a fast-paced, well-written
yarn with lots of laughs. Recommended.