Have you ever felt invisible?  Where no one can see you, but they hear you?  Think about it again.  Have you REALLY felt invisible?  In the book Things Not Seen, there is a boy named Bobby.  Bobby is not like anyone else in the world, he is….invisible.  Bobby became invisible when he went to bed, and his electrical blanket made a very strange wave of electricity, that morning he woke up without being able to see himself in the mirror.   People can hear him, but they can't see him.  Bobby then has to learn a new way of life, living without any friends, and not being able to go to school.  Until one day, when he meets a girl, a very special girl that has a lot of impact on Bobby’s life.  Andrew Clements, the author of Things Not Seen, teaches us that being unique or different should always be considered a good thing.  And to never think negatively about who you are, or in this case, special.  Bobby has to fight through finding friends, live an intense life, and finally accept himself.  He goes through ups and downs in a very stressful situation.  However, through it all Bobby stays strong, pushes through, and fights until the very end!  Bobby shows throughout the book that being very different from other people, is actually a mind blowing experience.


A powerful theme that is in book, is being unique or different is never a bad thing.  The main character Bobby Philips and his one friend Alicia are both different from everybody else.  Bobby is invisible, and Alicia is blind.  Although they are different, neither of them find being different as a bad thing.  Instead they use this as one way to get closer within their friendship.  “Yes I have.”  “I met a girl, a blind girl.”  “And she knows everything, but it’s okay.”  “She is not going to tell anyone.” (Pg. 101). This connects to my claim because, the quote talks about how Bobby has found a friend, who is very different, just like him.  Together Bobby and Alicia don’t care about what other people think about them.  All they care about is their life, their actions, and how this is all going to then affect them later on.  That being said they take this as being idiosyncratic, or being a one of a kind individual, rather than pouting all the time and making the situation more stressful.  They chose to look on the bright side, and not rethink to themselves, why this situation could be bad.  Pushing through something is a very important key in life, Bobby clearly perseveres through so many things, and it is very incredible.  Alicia has a big role during this event.  She shows Bobby how to be confident, and gritty with the things he really wants to do!

One opposing viewpoint someone might have is, we are all similar in ways, and we should focus on that perspective, that way everyone feels included and accepted.  The reason why this is an incorrect theme is because then, Andrew Clements would be teaching us that no one is special, and people are not able to have
something unique about themselves different, from everyone else.  It would be like everyone is identified as the same thing.  Beyond that, life would be very boring and not interesting if we were all the same.  The statement on (Page 67), supports my theme and my claim.  “And I can just hear some guys at my school say, whoa your invisible, cool!”  If we focus on how we are all different, than life will be way more interesting.  People can discover really astonishing characteristics, and personality traits about other people.  It shows that because we are different, we are all one of a kind no matter how we look or what we can or can’t do.  This gives people the chance to actually admire one another because we have our own special traits, despite the similarities we may share.  Yes, having something in common is great, but just focusing on that, wouldn't make life pleasurable or adventurous.  So let's focus on the amazing side and admire each other’s differences.

Another example to prove the theme, is when Bobby starts to think about his life.  He says “I’m still me, and I have a life.” “It is a weird life, but it’s still my life.” “It’s still mine.” (Page.68).  This example illustrates that Bobby was thinking about how even though he has a complex life, it’s still his and he can make the best of it.  Andrew Clements shows this theme, by writing the part when Bobby is accepting that he has a weird life and that's how it’s going to be.  It shows the power that he has over the thoughts of being different from everyone else.  Bobby tells us that he does not care how many obstacles, twists, and turns he’s going to encounter, he will push through and be as extraordinary as he can be!
        
Andrew Clements writes a strong statement that supports the theme, (pg. 112) “I woke up already knowing that I’m like this, which means I’m getting used to this.   Nothing's changing, and I am just rolling along, going with the flow”   The quote connects to the theme because Bobby is finally accepting that he is invisible, and no one else can see him.  He is willing to move on from the past and worry about right now.  Bobby has the strength to ignore all of the bad things that he can hear about himself, and think about all of the amazing things he can accomplish and do when he is invisible.  Bobby is a strong kid, and he’s ready to face the challenges in his life.   He takes extremely big risks, they show that he is accepting how different he is.  Even though his situation is tough, he always finds a way to make the situation better, and look on the positive sides of the issues!


In the end, Andrew Clements made strong statements to get his point across. Being unique, or special should be considered a good thing, and that you can stand out from everyone else.  Don’t think badly about yourself because you're different.   Stand proud of your uniqueness.  Bobby fought his way around finding friends, and living a weird life. No one needs to feel like they don’t matter.  Flip the thought upside down, and think about the situation on the bright side.  If you ever feel like you're different, or standing in the back of the crowd, don’t be hard on yourself.  Choose and find the silver lining in your tough situations.  So rethink about yourself, and always have a positive mindset.  Never let being unique or different get the best of you!