Invisible Emmie

Drawing is more than Emmie’s favorite hobby—it is her way of coping with the anxieties of daily life, and it’s the thing that makes her stand out. When Emmie describes her ability to draw, there is uncharacteristic pride in her voice: “I’m also really good at it. I’m not great at other things (like sports), but art makes me feel like there’s something I can do that not a lot of others can” (12). She stands in front of the “Wall of Emmie Art” inside her home and points to the shoebox of her siblings’ drawings (12). Emmie sees drawing as what defines her.

Since drawing is so important to Emmie, the use of the graphic novel format for her story is apt. The drawings throughout the novel are presumed to be Emmie’s as she goes through her day, doodling during class. Emmie notes how drawing helps her concentrate, and she includes an illustration of the teacher’s words floating into her head as she draws intently on her paper. Emmie’s drawings are simple but expressive. For example, when Emmie feels silent, she has no mouth, and when she feels angry, her eyes bulge out of her head. She also uses humor, drawing her teacher standing in Hawaiian beach clothes and sweating or drawing herself as a puddle of slime with eyes.