Invisible Emmie

Emmie is the protagonist and narrator of Invisible Emmie. She is 13 years old and in seventh grade, and her greatest passion in life is drawing. Emmie’s conflict arises from her social anxiety, which causes her immense physical and emotional discomfort throughout the school day. She struggles to speak up for herself or to defend her rights as a person when others try to rob her of them. Emmie introduces herself as a “hero in waiting” who “goes unnoticed” (4); she doesn’t feel special. Emmie challenges stereotypes of stories about middle-school children for these reasons, as she doesn’t fit into any particular archetype.

Emmie feels like an outcast both at home and at school. Her parents are always working, and because she was born after they were done planning to have children, they expect her to be independent and handle her own problems. Emmie therefore doesn’t feel like she can go to them when she feels down, and her best friend, Brianna, isn’t in any of her classes. Emmie frequently criticizes herself, calling herself “quiet, skinny, and flat” (62), and creates a character named Katie who possesses everything she wishes she had: popularity, an easy time getting through life, and easygoing, attentive parents.