Hank Wolowitz is missing his buddy Alexander Wainscotting. How will he make it through 4th grade without his best friend? Then he discovers Inkling, the invisible bandapat, after saving him from Rootbeer, the dog. Now Hank has an invisible friend. And this invisible friend is not imaginary. Hank soon realizes that Inkling is a resourceful and entertaining friend who also has a voracious appetite -- for squash. How does a 4th grader convince his mom to buy squash from the grocery store, especiall...

I was planning to give this book three stars because it is a good enough book....until I reached the end. I did not like the way the author rectified the bullying situation.The story is that Hank Wolowski meets an invisible talking animal. At the same time, there a bully at school who is stealing Hank's lunch. None of the adults he turns to help him. (They are pretty clueless....annoyingly so.) Anyway, at the end the Inkling (the invisible animal) bites the bully on the ankles. Everyone thinks H...

Nice early chapter book. I can see third graders, especially boys, really getting into this story of a boy and his invisible pet. My only quibble with the book is that, when Hank is being bullied he does the right thing and goes to an adult. In fact, he goes to several adults, and none of them help him at all! Very frustrating to have that "it doesn't do any good to tell the teacher," mentality reinforced by the books we give children to read!

I read a library copy as a gift possibility for my nephew and decided NOT to buy it. The invisible friend storyline was great, but the bullying storyline baffled me. I did not understand the author's point there at all. The bullying goes on for weeks and weeks. Every single adult to whom the main character reports the bullying (including his parents) is completely and utterly useless. A teacher lets slip that the bully has "issues" (my terminology) and suggests that the bully "could use some fri...

One thing is for sure -- this may be the only children's book I ever read that name drops Seth Mnookin (except for the sequel of course). :)A quirky premise, but really enjoyable with funny, sweet main characters.

This is a review of the advanced reader's edition, received for free through Goodreads First ReadsHank Wolovitz is short on friends and long on imagination, so when he saves an invisible bandipat from a neighborhood dog, the bandipat makes him a friend for...well, not life. Inkling, the talking bandipat, promises to help Hank to pay him back for Hank's rescue. It's the beginning for a new school year and Hank's best friend, Wainscoting, has moved away, so Inkling becomes his new best friend. At

I read this book for the Children's Lit fest discussion on imaginary friends.Loved the story and the name, invisible inkling, how creative to have an invisible friend that even he cannot see but had an inkling of his presence. Why I didn't love it - the parents and teachers were completely withdrawn from helping the child with a bully at school. While it may be a reality for some kids it was horribly frustrating reading this and seeing how NO ONE was hearing this boys story except for his invisi...

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the language of the book. Hank's voice was really distinct and gave him a lot of character. The plot itself was really cute and made me want to have an invisible animal in my life. I checked this book out from the library to see if this was a book I could use at school, and I could probably use it for reading group. Not only is it fun with the invisible bandapat, but it also has a good lesson on some different life situations. Thumbs up to you Emily Jenkins!

I think this book is really good for all ages.Its funny,but it does have bullying in it.But besides that the main character in the book learns from his invisible pet that life is basically nothing without friends and family.Even if they get on your nerves all day long.So I suggest that you snuggle up in bed with your child and read it to them.I bet they will enjoy it. By: Brandon

This was a second- and third-grade book club pick. Not my favorite title for this age group. Kind of boring, the adults suffered from Disney Channel Stupid Parent Syndrome, and it seemed to be weird for the sake of being weird. Interested to see how my book club attendees feel about it.

I love this series! Fourth grader Hank stumbles upon and befriends a furry, squash loving invisible creature known as a bandapat. Inkling, as he names Bandapat, becomes a close friend and confidant for young Hank, who is missing his recently moved away best friend and dealing with a bully at school. Hank's family is portrayed as busy and loving, and occasionally wrong about things....aka realistically. I've been reading this aloud with Leo and he and I both love it. Would make a great rec for a

I've read Emily Jenkin's "Toys Go Out" every year for six consecutive years to first- and second-graders, and it is one of my absolute, all-time favorite read alouds. So I thought it was about time that I try one of her other chapter books. I picked Invisible Inkling to read for a chapter-book study with a group of 1st/2nd graders, and I'm so glad that I did. This book had me hooked from it's quirky first page, right through the last chapter. The students have been asking to read it every day, a...

I listened to this audiobook with my children. They LOVED it. It is a cute story of a boy who finds an invisible inkling who helps him overcome the challenge of starting a new school year after your best friend has moved away. It discusses the subjects of friendship, bullying, being respectful of children and it is a short and sweet chapter book. Both my 6 and 8 year old loved the book and I am glad I took the time to read it with them.

Not a favorite. It is cute and may appeal to kids, but I really did not like the bullying issue. The adults were useless and the bullying continued. The teacher especially was ridiculous.

Read-aloud with my son for Battle of the Books.My favorite part of this book was when my eight-year-old finished the book without me because he just couldn't wait to know what happened next. (Then he insisted we finish it together, because it was "really good," he said).

Not my favorite Jenkins, but an amusing story of Hank, whose best friend has moved away and who is now dealing with a bully. Help arrives in the form of Inkling, an invisible creature who is either from Peru or the Ukraine--he is an very unreliable storyteller. He's a bandapat, nearly extinct--which is why he needs to stay invisible--and he lives on squash, which is why he turns up at Hanks's parent's shop in Brooklyn, "The Big Pumpkin"--but it's an ice cream shop. The quest for squash is big in...

Caleb and I listened to the audio book together. We both loved it, some parts made us laugh out loud! Particularly because the narrator, Michael Goldstrom, does such a fun voice for Inkling, the bandapat. My favorite part of the book was when Hank is trying to find out what Inkling looks like since he’s invisible:I’ve asked him over and over, but he never really answers.“I’m extremely cute,” he tells me when I ask again tonight. “What else do you need to know?”

Lots of ideas that would lead to class discussions: bullying, friendship, honesty, family, imagination. The main character is in fourth grade, but this book would be good as a read aloud for second or third, maybe even first. Good book for beginning of the year. It would be interesting to use as a quick draw when reading the parts that describe the invisible friend. The only thing I really did not like in the story is the school's non-action to the bullying. It plays into the humor at the end, b...

Cute book for 1st-3rd graders-ish. I loved that it explored how easy it is to become a bully if you are being bullied, and that Hank really felt bad about how he treats the kid who is treating him badly. I also loved the character of Inkling -- he's sassy and adorable and loooooooves squash. I want my own invisible bandapat! I may book-talk this for younger kids for summer reading.

The way this book deals with bullying is very concerning to me. The main character is bullied for week and weeks by a kid in his grade, and every single adult the kid turns to is useless and doesn't help. His teacher Ms. Cherry is particularly infuriating, suggesting that if only he shared his lunch treat (sprinkles) willingly they would become friends, because the bully is 'having a hard time'. Also, the way the bullying becomes resolved is nonsensical and completely teaches the wrong lesson.No...