Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

I did not have time to download and read this book before it was archived, so I'm unable to leave a review.

In the grand tradition of books like Hatchet, this novel presents us with a character forced to survive on his own. With scraps of knowledge he does his best to build a life and his successes will appeal to young would-be survivalists. We see Raymond building a shelter, collecting food, and taking care of basic hygiene needs. Because not only is he surviving, he's doing his best to keep his situation a secret. Rudd is careful to show Raymond making mistakes, benefiting from the kindness of people around him. He survives, sure, but isn't truly doing it on his own. While the overall thrust of the book follows a familiar pattern of recently unhoused characters - shame and fear in the shock of the new situation; a successful rhythm that makes the situation feel sustainable; a health crisis that forces the truth to be revealed - there are hints and questions from people in his life all along the way.

This book was heartbreakingly beautiful, and I found myself constantly crying towards the end. I loved how strong and resilient the main character was, but also how he had this vulnerable side. The other people in the story felt very real to me as well, and they all tangled up in the story well. I can only recommend this book. I absolutely loved it.

A survival story in the style of Boxcar Children or Hatchet, both in terms of the details of a child living outdoors and in having a somewhat stilted writing style and slow pace. Although Raymond is fairly likable and the story includes some mild friendship and relationship plotlines, it feels like a book for those more interested in survivalist fiction than anything else.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

How to Stay Invisible by Maggie C. Rudd (Atheneum Books, June 2023) is a survival story as well as a moving example of child abandonment and homelessness, but it also stands strong as a story of friendship and finding oneself. Twelve-year-old Raymond has never felt close to anyone, with his parents frequently moving at will and Raymond having to start at new schools frequently in one year. One day his parents move without him, and Raymond must figure out how to stay alive, keep attending middle school, and move on with his life without adult support.

Raymond has know-how, and he takes his fishing pole into the woods behind the middle school, where he sets up camp with his dog Rosie. Each day, Raymond returns to middle school, where he gets free lunch and continues his education. Raymond is a smart kid, and he uses his smarts to set up traps to catch animals, make fires using unique resources, and keep himself warm during the early winter months. As it gets colder in his woods, Raymond’s teachers start to notice his declining school work, because Raymond must spend his after school time surviving rather than finishing home work.

Raymond’s story is not just one of survival and struggle with homelessness, and it is not just his teachers that care for his success. Finally, since he is staying somewhere for more than a few months, Raymond is able to start making friends (despite his wish to stay anonymous). Harlin and Lexi from his class reach out to him. A lone coyote in the woods keeps watch over him during the night. And while fishing in the creek, Raymond meets a lonely old man, Stigs, who gives Raymond support. Stigs could determine that Raymond’s situation was not good, but he lets Raymond be, even while checking up on him. Raymond and Stigs support and encourage each other, and Raymond finds the first inklings of what a loving caregiver can be.

Raymond’s story doesn’t end all neat and pretty. Raymond has some tragedies, especially when his situation is found out. He isn’t going to get what he really wants (one could argue he doesn’t know himself either), and we as the reader don’t quite know what will happen to him either. Even with the unknowns, the reader does know that Raymond will find peace and happiness at some point in the future, and now he knows the joy of friendship. Raymond learned the importance of friendship, caring for each other, and finding one’s place. Despite the title of this book, How to Stay Invisible inevitably is a about the goodness of the world. His book is not about staying invisible but rather about finally being seen.

I read a digital review copy of this book.

This story was so achingly perfect. Often these stories seem unrealistic either because the protagonist is too good at everything, the adults are written poorly, or there are too many convinces. "How to Stay Invisible" had the perfect balance of allowing the protagonist to struggle while showing why he was able to survive as long as he did. He was resourceful and things didn't always turn out for the best (i.e being desperate enough to eat probably rotten fish and suffering the consequences).
I also appreciated that the adults felt real. I was the kid that teachers noticed was struggling and slyly gave me supplies or money and seeing this experience depicted made me sob. The small remarks made by other students that to them felt like normal jokes, but to certain ears spoke to their experience and made them feel small.
I truly cannot speak more highly about this title. It is a must read for all ages who either will see themselves for the first time or will get a better appreciation for what others have had to go through.

I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

Raymond has never had much stability in life. In fact, he's been in three schools so far in 6th grade. But when his parents leave him and his dog behind, he has to survive on his own, with his fishing gear and a survival guide from the school library, and not much else. Who can Raymond turn to and trust?

I remember loving "My Side of the Mountain" as a kid, where a teen runs away to the woods and creates a life for himself there, xomplete with a house in a tree, a falcon, and lots of woodcraft. It made it sound romantic. Or, earlier, The Boxcar Children, where a family of abandoned kids set up house in an old railroad boxcar, furnished from the local dump. It made it sound fun. In both cases, there was a satisfactory solution where the kids involved got to keep both their independent hideaway but got a home with supportive family as well. They're, in retrospect, fantasy, just as much as Harry Potter or Narnia.

How to stay invisible is not romantic or fantastic at all. Raymond is a kid just trying to survive and go to school. He's living on the school cafeteria, food scavenged from the school dumpsters, what he can catch while fishing, and the occasional squirrel his dog catches. His best friend at school has a parent in prison and, while not living in the woods, is equally rejected. The adult he ends up getting help from is a social recluse who lives in an old hunting cabin.

What's more, while teachers express concerns about Raymond's grades and appearancs, they still miss the fact that one of their 12 yr old students is living on his own, without adult support.

This is a book that shows just how dire the situation can be for some kids in our classrooms and in our world, and how even carinf adults can miss the forest in the trees. It also shows the resilence of life-and how sometimes kids see more than adults do.

This is an excellent book. I think a lot of kids will find Raymond's struggles engaging. I hope not too many find it relatable, because if Raymond's life is their life, they're in bad straits indeed. This book deserves a place in libraries and classrooms, and would be an interesting shared reading and discussion book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. Raymond has to fend for himself in the woods as well as act like he has a home to goto at the end of the day; even when he doesn’t. He doesn’t let anyone know because he’s been hurt in the past except for a fisherman named Stigs. He learns to start trusting more and realizes at the end that he’s glad he’s been seen.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this heartbreaking novel.

This story was so emotional and so well told. I think it will be hard for some students to believe that this could ever happen, but that is one more reason this book is so important.

I could not put down this book! Rudd has produced a beautifully written tale of a middle school boy, abandoned by his parents. He must survive in the woods of North Carolina in the winter without letting any adults know that he’s on his own. This is a modern Hatchet, a story of survival and resilience.
Raymond Hurley, a seventh grader, is waiting at his new middle school for his parents to pick him up. He soon discovers that his neglectful parents have left the rented trailer without him. Raymond knows how to fly under the radar, despite being in a children’s home before. That time, his parents came to retrieve him. Will they return this time??
This is a well-written, enjoyable, heart-pounding middle grade novel. It is a must read!

I loved this book and will be purchasing it for my middle school library. I was very invested in Raymond's story and loved Stigs, Hank and Rosie and the kind teachers and the students at school who befriended him. His parental abandonment was complete and horrifying, but his ingenuity, the Boy Scout handbook, and bravery were memorable.

Oh my, I read this in almost one sitting. I cried a few times throughout. This is such a beautiful story. I had to know what was going to happen to Raymond and his sweet dog Rosie. I loved that Harlin and Lexi befriended him and saw the good in him even though he was quiet in school.
Everyone should read this, you just never know what someone is going through.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

What a fantastic survival novel about hope and resilience as we find Raymond abandoned by his parents and having to survive in the woods with his dog, Rosie. Raymond knows the woods as he’s used to using it as a refuge from his parents. He knows how to fish, set snares, and build traps. One day while fishing he sees an old man, Stigs, also fishing. When his dog gets hurt, Stigs helps to save him. Raymond doesn’t tell Stigs or anyone he’s living on his own in the woods. It isn’t until Raymond is bitten by a snake and finds himself in the hospital. What’s going to happen to him now?

This reminds me of other stories of children forced to find ways to survive alone like the Boxcar Children and Homecoming. It's inspiring to see just how well Raymond was able to figure things out and look out for himself, but also heartbreaking that he had to.

The friendships and tentative supports offered feel real. It makes me want to know more about these people and what happened after.

I appreciate stories like this as someone who hasn't faced these hardships. It adds perspective on that kid having a rough time at school and build empathy.