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Invisible Boys

By: Holden Sheppard
Narrated by: Nic English
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Publisher's summary

A Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book.

Winner of the Western Australian Premier’s Book Award.

Winner of the Kathleen Mitchell Award.

Winner of the City of Fremantle T.A.G. Hungerford Award.

Winner of the Ray Koppe Residency Award.

Shortlisted for both the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award and Readings Young Adult Book Prize and longlisted for the Indie Book of the Year Award.

In a small town, everyone thinks they know you: Charlie is a hardcore rocker who’s not as tough as he looks. Hammer is a footy jock with big AFL dreams and an even bigger ego. Zeke is a shy over-achiever, never macho enough for his family. But all three boys hide who they really are. When the truth is revealed, will it set them free or blow them apart?

©2021 Holden Sheppard (P)2021 W. F. Howes Ltd
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Critic reviews

"This is a confronting and challenging story which describes the pain of growing up gay in a small, conservative small-town community.... Sheppard has given us a brave book which deserves attention." (Good Reading)

"The book is immediately engaging and engrossing, exploring the lives of three diverse male teenagers dealing with their homosexuality.... [Invisible Boys] is distinctively Western Australian with a well-constructed and truly surprising climax. Sheppard will win himself a vast number of fans with this impressive debut." (DNA Magazine)

"Sheppard pulls no punches in this story, challenging expectations and taking the reader on a dark journey through each boy’s life, with only a sliver of light at the end providing hope for a brighter future. This book feels somewhat unmoored from time, with a raw edginess...which brings to mind books like Puberty Blues and the work of Tim Winton." (Junior Books + Publishing)

What listeners say about Invisible Boys

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Story that needs to be told

I liked the different kinds of gay youths and the different ways they try to deal with it also the different ways their families treat them.

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  • Overall
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So Authentic and Real

Holden Sheppard captures the unique voice of each boy in a nuanced and expert way. You see their flaws, dreams, fears, and humanity in stark relief as the story unfolds.

Each boy shows a different way of dealing (or trying not to deal) with being gay in a small- town society that still hasn’t fully embraced the fact that gay people deserve support, love, and compassion like any other human.

At times, I belly-laughed, at times I wept, but I couldn’t stop reading.

If you are LGBTQ+, if you know someone who is and you want to be a better ally, or if you just want to UNDERSTAND, read this novel. Beautiful, tragic, uplifting - all within the skilled writing.

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