Winburn Finds Meaning in “Invisible” Book

Winburn Middle School capped the districtwide One School, One Book initiative with a family night celebration that spotlighted their step team, a demonstration of Taiwanese dance, Spanish presentations, tabletop global projects, and informal discussion of the novel “Invisible.” 

“It’s about our differences and why they matter. My favorite part was where everyone got to know each other,” eighth grader Zareya Hogan said of the book. She also thought the main point was easy to discern: “Don’t judge based off looks, personality, or how they act because you don’t know what they’re going through.”  

Classmate Shukurani Amuri agreed the selection was ideal for Winburn. “It helped us come together because we all read it,” she said, adding, “The book spoke to me because sometimes I feel a little left out.” 

Fayette County Public Schools launched the One School, One Book project this fall to help promote adolescent literacy. Each middle school picked a novel centered on belonging, community, or safety; and every student, teacher, administrator, front office staffer, custodian, cafeteria worker, and bus driver received a copy. Some readers met in small groups to talk about the themes or created hallway displays, while others wrote essays about the main characters or debated the merits of their school’s selection. 

“Invisible” features multiple diverse and multilingual characters going through middle school. As they read it at Winburn, students created culture quilts to acknowledge the more than 12 languages and over two dozen countries represented on their campus. 

“We’re celebrating all the cultures at Winburn,” said Kari Patrick, administrative dean. “Our students absolutely connected with and loved this book!”

The Reading List 

• Beaumont – “Restart” by Gordon Korman
• Bryan Station – “The Unteachables” by Gordon Korman
• Crawford – “Same Sun Here” by Silas House and Neela Vaswani
• Edythe J. Hayes – “The Lions’ Run” by Sara Pennypacker
• Jessie Clark – “Fish in a Tree” by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
• Leestown – “When Stars are Scattered” by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
• Lexington – “Mascot” by Charles Waters
• Mary E. Britton – “Look Both Ways” By Jason Reynolds
• Morton – “Restart” by Gordon Korman
• Rise STEM – “The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl” by Stacy McAnulty
• SCAPA at Bluegrass – “Invisible” by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
• Southern – “Ghost” by Jason Reynolds
• Tates Creek – “The Unteachables” by Gordon Korman
• The Learning Center – “Honor Flight: Celebrating America’s Veterans” by Jeff Gottesfeld
• Winburn – “Invisible” by Christina Diaz Gonzalez