Literary Devices in Things Not Seen
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
The setting for Things Not Seen is super normal. Set in Chicago, Illinois, we're hanging out in a real place, and Bobby lives in an ordinary house in an ordinary time, complete with ordinary weathe...
Narrator Point of View
The entirety of Things Not Seen is told from the perspective of Bobby Phillips, which puts us right into the thick of the action. As soon as he goes invisible, the reader is the first to know—bes...
Genre
Young Adult Literature Because it's told from the perspective of a fifteen-year-old, Things Not Seen is definitely geared toward a younger audience. The scenario that Bobby Phillips wakes up to is...
Tone
Because Bobby Phillips, the narrator of Things Not Seen, wakes up in such abnormal circumstances, the whole tone of the book is that of being stuck in a strange dream. It's not quite nightmarish, b...
Writing Style
Because the story is told from Bobby's perspective, the writing is clear and told in a conversational tone. Bobby lays everything out on the table—what happens, his thoughts, and his feelings. He...
What's Up With the Title?
Things Not Seen is a pretty self-explanatory title for a story about a boy who becomes invisible since Bobby Phillips literally can't be seen once he wakes up with his condition. He can't see himse...
What's Up With the Ending?
Since this is a story about a boy who becomes invisible one day, it would make sense if the book ended in the moment when he returned to being visible, right? Not so fast, though. The most importan...
Tough-o-Meter
As a story that's told from the point of view of a fifteen-year-old boy, Things Not Seen is quite easy to read in terms of vocabulary, sentence structure, and overall flow. In fact, it rollicks alo...
Plot Analysis
Hello, Goodbye Bobby Phillips wakes up one day and discovers that he is invisible (yeah, this book doesn't dilly-dally when it comes to getting to the action). It's a heart-thudding, panic-inducing...
Trivia
Author Andrew Clements said that one of his favorite books when he was a kid was The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Does that sound like a certain protagonist? (Source)Apparently, Andrew Clements s...
Steaminess Rating
Even though there's a lot of bare skin in Things Not Seen, there's not a whole lot of sex. How can that be? Well, Bobby Phillips may very well be totally nude for much of the novel, but it's not be...
Allusions
Flowers for Algernon Lord Jim In Our Time Catch-22 Cat's Cradle Great Expectations A Wrinkle in Time The Odyssey The Scarlet Letter Welcome to the Monkey House The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Lor...