The Schwa Was Here

The Schwa Was Here (Shusterman, 2004) gives the reader a look inside the life of a boy who is invisible to everyone around him. His classmates do not notice he is sitting next to them, his teachers do not call on him to answer questions, and his own father often does not see him in the same room. Calvin Schwa is overlooked by everyone, but things begin to change as Antsy Bonano comes into his life. We see the trials of a boy who is different from everyone around him. There are rumors about his family and the Schwa effect. Calvin is a character of which many students can relate. He is going through a time in his life where peers are judgmental, he wants to be noticed and no one seems to care. It is a period in his life that every child experiences.