The Schwa Was Here: a brief review

I need to take a moment to say that I'm writing this with my brand new MacBook Pro, which I've wanted since I got my first ever laptop when I went to college. Two laptops and more than a few computer viruses later, the day has finally come and I am bubbling over with excitement. Seriously. This thing is beautiful.

That being said...this book was super cute. It's the first of Neal Shusterman's "Antsy" books, but because I didn't realize that I'd actually already read the second book, Antsy Does Time, a couple years ago. It didn't matter all that much; they have the same characters but not necessarily linked plots. And they're both pretty great, so you should read them both (although you should read them in order, just because).

Antsy Bonano is Brooklyn through and through, and his character shines through his narration. The plot centers around Antsy's friend Calvin, who goes by "the Schwa," who is fully convinced that he's partially invisible and will graduate to full invisibility one day. The boys perform experiments to test peoples' ability to see the Schwa performing ridiculous acts, and in so doing get themselves into some comical trouble. It's an interesting concept, and I was really curious about where the author was going with it, but it's a pretty wonderful story in the end.

Here's an excerpt from the beginning of the book that really made me laugh, and also really shows the writing style used in The Schwa was Here:

My older brother Frank looks up from his dinner. "Bullpucky," he says - although I'm editing out the bad word here, on accounta my mother might read this, and I don't like the taste of soap. As soon as Frankie says it, Mom, without missing a beat, hauls off and whacks him on the head in her own special way, starting low, swinging up, like a tennis player giving a ball a topspin, just grazing the thin spot on his head that's gonna be bald some day, probably from Mom slapping him there. "You watch ya mout!" Mom says. "Mout," not "mouth." We got a problem here with the "th" sound. It's not just us - it's all a Brooklyn, maybe Queens, too. My English teacher says I also drop vowels like a bad juggler, and have an infuriating tense problem, whatever that meant. So anyway, if you put the "th" problem and the vowel thing together, our family's Catlick, instead of Catholic, and my name's Antny instead of Anthony. Somehow that got changed into Antsy when I was little, and they've called me Antsy ever since. It don't bother me no more. Used to, but, y'know, you grow into your name. (page 3)

My family isn't from Brooklyn, but let's just say that I spent my first couple years of life living on Long Island and my friend across the street was most definitely an Antny, not an Anthony.

New York Italian accents aside, this book was truly an enjoyable read. The characters are rich and loveable, and even though the plot seems strange it all feels genuine and realistic when you're reading it. It's a fun, light read with heartfelt sincerity, and I definitely recommend it.