Nine-year-old Hank discovers an invisible furry creature in his parents’ ice cream store—just days after his best friend moves away. “Inkling” soon takes up residence in Hank’s room and becomes Hank’s confidante, helping him navigate the start of fourth grade without a best friend and with a bully named Bruno making life miserable. There’s a lot of humor in this engaging novel in which Inkling, while invisible, is far from imaginary. Inkling discovers the cheesy goodness of pizza, for example, but he needs squash for long-term sustenance. No one in Hank’s family eats squash, making for a comical—and slightly alarming—scene in a natural foods store. Hank’s frustration at how the adults around him respond to the bullying situation is realistic, as is his sense of satisfaction when Inkling bites Bruno. And the complexity of Hank’s feelings when he exploits his knowledge of Bruno’s difficult home life helps balance the presence of the bully-has-it-hard-at-home stereotype. But it’s Hank’s violation of Inkling’s trust that proves to be his biggest challenge in this entertaining story about the start of a beautiful friendship. (Ages 7–10)

From award-winning author Emily Jenkins and New York Times bestselling illustrator Harry Bliss comes the first book in a sweet, quirky chapter book series about a boy and his invisible friend, Inkling. Perfect for fans of Clementine and Ivy and Bean. This series is a great choice for emerging readers who are ready for chapter books.

The thing about Hank's new friend Inkling is, he's invisible.No, not imaginary. Inkling is an invisible bandapat, a creature native to the Peruvian Woods of Mystery. (Or maybe it is the Ukrainian glaciers. Inkling hardly ever gets his stories straight.)

Now Inkling has found his way into Hank's apartment on his quest for squash, a bandapat favorite. But Hank has bigger problems than helping Inkling fend off maniac doggies and searching for pumpkins: Bruno Gillicut is a lunch-stealing, dirtbug caveperson and he's got to be stopped. And who better to help stand up to a bully than an invisible friend?