The Invisible Story

There are all sorts of stories, but this one is something else entirely: no one has ever read it! When a reader approaches the library, he hides the book’s spine and repeats, “I’m a ghost, no one sees me.” All that will change the day a little girl, who doesn’t need her eyes to read or appreciate beauty, finds him.
The story connects with childhood on several levels: shyness, feeling different or excluded, fear of expressing oneself, and the need for belonging. Gamboa portrays the ghost story as a child who, with such low self-esteem, wishes he were invisible. He compares himself to other, very different books—bright books that tell famous stories, full of colour, very different from his white pages, where there doesn’t seem to be much to offer. One day, a different kind of reader arrives and, without hesitation, recognizes in The Invisible Story the book she was looking for. Its pages are white, yes, but it’s not empty.

Key points

2027 – Nominated for the Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities, IBBY UK
2025 – Shortlisted in the Carnegie Medal for Illustration, UK
2014 – Cuatrogatos Foundation Award, USA
2013 – Honorary mention for editorial work at the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava
Selected by school libraries in Mexico, Colombia and Guatemala

• Multi-award-winning book, translated into English, Japanese, Korean and Turkish.
• It introduces children and adults to Braille and the concept of linguistic equality.
• Featured by the Reading the Way project as a recommended book for discussing inclusion and disability.