The Schwa Was Here

The Schwa Was Here
Author(s)	Neal Shusterman
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Young adult novel
Publisher	Dutton Books Penguin Books
Publication date	2004
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	228 pp
ISBN	9780525471820
OCLC Number	54852781
LC Classification	PZ7.S55987 Sbe 2004

The Schwa Was Here is a young adult novel by Neal Shusterman. Published by Penguin Books and Dutton Books in 2004. It is about an eighth-grader's friendship with another student named Calvin Schwa, who is capable of seemingly not being noticed by the people around him.

The book received critical acclaim upon its release, receiving a starred review from School Library Journal and a positive review from Booklist. It also received the 2005 Boston Globe/Horn Book Magazine award for fiction and poetry.

The book has been optioned by The Disney Channel for a telefilm project. Shusterman, who previously worked with the channel on the project Pixel Perfect, has been lined up to write the script for the project.

Calvin Schwa's name

Calvin's family name used to be Schwartz. However, it was changed to Schwa due to a misunderstanding when his family immigrated to America. Appropriately, a schwa is the unstressed, neutral vowel sound "uh", as in the "o" like "carrot". The schwa is represented by the symbol ə, and is the most common vowel sound in the English language.

Plot summary

The story, told from the view of Anthony "Antsy" Bonano, involves Antsy and his friends testing their theory that a boy at their school named Calvin Schwa is "invisible." Through a series of accidents, Antsy and the Schwa are forced to work for an elderly man named Mr. Crawley after being caught breaking into his house. Eventually, they meet his granddaughter Lexie, a blind girl who gives both Antsy and the Schwa a new perspective on their situation. They solve the mystery of The Schwa's disappearing mother, and Calvin (the schwa) leaves New York to go live with her in Florida where the they live happily ever after.

Main characters

Anthony "Antsy" Bonano- is an Italian that helps Calvin "the Schwa" become un-invisible. He also narrates the story in 1st person narration

Calvin "the Schwa" Schwartz- The kid who is unnoticed by everyone. He blends with the environment. Antsy and his friends come to call this the "Schwa Effect". Calvin and Antsy put it to good use by placing bets and getting cash. He is tired of blending into his surroundings and going unnoticed by nearly everyone. By the end of the book, he is on the verge of insanity.

Lexis "Lexie" Crawley- Mr. Crawley's blind granddaughter. Antsy was assigned to watch after her. She becomes Antsy's girlfriend, but they break up because Calvin has feelings for her. She also often thinks about and worries for Calvin because she likes him as well as Antsy.

Ira Goldfarb- One of Antsy's best friends. He wants to go into movie making and is a great film maker. He doesn't like The Schwa and is creeped out by him. He is also jealous of Antsy's friendship with him.

Howie Bogerton- Another one of Antsy's best friends. He is very book smart, but not street smart. He doesn't really think outside the box, meaning he takes everything seriously and anything literally.

Mr. Crawley- Lexie's grandfather who everyone is afraid of, but has never seen. He is a powerful man in Brooklyn, Ansty's hometown, where he owns a restaurant. He is very rich but does not like spending money unless he absolutely has to. He has fourteen dogs named after the seven sins, Envy, Sloth, Anger,Lust, Gluttony, Pride, Avarice, and the seven vitues Prudence, Temperance, Justice, Fortitude, Faith, Hope, and Charity. He is also afraid to go outside of his home and to be alone. He is very intimidating, and likes to be known that way, but he has a good heart.

Frankie- Antsy's brother whos an excellent student and gets all A's but one day he gets arrested for drunk driving.

Inspiration

Neal Shusterman has said that he was inspired to write this book after visiting Dulles Middle School in Fort Bend County, Texas. He noticed a boy in a classroom who appeared to blend into his surroundings. He said that the boy's shirt blended into his chair and his raised hand blended in with a pole behind him. This gave him the idea of a character who was never noticed by anybody. Also, one of his best friends, Drew Bigger, told him a general story line which is one way he thought of this book, but mainly just the title. Neal Shusterman was a very determined man in the way he designed this book to make the reader want to know more.