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The Invisible, a young adult novel by Mats Wahl and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, was first published  in Sweden and made into a movie there. A U.S. film version will open in April 2007.

It’s about Hilmer, a 15-year-old boy in a small Swedish town, who slowly realizes that he has become invisible and is believed missing. A police detective named Harald Fors arrives at school that very morning to investigate Hilmer’s disappearance. Hilmer grows frightened and realizes that he’s starting to forgett things including what happened to him two nights earlier.

Detective Fors suspects foul play by a group of skinheads. As Fors scours the village and interviews area residents for clues, he begins to piece together the puzzle of Hilmer’s disappearance. Meanwhile Hilmer waits to discover what has happened to him.

Teens and adults will appreciate how Wahl slowly gives us - and main character Hilmer - clues about what happened. While you and Dective Fors have your suspicions, it isn’t until the end that the author lets us know what really happened. The Invisible reminds me a little of the narration in Alice Seabold’s The Lovely Bones - slightly creepy but very unique. Teenagers will enjoy this murder mystery and find The Invisible a hard book to put down.

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Pumpkin Waffles

Speaking of Sweden, my nephews are half Swedish. Recently on one of their birthdays, my sister made birthday waffles. I loved this idea. Normally, they’d have lingonberry jam made by their Swedish grandma and some whipped cream on them. Or forget the jam and just have lots of whipped cream - happy birthday!

Then my sister (their mom) sent me this recipe from Epicurious for pumpkin waffles. Use whipped cream from a spray can to make carved pumpkin faces on your waffles! I won’t tell anyone if you add a few candy corns, either.

Pumpkin Waffles
(Originally appeared in Gourmet magazine in November 2007)

These waffles work best when made in a Belgian waffle iron. Makes 12 (4-inch) waffles.

Ingredients:

1.   1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3. 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
4. 1 teaspoon baking soda
5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
6. 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
7. 1 teaspoon ground ginger
8. 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
9. 4 large eggs
10. 1 cup whole milk
11. 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
12. 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
13. 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted Vegetable oil for brushing waffle iron

Accompaniment: warm pure maple syrup
Special equipment: a waffle iron (preferably nonstick)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250°F and preheat waffle iron.
2. Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices.
3. Whisk eggs in a large bowl until blended, then whisk in milk, buttermilk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until smooth.
4. Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter (about 2 cups for four 4-inch Belgian waffles) into waffle iron, spreading quickly. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.
5. Transfer waffles to rack in oven to keep warm and crisp. Make more waffles in same manner.

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