An Invisible Thread: Adapted for Young Readers

by Laura Schroff, Alex Tresniowski

From New York Times bestselling authors Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski comes the young readers edition of a memoir about an unlikely friendship that forever changed the lives of a busy sales executive and a homeless eleven-year-old boy.

On one rainy afternoon, on a crowded New York City street corner, eleven-year-old Maurice met Laura. Maurice asked Laura for spare change because he was hungry, and something made Laura stop and ask Maurice if she could take him to lunch.

Maurice and Laura went to lunch together, and also bought ice cream cones and played video games. It was the beginning of an unlikely and magical friendship that changed both of their lives forever.

Genres: Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Memoir, Childrens, Biography, Biography Memoir, Audiobook

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 7, 2019

About the author

Laura Schroff, a former advertising sales executive for over 30 years worked with several major media companies, including Time Inc. and Condé Nast. Schroff was part of the advertising team that helped make USA Today a successful national newspaper; and worked on the launch of three of the most successful start-ups in Time Inc. history—In Style, Teen People and People StyleWatch. Laura also worked at People, Brides and Ms. In 1997 an article appeared in Good Housekeeping about her unlikely friendship with Maurice and that’s when Schroff started to think about writing her book.
An Invisible Thread was released in November 2011. It became an instant New York Times bestselling book (39x) and later became a #1 New York Times and international bestseller.

Laura has fully committed herself to advocate and inspire others through her books, An Invisible Thread, An Invisible Thread Christmas Story, Angels on Earth and An Invisible Thread Adapted for Young Readers, to be released May 2019. As a keynote speaker at over 300 events, including schools, charity organizations, libraries, organizations and bookstores, Laura encourages her audience to look for their own invisible thread connections and highlights the importance of opening up their eyes and hearts to the opportunities where they can make a difference in the lives of others. Schools continue to adopt An Invisible Thread as a required read and Simon & Schuster Education Team developed An Invisible Thread ELA Common Core Standards Curriculum Guide. She lives in Westchester with her feisty poodle, Emma.

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Maurice and Laura is a reminder of how much just one person can accomplish. What a gift this book will be for the young readers who are living in circumstances like Maurice was. They will be given the gift of hope. For the young readers living with abundance, there will be a new level of understanding and empathy for that kid who wears the same clothes all the time or never has any lunch money. Included at the end of the books are photos of Maurice and Laura as well as a list of charities and things kids can do to make a difference in the lives of others. Is there an invisible thread drawing you to someone?

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for providing a digital ARC of this edition for young readers in exchange for and honest review.

[Ruth-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio - Based on a true story. What an absolute sweet book! This is the young readers version and everyone including young children should read this. You will be inspired.

“A simple act of kindness can make an enormous difference and can even change a persons life.”

[Stacey DeCotis (Reading in the Middle Grades) · Rating 4 out of 5]

According to a Chinese proverb, "An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet..." The Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski is appropriately named because of this idea. Laura, a USA Today businesswoman meets Maurice, an 11 year old boy who is panhandling on the streets of NYC by chance. He is out begging for money, Laura walks past him, then something makes her stop. She brings Maurice to lunch at McDonalds and their unlikely friendship begins.

This book is an important book for many reasons. The Young Reader's Edition leaves some devastating details out that the original book published in 2011 describes. Young readers (5th grade and beyond) will connect with the readability of the text, but also will develop an empathy and understanding of how difficult life can be when living in poverty. Maurice represents so many American children who are fighting for survival with little or no help from caring adults. Maurice never knew when his next meal would be. When he started to meet Laura on Monday evenings, she would buy him a meal. Many times this would be the only one for Maurice for several days. Maurice moved over 20 times in his younger years. Home and shelter were not constants. When he did live under a roof, he oftentimes slept in a closet and awoke to count up to 12 people sleeping in a one room apartment.

Many of Maurice's family members turned to drugs and violence. Maurice continued to believe in and love his mother until her passing. He reconciled with his father after finding out he was dying of an incurable disease. All too common in families who live in poverty who have all the odds against them.

Maurice stayed in touch with Laura for years, visiting her family, celebrating holidays together. Maurice did lose touch with Laura around the time he turned 18 due to many circumstances. They reconnected and remain friends. At Laura's 50th birthday party, Maurice gave a touching toast to his guardian angel and thanked her for saving his life. Laura thought the same for Maurice. Throughout the book readers learn that Laura did not have a picturesque and loving upbringing. Her father often drank and lashed out violently at her mother, her younger brother Frank, and sometimes even to her. Laura's father and Maurice's mother both gave in to their "sicknesses" that turned them into totally different people. Both Laura and Maurice connected on this similarity and helped each other learn that you can have a successful future and overcome childhood trauma.

This book is important not only for readers who normally wouldn't connect to a life like Maurice's but especially for those readers that can. I will be recommending this book to my students.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing story of two people who just happen to meet on the streets of New York and embark on a relationship that spans years and saves them both. Was this a coincidence or were they meant to strike up this friendship? The author calls it an invisible thread that connects certain people who are meant to make a difference in another one's life. This is the true story of Laura Schroff and Maurice, a young boy. Laura came from humble beginnings, but made a success of herself. She works in New York City, where she meets 11 year old Maurice, an African American boy who is living in a basically condemned building with his grandmother, mother and several uncles. When Maurice asks her for some change for food, she takes him to McDonald's instead. So begins their weekly dinner dates and an unlikely friendship that spans decades.

The story of Laura and Maurice was written as nonfiction for adults, and became a New York Times bestseller. An Invisible Thread: A Young Readers’ Edition, is an adaptation of the original story. This is a powerful story of compassion, acceptance, and unlikely friendship. There is still so much homelessness, hunger and neglect of children today, that this story is as relevant today as when it happened. This is a book that should be in every school library. I definitely recommend this book.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to listen to the audiobook of this story narrated by Laura Schroff and Emily Sutton-Smith. I always enjoy books narrated by the author. They know where to add expression and intonation. Emily Sutton-Smith presents distinct, childlike voices and I did not realize that the voice of Maurice was being spoken by a female. I enjoyed sitting back and listening to this story. It was a relatively short story that I enjoyed spending the day listening to. The publisher generously provided me with this audiobook upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

[Carli · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. This is the heartfelt story of the unlikely friendship between an eleven-year-old boy who is hungry and a woman who takes him out to lunch. Maurice is used to begging on the street; meals in the place he lives are hard to come by. When Laura walks past him one day, he is surprised to see her pause, come back, and invite him to lunch. The two become regular dinner companions, and over the years, fixtures in each other’s lives. This is the young reader’s edition, which seems to be aimed at fourth or fifth grade readers.

[Elizabeth Appenheimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in such a way that younger kids will be able to understand, connect, and ask questions about a tough topic.

[Kathy Mathey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The power of kindness...

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I put this book on hold and I didn’t realize there were 2 versions young adult and adult. I somehow got the young adult and I felt so much was missing(told from the pov of the boy). This book by the adult was so interesting. Laura meets a boy on the street panhandling , she takes him to McDonald’s and this is the start of a weekly meal together and a long friendship. What Laura did Is amazing and it’s so sad to see the comments that are so negative.

[Tiffany B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story has been on my bucket list for years, as I taught an excerpt of it in my 7th grade ELA class. I read the Young Readers Edition because it was available through Kindle Unlimited. This story would be a great teaching tool to show how one simple act of kindness can set a whole new path in motion. I will likely still try to read the novel itself since more mature topics to provide additional background info would be covered in it, I am sure.

[Chloë Mali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this was a really cool story. I want to read the full version now!

[Taylor Bergmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good little quick read. It really makes you think about how you can make a difference in someone’s life and pay it forward.

[Julie Pagel]

Book Club Book -

[Rachel Polacek · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. I read this with a class at school, and while I struggle with the white savior narrative, the actual story here seems to be more than that.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book opened my eyes. I listened to it to see if it would be a good book for a family road trip. It might be too sad for a couple of my boys who are sensitive, but it’s such an important story I might have them listen anyway. Debating.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book on the Hoopla app. It was listed among the "recommended for you." I have been reading a lot of middle grade books lately, so I imagine that led to the young reader edition of this story finding its away on that recommended list.

I was not familiar with this story, but it definitely drew me in and I found it rather heartwarming.

Laura Schroff is an ad executive at USA Today when she encounters 11-year old Maurice panhandling for lunch on a New York City sidewalk. Instead of just giving him money, she asks him to join her for lunch. Maurice chooses McDonalds and they order their meals and sit down to talk. Thus begins an unconventional friendship.

My struggle with non-fiction is no secret, but I really enjoyed this story. I did do some research after I completed this book, and Laura and Maurice do a lot of talks and outreach in middle schools throughout New York and the country. Maurice also works for one of the CUNY schools and does outreach and advocacy for young people seeking a new start in the world after a challenging childhood. And more importantly Laura and Maurice are still very close.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This truly is an amazing story of two people who just happen to meet on the streets of New York. Yet is it really coincidence or were they meant to strike up a friendship that changed them forever? The author posits that there is an invisible thread that connects certain people - that they are to be in one another's lives.
This is the true story of Laura and Maurice. Laura is a success story from a humble background. She lives and works in New York where she passes 11 year old Maurice, an African American boy who asks her for some change because he's hungry. She passes him by then stops and walks back to him. She takes him to eat at McDonald's. So begins their weekly dinner dates and unlikely friendship that spans decades.
What struck me as incredible is that Laura recognizes and honors the boundaries that must stay in place. She crosses them on occasion, but she realizes that she is not to be the rich, white lady that gives Maurce everything he needs. They are to be friends. In the beginning, she shows him a world where there is another alternative to what he has been exposed to. A place where people get jobs and work every day, earning a paycheck. They eat three meals and use silverware. The best part is that they eat at a family table, like the one at Laura's sister's house, and stay after the meal is finished and enjoy each other's company.

Maurice is practically and then truly homeless and always hungry. He lives with his grandmother, mother, and sisters in section 8 housing. Different grownups sleep in the one bedroom apartment. He is inured to the adults being on drugs in the "zone," drug deals, even murders occurring right in the apartment. You eat when you can find food. He didn't know about tissues being used for blowing your nose. How to use utensils or how to set a table.

Maurice and Laura spend years together in their friendship. They count on one another even as their circumstances change. Their commonality is their love for their family but also abusive childhoods. What they each gain is something that can't be quantified.

The reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I also read the unadapted version of An Invisible Thread and found the depth to be much more satisfying. I believe this book should be required reading in junior highs and middle schools.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

All it takes is a small act of kindness and a person's life can completely change.

Eleven-year-old Maurice met Laura on a corner in New York. He was begging for his usual few coins in hopes of getting enough together to eat. She almost walked by. Their one meal soon turned out to be a weekly event and a close friendship developed between them.

This is a story of hope and a ray of light called kindness. I haven't read the original novel, which was meant for the adult audience, so I can't compare this adaption in that sense. However, reading this was a real treat. It's told from Maurice's point of view and brings him across as a very normal boy, who's just trying to make his way through life. His family, while he doesn't feel unloved, struggles to the point where even clothes or daily meals are a problem each one deals with independently. While this tale bring's Maurice's difficult life to light, it doesn't do it with a sense of pity, but rather, allows it to come across as normal as it was for Maurice. People grow up in different circumstances, each having their own definition of normal, and this book brings that across well. And in a way readers ages 9 to 12 can easily connect to.

There is a lot of heart in this book, and while most of it seems to show Laura saving Maurice, there is more to the message by the end. It is an inspiration which shows that helping others or simply being someone's friend is a wonderful thing.

While I enjoyed reading this very much and found it well brought over to the intended audience, the last chapters left this wonderful flow. I'm not sure if the authors were in a hurry or uncertain how to bring the last bit across to this younger audience, but the ending didn't have the clarity or wonderful pacing which if found in the rest of the book. Still, I'd highly recommend this one and think readers will embrace Maurice's and Laura's tale, and let it inspire their own lives.

I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed reading this very much. So, I'm leaving my honest thoughts.

[Cindy Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A chance encounter between a hungry child and a New York City office worker led to a life-long relationship that changed both people. Maurice came from a poor family where the adults assumed he would take care of himself, even though he was only eleven. Often, there was no food in the refrigerator and he would be hungry for days. That’s when he would go to his favorite street corner and beg for change.

Laura worked at USA Today, a newspaper that Maurice had never even heard of. She lived just two blocks from Maurice, but they were worlds apart. When Laura saw Maurice begging for change, she passed him by. But something made her turn around and offer to take him for a hamburger at McDonald’s.

That meal turned out to be the first of many, with the two of them meeting every Monday for years. Maurice was suspicious at first, because his family taught him that people weren’t nice unless they wanted something, but gradually he came to realize Laura only wanted to be his friend. Over time, she provided guidance that helped him do better in school and dream about having a future.

The story of Laura and Maurice was written as nonfiction for adults, and became a New York Times bestseller. An Invisible Thread: A Young Readers’ Edition, is an adaptation of the original story for adults. Even though the events depicted took place in the 1980s, this incredible story still holds relevance today.

Written by Laura Schroff with assistance from Alex Tresniowski, An Invisible Thread is a powerful story of compassion, acceptance, and unlikely friendship. Even though Maurice’s mother and grandmother were neglectful, he loved them fiercely. Laura didn’t try to force change on Maurice that he didn’t want, but she did provide love and stability when his world was often rocked by chaos and uncertainty.

Photos of the two and their families at the end of the book help readers see the people behind this real-life story of triumph. I recommend it for readers aged 8 to 12.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I haven’t posted as I’ve read this. Not found the language or writting quotes that I’ve wanted to put down.

Really wanted to include in my bib for Accira, but I’m feeling very manipulated by it. I guess it’s somewhat why I never read USA today. I will try to finish it because I do think the story has valuable lessons, but I guess I’m feeling hit over the head by them. Not sure but kids might feel the same. p. 141 I can see why adult version is bestseller as Christmas story did make me cry. “thank you for being my friend” made me think of Fred Rogers and I need to find a kids bio about him.

Finished. Glad I made it to the end. I’m sure there are kids and teachers who will love this and I guess I owe it to the author to look at some of the teaching guides and online materials to accompany this. Not sure how young I’d recommend it. May work for bookclubs, especially if educational materials are valuable.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back in the eighties, a woman met a panhandling kid and bought him a meal, and they stayed friends for years; she bought him dinner every Monday and took him places (baseball games, her sibling's homes and families, Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade) and showed him a life beyond the tiny room he shared with his mom, sisters, grandmother and assorted other relatives. Eventually he grew up and used that vision to build himself a new life around the ideas of work and success he learned from her.

This is the version of the book written down for kids, and it did feel like it was written down. I haven't read the original version, but the lessons were spelled out and things felt pretty simple. Also, it was fairly clear that Laura's dad was an alcoholic and Maurice's mom was addicted to opiates and later died of AIDS, but there were only vague references of "sickness" for them. After reading other works on drug abuse recently this kind of mealymouth dancing around seems dangerous.

[Kaysey Beury · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story about the kindness shown to a young, poor boy named Maurice on the streets of New York City by a woman named Laura.

I was thrown at first but the third person narration since it was a true story, but I think it was well written and definitely appropriate for middle and high school readers. I enjoyed learning about how their friendship grew. Maurice learned important lessons from Laura as he got older. Her impact, which started with a simple meal at McDonalds, was inspiring and thought provoking about how one simple act can make all the difference in a person's life.

There are references to the "sickness" that Maurice's mother suffered from, which was addiction, but there are no explicit details of drug use or inappropriate scenes. This would be something I'd say could be used in a classroom to teach or on a classroom library.

[Jason Pietrafetta · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Invisible Thread was a great book. It reminds you about how many people even young kids that are living poverty. While the book has a good message at many point you forget the book is supposed to be about Maurice because the author (Laura Schroff) talk a lot about her own problems when she was young. She did have struggles that she could have related to herself but I feel like she talked too much about herself. I did still think it was a good book and I'm glad the author (Laura Schroff) helped Maurice like that.

[Eve beinguniquebeingme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maurice is a boy living in poverty between the streets and a run down room cramped with family and strangers.



Laura is a lady working hard at USA Today who takes a chance on hungry boy Maurice.



What launches from their first encounter is a wary at first friendship which turns to an exciting hope filled friendship for the pair as Maurice discovers what kindness can do for people and how it can change a life forever and the better a delightful unforgettable story about a real life friendship.

[Steersl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deeper analysis about An Invisible Thread is when Maurice is when Laura talks about her past and how it connects to Maurice because that is what he was going through. I also liked when Laura took Maurice out to lunch whenever he needed it. and also Laura took Maurice to The Mets game because he mentioned that he likes to watch them on tv. My favorite part of the book is the beginning of the book. I would recommend this book to whoever likes books by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski and young readers books.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s very rare to see a non-fiction book for kids that describes the life of a contemporary urban kid living in poverty so clearly (most of the action takes place in the 1980s, but does not read as dated). At the same time, this young reader’s edition is strangely elliptical about some of the problems Maurice experiences. The central message of the importance of kindness is sweet, but the book seems to me to suffer from an inability to tell the story honestly to its intended audience.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was SUCH a quick read (took me about 3 hours), and the YA copy I was given was definitely sanitized for young readers. As an adult, this version felt a little patronizing (as in it never mentions the word 'drugs' but keeps calling Maurice's mother's addiction issues her 'sickness'), but it told a decent story in a very condensed form. I'd actually be interested in reading the adult version and I think I'd like it much better.

[Samantha Litman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed An Invisible Thread. I found this book very informational and inspirational. Throughout the book, you truly see how Maurice and Laura grow emotionally and mentally. This book was very eye-opening and it really made me appreciate everything in my life. I am very glad that I got the chance to read this book. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who want to read a heart-warming story with struggles that the characters overcome.

[Barbra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a young readers edition of a heartwarming memoir. Based on a true story we follow eleven-year-old Maurice as he struggles in a home with no responsible adults, using only his own ingenuity to survive. When he is begging for money he touches the heart of a businesswoman named Laura. From that first day when she buys him a meal they stay connected and she influences the values in his life. Readers aged 10 to adult will feel the hope love and kindness can bring.

[Alissa Faust · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always wanted to make a difference in people’s lives the way Laura did in this book. I read the young readers version, but think I will wait a couple of years to introduce it to my young-er readers because of some of the content. I kept thinking how amazing it is that Laura would take Maurice under her wing. I kept waiting for her to do something untrustworthy, so in that, Laura not only taught Maurice to trust, she also taught me to trust. There is still good in the world.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A touching story of how a small act of kindness can change someone’s life. I would have been interested knowing a little more about his life as an adult. Based on the random photos at the end (with captions that seem to be written by a 7 year old), I can infer he married and had kids. This was his dream he talked about all throughout the book so it was a disservice to not tell how his dream came true.