Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend Book Review

Book title: Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend

Author: Matthew Dicks

Almost all of us had some sort of made-up friend when we were young. It might have been an on-and-off relationship, and maybe your friend didn’t even have a name, but at some point, we’ve all created ourselves a companion. Eventually though, those friends fade away and we can barely remember them. We think they’re gone because they were never real in the first place.

But what if your imaginary friend was real? This is the premise that Dicks ventures into as he tells the story of Max, a kid who has Asperger’s Syndrome, and his imaginary best friend Budo. Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend is told through the unique view of Budo, as he explains the many rules that govern the existence of imaginary friends. Firstly, imaginary friends come in all different shapes and sizes — they don’t have to be human, nor do they even have to be a living thing. An imaginary friend has all the limitations and powers that their creator grants them. Budo, for instance, actually looks more human than most other imaginary friends because Max had a very vivid imagination. While Budo can pass through doors like a ghost, he can’t sleep or even pick things up because Max never imagined Budo in that way.

Budo is there for Max at every moment — I especially like that Budo has an individuality not tied to Max. Like when Max doesn’t allow his mother to hug him, Budo feels bad for Mom and tries to encourage Max to open up. But Budo’s also always ready to keep Max away from any school bullies crossing his path. And while Budo wishes he could be there for Max forever, there’s one rule about imaginary friends that shatters that possibility: imaginary friends die when their kids don’t need them anymore.

However, Budo’s tentative future with Max is suddenly interrupted when Max is kidnapped by Ms. Patterson, a Special-Education teacher who forms a peculiar connection with Max and believes she can raise Max better. With Budo being the only witness to the abduction, he’s also Max’s only hope of being saved.

As Budo explores a world without Max on his journey to bring his best friend back, he learns more about what it means to be an imaginary friend and the sacrifices he will make to ensure Max can survive without him.

This book is a heartwarming read and Dicks ties it all together really well. I loved that this entire story was seen through the eyes of an imaginary friend rather than the kid himself. It displayed an entirely different side to how we all experienced childhood. Dicks also created a world that makes sense — all too often, authors make small inconsistencies when introducing a character from a different world. But the rules and origin of imaginary friends made sense and didn’t leave me confused about anything.

This book also has incredible writing — Dicks is actually a fifth-grade teacher and you can see that he knows kids so well. He skillfully incorporates his real-life interactions with kids into his novel.

Verdict: Overall, this is a great novel for just about anybody. It can be a little sad at times (like when Budo’s friends who are also imaginary companions fade away) so be prepared. But it’s also great to see how powerful one person in our life can be, even someone we don’t remember.

Reviewed by: Siri Palreddy'20