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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Review of Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Ananya Swaminathan

Review of Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks is a heartwarming story

of an 8-year-old boy named Max and his imaginary friend, Budo. Unlike most books

that involve imaginary friends, Memoirs is told from Budo’s point of view.

Budo is Max’s five-year-old imaginary friend. Although Max has needed him

all this time, Budo fears that Max will eventually stop needing and believing in him;

if that were to happen, Budo would disappear. Budo, wise beyond his years and still

somehow endearingly naïve, provides quirky yet profound commentary on the world

around him. From Max’s ASD to a robbery at a gas station, he touches upon

quintessential truths that make readers wonder what, if anything, marks the

difference between the “real” and the “imaginary.”

As we learn more about Max’s school life, Budo introduces Mrs. Patterson,

one of Max’s teachers. However, he instinctively knows that there is something

wrong with Mrs. Patterson and that there is a disaster waiting to happen. When

Budo’s suspicions are confirmed, he must get help from both “real” and other

“imaginary” friends to save Max. However, by doing so, Budo threatens his very

existence…

Although essentially a story about a boy and his imaginary friend, Memoirs

goes above and beyond in every way; it tackles themes of love, friendship,

sacrifice, and growing up while remaining engrossing and relatable to a teenage

audience. From quirky start to bittersweet end, Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend is

an original, heart-stirring tale.

Ananya Swaminathan