Release: October 12th, 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Amulet Books
Source: Netgalley
Find it at Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, Kobo
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The story of a boy and his imaginary friend—told by the imaginary friend.
Zach should’ve outgrown his imaginary friend by now. He knows this. He’s 11, long past the days when kids are supposed to go on epic make-believe adventures with their invisible friends. After his father’s death five years ago, all Zach wanted was an escape from the real world. So his imaginary friend, Shovel, hasn’t faded away as the other kids have. Their imaginary friendship grew stronger. But now Zach’s in middle school, and things are getting awkward.
His best friend ditched him for a cooler crowd. His classmates tease him in the hallways. He still misses his dad. Reality is the worst, which is why Zach makes regular visits to a fantasy world with Shovel. But is Zach’s overactive imagination helping him deal with loss or just pushing people away? Poignant, humorous, and breathtaking, Imaginary is an inventive story of friendship, loss, and growing up . . . as only an imaginary friend could tell it.
About the Author:
Lee Bacon is the author of several books for young people, including the Joshua Dread and Legendtopia series and the original audio story The Mystery of Alice. His books have seen the translation in twenty-three languages.
Over the years, Lee has worked many different jobs—farm laborer, art gallery assistant, bartender, assistant literary agent—before settling on the two jobs that he currently holds: Writer and freelance translator. He now lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two cats.
Imaginary Review:
I never thought a story about an imaginary friend would make me emotional. The author did a remarkable job in telling the story. I feel a reader of any age would enjoy this tale, as it conveys topics such as bullying, loss of a family member, and making new friends.
The story’s highlight is the characters, and the author did a fantastic job in depicting them. My heart went out to Zach. He loses his self-confidence and shuts away everyone when he cannot cope with the loss of his father. I thought the author portrayed him wonderfully. Similarly, Anni is terrific! I loved the scenes where she attacks the Matts to help Zach. I was also surprised at Ryan. When the story started, I didn’t like him much at all. But it surprised me when the author spoke about his perspective as well, which made me understand why he did what he did. Likewise, even Shovel had me going through various feelings. At times, I hated him for controlling Zach, but at other times I thought he was adorable.
Speaking of Shovel, I also thought the author did a marvelous job narrating the story from Shovel’s perspective. It gave the plot a different angle and made it entertaining to read. The story reminded me a lot of the movie “The Breakfast Club” when the three characters spend time in detention.
Overall, “Imaginary” will make you laugh at places and also make you emotional with tears in others. It is an adorable middle-grade novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.
