1st out of 11 books
—
15 voters
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend
by
Matthew Dicks (Goodreads Author)
Budo is Max's imaginary friend. But though only Max can see him, he is real. He and the other imaginary friends watch over their children until the day comes that the child stops imagining them. And then they're gone. Budo has lasted a lot longer than most imaginary friends - four years - because Max needs him more. His parents argue about sending him to a special school....more
Hardcover, 311 pages
Published
August 21st 2012
by St. Martin's Press
(first published March 1st 2012)
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Flipping ahead, like cholesterol, can be bad or good.
Bad flipping ahead means I'm losing interest and either looking for a reason to keep reading, or skimming through the rest of the plot before I stop reading.
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend was subjected to good flipping ahead. Part way through, I simultaneously couldn't stand the suspense and didn't want to rush this wonderful journey with Max and his imaginary friend Budo, so I flipped ahead a little, then came back to relish the details.
I wa...more
Bad flipping ahead means I'm losing interest and either looking for a reason to keep reading, or skimming through the rest of the plot before I stop reading.
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend was subjected to good flipping ahead. Part way through, I simultaneously couldn't stand the suspense and didn't want to rush this wonderful journey with Max and his imaginary friend Budo, so I flipped ahead a little, then came back to relish the details.
I wa...more
Here is what I know:
My Name is Budo.
I have been alive for five years.
Five years is very long for someone like me to be alive.
Max gave me my name.
Max is the only human person who can see me.
Max's parents call me an imaginary friend.
I love Max's teacher, Mrs Gosk.
I do not like Max's other teacher, Mrs Patterson.
I am not imaginary.
So begins one of the most unusual and frustrating books I have ever read, Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Green.
Many kids have imaginary friends, who last for v...more
My Name is Budo.
I have been alive for five years.
Five years is very long for someone like me to be alive.
Max gave me my name.
Max is the only human person who can see me.
Max's parents call me an imaginary friend.
I love Max's teacher, Mrs Gosk.
I do not like Max's other teacher, Mrs Patterson.
I am not imaginary.
So begins one of the most unusual and frustrating books I have ever read, Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Green.
Many kids have imaginary friends, who last for v...more
Started yesterday, and I couldn't put it down!
I loved every moment I spent with Budo and his friend, Max, and I just can't recommend this highly enough, especially for people who liked A Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime, or Room. I think I actually liked this a little better than both of those!
There were some very tender moments, some very sad moments, some very funny moments... I went through way more kleenax than I was anticipating!
I can't wait to start lending this out to people!
I loved every moment I spent with Budo and his friend, Max, and I just can't recommend this highly enough, especially for people who liked A Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime, or Room. I think I actually liked this a little better than both of those!
There were some very tender moments, some very sad moments, some very funny moments... I went through way more kleenax than I was anticipating!
I can't wait to start lending this out to people!
I had several imaginary friends, one was a girl named Elizabeth, one was a girl named Jessica, one was a dog named Bonzo. Bonzo was the best. I miss Bonzo. Jessica was a bit mean, Elizabeth a bit pasty. Sorry, Elizabeth, you did stick around for quite a while, and I don't want you to feel unappreciated. But you were a little bit pasty, in hindsight. Bonzo, on the other hand, was solid and loyal and... he persisted.
I don't know how long these friends stuck around for, but the times spent with th...more
I don't know how long these friends stuck around for, but the times spent with th...more
This book is creative. The author uses an imaginary friend as the narrator speaking to readers with the limitations of a child's mind and experience, and the powerful memories of love. It is about gratitude for living, mastery of how the world works, and finally, it is about disappearance.
Disappearance from a crippling phase of childhood, an abductor who has been a trusted school mentor, dependence on an imaginary friend, to saving oneself in reality.
Imagination is paramount at an early age in o...more
Disappearance from a crippling phase of childhood, an abductor who has been a trusted school mentor, dependence on an imaginary friend, to saving oneself in reality.
Imagination is paramount at an early age in o...more
Budo and Max are best friends, Max created Budo from his imagination. Budo is Max’s imaginary friend. Budo is different from other imaginary friends, he’s been alive for longer than any imaginary friend he knows and he looks more human than a lot of imaginary friends do, that’s because Max is different than most boys his age. Max lives inside himself a lot, he doesn’t like to be touched and sometimes he get’s “stuck” inside himself too, this makes him a target for bullies and the other kids don’...more
This book is one of the biggest surprises for me of the year. I was blown away by how emotional and heart-wrenching this book was at times. That might be because of what an awesome job the narrator, Matthew Brown, did with the audiobook. The story was absolutely fantastic, but Mr. Brown brought Budo to life just as surely as Max Delaney did.
In Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend when a child creates an imaginary friend they are real. Only, no one but the child that created him (and other imaginary fr...more
In Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend when a child creates an imaginary friend they are real. Only, no one but the child that created him (and other imaginary fr...more
This one has an interesting premise: the narrator, Budo, is the imaginary friend of a real eight-year-old boy, Max. According to Budo, most imaginary friends don't last as long as he has (five years) because most real kids stop needing their imaginary friends by the time they're Max's age. However, Max is different from other kids; he hates change, doesn't understand social situations very well, and occasionally gets "stuck" when a situation freaks him out. The reader will quickly deduce that Ma...more
Reading this book made me feel like a child again. I loved Budo. I wished that I had such a vivid imagination as Max did with Budo when I was growing up. I never really had an imaginary friend growing up but this probably had to do with I had a younger sister to play with. She and I would make things up ourselves. However, if I was an only child, I would have wanted a friend like Budo. It was very creative of Max to give Budo the ability to walk through walls.
I do admit that at first I was a li...more
I do admit that at first I was a li...more
This was such a sweet, innocent story. Told from the viewpoint of an imaginary friend of a boy with aspegers, it is very original. It made me think about imaginary friends in a differant way. It also made me cry. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed room or curious incident of a dog at nighttime.
the world created in this book is amazing and wonderous. our narrator, budo, is the imaginary friend of max. budo has been with max for four years, longer than most imaginary friends who don't typically make it past kindergarten.
budo helps max make sense of his world. max exhibits signs of autism, and relies on budo to help him make decisions about mundane tasks like which shirt to wear or what colored popsicle to eat.
budo loves max, but when max is in trouble, budo has to choose between saving...more
budo helps max make sense of his world. max exhibits signs of autism, and relies on budo to help him make decisions about mundane tasks like which shirt to wear or what colored popsicle to eat.
budo loves max, but when max is in trouble, budo has to choose between saving...more
This review and more can be viewed on my blog at: The Muses Circle
"I wish there was a Heaven. If I knew there was a Heaven for me, then I would save Max for sure. I wouldn't be afraid because there would be a place to go after this place. Another place. But I don't think there is a Heaven, and I definitely don't think there is a Heaven for imaginary friends. Heaven is only supposed to be for people who God made, and God didn't make me. Max made me."
I normally don't start my reviews with a quote,...more
"I wish there was a Heaven. If I knew there was a Heaven for me, then I would save Max for sure. I wouldn't be afraid because there would be a place to go after this place. Another place. But I don't think there is a Heaven, and I definitely don't think there is a Heaven for imaginary friends. Heaven is only supposed to be for people who God made, and God didn't make me. Max made me."
I normally don't start my reviews with a quote,...more
Wat een geweldig boek was dit! Van de eerste tot de laatste bladzijde interessant en een pageturner! Dusdanig dat ik heel snel gelezen heb omdat ik zo in het verhaal werd meegezogen! De wereld die gecreëerd wordt is af en volledig in orde. Er is goed over nagedacht en de regels zijn helder en duidelijk gesteld. De beschrijving van de gebeurtenissen is soms wat lang, maar dat heeft me niet gestoord, omdat het juist heel beelden was voor het verhaal! Het verhaal is interessant en heel meeslepend,...more
Loved this book from start to finish! Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend was different from any book I've ever read before, although the overall "voice" or feel of the book was similar to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, which is an all-time favorite of mine. Budo, the imaginary friend created by young Max, pulled me into the story from page one. As the narrator, Budo held my interest, made me laugh, and kept me guessing all the way to the fabulous end. I smiled and nodded my head a...more
First off, receiving a copy of this from St Martin's Press through Goodreads' give-away was perhaps the most exciting point of my day week. I'm not sure if this says something bad about me, but let's just go with it being a really cool thing to get a free book by courier.
I absolutely devoured this book. I added it to my currently reading list a few days ago, but only started in on the story today, and carried it around with me everywhere, unable to put it down and wanting, desperately, to figur...more
I absolutely devoured this book. I added it to my currently reading list a few days ago, but only started in on the story today, and carried it around with me everywhere, unable to put it down and wanting, desperately, to figur...more
I don't even know where or how to start!
First, the author...what a clever, incredibley heartwarming story! Just when I think I won't find another out of ordinary story...here it is! The protagonist....an imaginary friend? How is that going to work? Well it did.
Budo was smart, clever, caring, devoted to Max (and Max's parents), but also naive, child-like, and innocent at the same time.
I absolutely adored Budo, Max's imaginary friend.
"The right thing and the easy thing are never same thing.." Loya...more
First, the author...what a clever, incredibley heartwarming story! Just when I think I won't find another out of ordinary story...here it is! The protagonist....an imaginary friend? How is that going to work? Well it did.
Budo was smart, clever, caring, devoted to Max (and Max's parents), but also naive, child-like, and innocent at the same time.
I absolutely adored Budo, Max's imaginary friend.
"The right thing and the easy thing are never same thing.." Loya...more
Another triumph for Matthew Dicks!
Strangely enough, I had low expectations for this book, since I thought nothing could come close to my beloved Martin from Something Missing. Wrong! This was such an incredible, creative and heart-thumping story. I was completely taken by surprise! The main character Buhdo is fantastic and the plot line is some stellar combination of Wonder (R.J. Palacio), Room (Emma Donahue)and Ghost (the movie). So awesome.
The imagination that went into this book is mind-blo...more
Strangely enough, I had low expectations for this book, since I thought nothing could come close to my beloved Martin from Something Missing. Wrong! This was such an incredible, creative and heart-thumping story. I was completely taken by surprise! The main character Buhdo is fantastic and the plot line is some stellar combination of Wonder (R.J. Palacio), Room (Emma Donahue)and Ghost (the movie). So awesome.
The imagination that went into this book is mind-blo...more
I thought this book was going to be something completely different to what it was, just a light hearted look at life from the view point of an imaginary friend of a child with some form of autism I am guessing.
However,it was so much more than that, everyone knows someone who had an imaginary friend , but how much thought do you give to what, or why they are there??
the descriptions of different shapes and sizes and strengths, and what they can and cant do was amazing, something I would never even...more
However,it was so much more than that, everyone knows someone who had an imaginary friend , but how much thought do you give to what, or why they are there??
the descriptions of different shapes and sizes and strengths, and what they can and cant do was amazing, something I would never even...more
Quando ho comprato questo libro l'ho fatto per i soliti motivi. Mi piaceva la copertina, il titolo era suggestivo, la trama mi sembrava interessante, ho letto i primi capitoli e mi sono detto: "questo libro mi piacerà". E così è stato. A volte nei primi capitoli si inganna i lettore, si concentra il meglio della scrittura e poi ci si perde e invece non è questo il caso. Diciamo che non lo è in generale dei libri degli autori americani e inglesi.
Il libro mostra una grande umanità e una buona cara...more
Il libro mostra una grande umanità e una buona cara...more
Apr 17, 2013
Kwoomac
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
autism,
contemporary-lit,
a-life-in-review,
fast-read,
survival,
reviewed,
2013,
of-course-i-cried,
magical-realism
This book was nothing like author Matthew Dicks' previous novels. Ok, maybe not completely true. The protagonist is not a quirky adult with OCD, but an eight-year-old boy with autistic features. Actually, he's not the main protag, his imaginary friend is.
This is a truly poignant tale told through the eyes of Budo, the imaginary friend of Max Delaney. According to Budo, imaginary friends are real. It was a fun concept. Budo can go places without Max, and often wanders off if he's bored. He has fr...more
This is a truly poignant tale told through the eyes of Budo, the imaginary friend of Max Delaney. According to Budo, imaginary friends are real. It was a fun concept. Budo can go places without Max, and often wanders off if he's bored. He has fr...more
From Debbie:
I love this book. An imaginary friend as narrator is wonderfully original and a bit of a mental challenge. I fell in love with Budo and I believed completely in his reality. Of course, I was a child that believed all stuffed animals had feelings and could indeed feel pain if they fell off the bed. I also felt Budo’s perspective on Max’s abilities gives the reader new ways to think about autism and children on the spectrum. Spoiler alert. I wept at the end of this book. Wept and wept...more
I love this book. An imaginary friend as narrator is wonderfully original and a bit of a mental challenge. I fell in love with Budo and I believed completely in his reality. Of course, I was a child that believed all stuffed animals had feelings and could indeed feel pain if they fell off the bed. I also felt Budo’s perspective on Max’s abilities gives the reader new ways to think about autism and children on the spectrum. Spoiler alert. I wept at the end of this book. Wept and wept...more
Jan 18, 2013
Nikki
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Nikki by:
'Best books of 2012' lists.
I'd read/heard so many people rave about this book and the synopsis sounded pretty interesting too, so I couldn't not read it. However, I really didn't like it. I can't put my finger on what it is exactly, but I just didn't get sucked into the story at all. I didn't feel involved with any of the characters, I didn't like the writing style (it reminded me a lot of Room, a book I started but didn't finish because of exactly this reason) and the plot was borderline ridiculous. Not to mention all th...more
Absolutely loved this book.
1. I cried at the end. I stared off into space for about 10 minutes like as sad puppy who has lost his way.
2. I liked the way Budo heard words differently such as I See You for ICU and damunion for damn union.
3. If I didn't work and have other things to do, I would have read this book in one sitting. When I would sit down to read this book I read about 100 pages each time and it felt like I had barely read anything. Not once was I bored or ready to put it down.
4. I...more
1. I cried at the end. I stared off into space for about 10 minutes like as sad puppy who has lost his way.
2. I liked the way Budo heard words differently such as I See You for ICU and damunion for damn union.
3. If I didn't work and have other things to do, I would have read this book in one sitting. When I would sit down to read this book I read about 100 pages each time and it felt like I had barely read anything. Not once was I bored or ready to put it down.
4. I...more
Every once in a while, you pick up a book, read the title, and say to yourself, "Hmm.... wouldn't it be cool if that's really what the book was about?" Think Jurassic Park, or Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse ... or Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend. This was an utterly amazing book. It reminded me quite a lot of Room, in the very best way. Budo is one of the most original characters I've ever read. For an imaginary friend, he's really well-developed. He thinks for himself ... there's a t...more
Imagine if your existence depended on the imagination of a child. Whether you talk, have ears, eyebrows, feet or hair – it's all up to the child who believes you are real. Until the child stops believing, and then you disappear.
This is Budo's world. His child, Max, is (presumably) autistic, so Budo had been around a lot longer than most imaginary friends (which range from kids to fairies to talking dogs and a spoon) and is pretty high functioning. Budo can read, imagine, and walk through walls....more
This is Budo's world. His child, Max, is (presumably) autistic, so Budo had been around a lot longer than most imaginary friends (which range from kids to fairies to talking dogs and a spoon) and is pretty high functioning. Budo can read, imagine, and walk through walls....more
Disappointed by the audio.
My hopes were high for this book, as I was extremely intrigued by the original premise. Unfortunately, either the book as a whole disappointed me or it was simply not a good fit for audio. I will give the author the benefit of the doubt and say it was the audio.
If I had the option of speeding up the sound on the CDs, I would have taken full advantage. As it was, I had to stop myself from fast-forwarding through some parts of the book. For example, when Budo is finally i...more
My hopes were high for this book, as I was extremely intrigued by the original premise. Unfortunately, either the book as a whole disappointed me or it was simply not a good fit for audio. I will give the author the benefit of the doubt and say it was the audio.
If I had the option of speeding up the sound on the CDs, I would have taken full advantage. As it was, I had to stop myself from fast-forwarding through some parts of the book. For example, when Budo is finally i...more
What an interesting premise: that imaginary friends are real and can communicate with one another. Budo is the imaginary friend of Max, who is in third grade and somewhere on the autism spectrum, so Budo's survived longer than most ("Kindergarten kills most imaginary friends," he explains).
Dicks, who is an elementary school teacher, has school down perfectly. And the voice and point of view of Budo read perfectly as a young child who doesn't understand everything he sees, but who is highly inte...more
Dicks, who is an elementary school teacher, has school down perfectly. And the voice and point of view of Budo read perfectly as a young child who doesn't understand everything he sees, but who is highly inte...more
This was one of the most unique books I've read in the last year. Written from the point of view of an imaginary friend named Budo, the book explores many diverse topics from autism, to death, to abduction and most of all, to what it means to be a friend. I did find myself a bit lost at the beginning of the book as I wasn't sure what direction the story would take but as soon as Mrs. Patterson convinced Max, Budo's creator, to follow her out of school and to her car I knew that I wanted to be th...more
Just the premise of this book is intriguing. It is told by Budo, the imaginary friend of Max, an eight-year old boy with special needs, most likely an Autism Spectrum Disorder. In fact, Max’s exact diagnosis is an ongoing issue with his parents. This discussion does not matter to Budo, who accepts Max for who he is and understands his every thought and action. It sometimes becomes difficult to remember that the narrator is a made-up character who exists only for Max and the imaginary friends of...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ending (Do Not read if you haven't finished the book yet!) | 10 | 82 | May 10, 2013 06:55am | |
| Live chat with Matthew Dicks on May 7th at 8:00-9:00 PM | 1 | 7 | May 01, 2013 07:50pm | |
| And the winner (o...: Winner of the Month-October | 1 | 11 | Oct 31, 2012 06:08am | |
| Books on the Nigh...: Episode 192 | 2 | 58 | Sep 12, 2012 12:10pm | |
| Creative Reviews: Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by: Matthew Dicks | 1 | 18 | Aug 22, 2012 10:29pm |
My name is Matthew Dicks. I am a writer and a teacher.
In the spring of 2008, under the guidance of my remarkable agent, Taryn Fagerness, I sold my first novel, SOMETHING MISSING, to Broadway Books, an imprint of Doubleday, and thus made one of my childhood dreams come true. SOMETHING MISSING was published in August of 2009 and has since been translated into six different languages.
My career as an...more
More about Matthew Dicks...
In the spring of 2008, under the guidance of my remarkable agent, Taryn Fagerness, I sold my first novel, SOMETHING MISSING, to Broadway Books, an imprint of Doubleday, and thus made one of my childhood dreams come true. SOMETHING MISSING was published in August of 2009 and has since been translated into six different languages.
My career as an...more
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“You have to be the bravest person in the world to go out every day, being yourself when no one likes who you are.”
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Glad to hear it! I'm in the middle of Embassytown, a sci fi book about language. Definitely outside my usu...more
Aug 26, 2012 06:10am
Sep 06, 2012 11:08am