Although I don't have personal experience with Asperger's Syndrome, the condition affecting Max Delaney, the eight-year-old in Matthew Dicks' latest release, memoirs of an imaginary friend, I know all about imaginary friends. In this late stage of life, who knows why I created my friend Jimmy, but I do know his friendship was an important part of my childhood.

It's abundantly clear why Budo came to life in Max's confusing, isolated world. Max doesn't remember his life before Budo, and figures his friend must be a teenager since he has all the answers. Max greatly depends on his imaginary friend to see him through a world where being touched ("the world gets all bright and shiny") or going to the bathroom in a public place is a traumatic event. When Max's mother makes life too confusing by asking him to choose between the blue Popsicle and the yellow Popsicle, Budo steps in and makes the decision for him. Budo is Max's buffer to the world.

At first, you believe Budo to be a pillar of strength; nothing shakes him as he devotes his "life" to protecting Max from real and imagined threats. You begin to buy into the idea that Budo is real; as are other imaginary friends scattered throughout the story. But, hints develop that maybe Budo isn't as secure as he pretends to be. He knows he's quite old, as imaginary friends go. Will he be with Max forever, or will he suffer the same fate as Graham, Megan's "friend"? Budo wonders what will happen to him if Max gains more grip on the real world as Megan did. Will Max still need him? Or will he vanish.

No great story is complete without a villain. In this case, it's Mrs. Patterson, Max's teacher. To a lesser extent, his own father also makes life difficult for the whole family by denying Max has a problem. Insisting that his son is just a "late bloomer". You wonder if Mr. Delaney's problem is not so much with his son, but his own insecurities. The story is filled with serious subjects, but humor softens the tension throughout.

I reviewed the audio book, and found it to be pleasingly read by Matthew Brown giving a sense of every fascinating character. My only problem with the book is that I'm not sure of the audience. At first, I thought it was for middle-graders, but adult language and situations lead me to believe adults should read it first. Whatever the audience, it's recommended reading.