Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend

By: Matthew Dicks

Narrated by: Matthew Brown

Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Imaginary friend Budo narrates this heartwarming story of love, loyalty, and the power of the imagination—the perfect read for anyone who has ever had a friend . . . real or otherwise.

Budo is lucky as imaginary friends go. He's been alive for more than five years, which is positively ancient in the world of imaginary friends. But Budo feels his age, and thinks constantly of the day when eight-year-old Max Delaney will stop believing in him. When that happens, Budo will disappear.

Max is different from other children. Some people say that he has Asperger's Syndrome, but most just say he's "on the spectrum." None of this matters to Budo, who loves Max and is charged with protecting him from the class bully, from awkward situations in the cafeteria, and even in the bathroom stalls. But he can't protect Max from Mrs. Patterson, the woman who works with Max in the Learning Center and who believes that she alone is qualified to care for this young boy.

When Mrs. Patterson does the unthinkable and kidnaps Max, it is up to Budo and a team of imaginary friends to save him—and Budo must ultimately decide which is more important: Max's happiness or Budo's very existence.

Narrated by Budo, a character with a unique ability to have a foot in many worlds—imaginary, real, child, and adult— Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend touches on the truths of life, love, and friendship as it races to a heartwarming . . . and heartbreaking conclusion.

©2012 Matthew Dicks (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Matthew Brown gives a winning performance as Budo, the imaginary friend of 8-year-old Max…Brown's uncanny reproduction of Max's high-pitched hysteria makes Max completely believable.” —AudioFile Magazine

“A novel as creative, brave, and pitch-perfect as its narrator, an imaginary friend named Budo, who reminds us that bravery comes in the most unlikely forms. It has been a long time since I read a book that has captured me so completely, and has wowed me with its unique vision. You've never read a book like this before. As Budo himself might say: Believe me.” —Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of Sing You Home

“When 8-year –old Max gets kidnapped by his troubled teacher, the true-blue pal he's dreamed up comes to his rescue.” —People Magazine

Worth the read!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Great characters, excellent plot and twists.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Bodu, his interpretation of the events drew me in and let me escape to another world.

Have you listened to any of Matthew Brown’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no, I will seek out other performances though

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Imaginary friends do exist....

Any additional comments?

thank you to other reviewers, it was based on their recommendations that I bought this book.

So thoughtful

Excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed it and appreciated it's unique way of bringing perspective to autism and life. I wish it had left the F words out. It would be a beneficial read for my students!

Nothing Imaginary About This Friend

What does it mean when an adult is about to cry at work while listening to an audiobook about imaginary friends? I didn't really have one. I made up twin imaginary friends who lasted about 2 days. But this book, wow. I just may believe in them again. I laughed out loud and I had tears and sad faces during a few parts. How can something "not real" (both fiction & imaginary friends) give you so many feelings? I loved it. I loved the different characters and how it suddenly became a suspense. Don't mind me, just get this book.

unexpected

very happy with this book and happy with the actor actress that read it and I have recommended it to several people

Slow, took awhile to catch my interest

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

It would depend on the friend's interests, but this is not a book I would recommend to everyone.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The imaginary friends were very interesting. The story was just very slow and took a long time to get through.

Was Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend worth the listening time?

Not as long as it took to get through. I like the story, but I think it could have been told in less words/less time.

Any additional comments?

This was a tough listen. I wanted to get through it but it took me a very long time (months) because it just wasn't capturing my interest. It was very slow and boring at first. I did enjoy the story overall, but it was hard to get through.

Couldn’t Stop Listening

An absolute joy to listen to! Great insight into the mind of a child “like Max” and beautiful flow from scene to scene. Presents an unusual and fascinating concept of an all new world to ponder.

Charming, but who is the audience?

This was a wonderful book & portrays a "spectrum" boy, along with his imaginary friend, very well & very lovingly. I had a few imaginary friends & they were real; this book explains how & why they were/are.☺️

My three "issues" w/this book are the fact that the narrator cannot pronounce many very common English words (& I'm not talking about the portrayal of some young child who might not know correct pronunciation) & didn't even bother to learn the tune of the ONE song he had to sing (a very well-known song from elementary school. Anyone who took piano should know it, as well. YouTube it, Mr. Brown!!!), plus the fact that I'm not sure who this book's main audience should be. It is narrated by an imaginary friend who is quite a bit older than the human he's friends with.

An adult narrated this (oh! - #4 "issue"😛), yet the character wasn't supposed to be an adult. I won't rate the narrator down because it was someone else's choice to use an adult to represent a (I'd guess) 12-15 year old. It should have been one of the number of very good young narrators I've heard during my Audible tenure. The whole time, however, the story is as if he (the author) is teaching or speaking to very young children (5-7 years old, I'd say...maybe even 4-7), explaining things as if to this very young child (younger than the protagonist, who's 8). The moral points he makes that the reader is supposed to learn from are also focused towards children in a manner appropriate for them, but a leeeetle young for us adults...yet much of the material is decidedly not appropriate for young children.

Children old/mature enough for the material would, I believe, balk at the "voice", the small-child-focused didactics, and I don't think many teens would be well-pleased, either. I still found the story charming & well worth my time. I've given it four stars (I have to not want it to ever end, for 5 stars), which should demonstrate that I think this is a very good & worthy book, with an intriguing/appealing story. I really DO suggest you listen to this...just know that the "voice" of the tale is written as for a young child, yet it is an adult or older young adult book.

But c'mon - we all know imaginary friends are real, don't we?!?!?!

Original concept. Great narration!

Really original story and it kept my attention. Encompassed autism in a particular child exceptionally well. suspenseful but heart warming too. Loved it.

Absolute Magic

This story, at first, made me very uncomfortable. The narrator sounds like a small child. I thought I was listening to a book written for teens or younger. After checking the details of the book again, I kept listening. I began to feel I was becoming part of their lives and I wanted to protect everyone. The Asperger Syndrome may be part of this story, but only a small detail. This is the story of a vulnerable child that is lonely and often misunderstood. The story is told from the imaginary friend's point of view. This is one book that I will not soon forget. I wish I could convince everyone to get this book. It is truly magic!

Worth Every Moment

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I highly recommend this book. It was so well written and the story kept me on the edge of my seat. It was a unique story and though it has been almost two years since I heard it the first time. i think of it often.