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

So, so good

When I started this book, it was mostly for fun. At first, the plot was a tad bit slow. It looked at the life of a boy, Max, who seems to have special needs, through the eyes of his involve friend. The book ended up being so different than what I expected, and really fast paced. But I won’t spoil anything. :) I simply could not stop listening and I fell in love with Max and Budo and all the imaginary friends. This book will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Fabulous narrating

I absolutely loved the narration of this book from the perspective of an imaginary friend. Very unique. I also love the way that the main teacher was an actual real life teacher that the author wrote in because she was just that special. As a person who had a very active imagination as a child I felt utterly heartbroken when the imaginary friends "died" because they were no longer believed in. It reminded me of being very little and getting out of bed in the middle of the night to because I thought my stuffed animals were sad they weren't sleeping in my bed with me!

Slow beginning

Slow to start but I stuck with it. Cute story but could’ve been so much shorter however that’s not what the author was after. Cute story but I’m glad it’s over.

A truly delightful story

A truly delightful story about a smart and sensitive imaginary friend, a loving teacher and many other characters that help move the tale along. I really didn’t want to stop reading until it was over but life kept getting in the way. I absolutely recommend this book.

I wish I had an imaginary friend.

Disclaimer: There is foul language throughout. Mostly, it made total sense when people were angry, hurt and desperate.

Unique!

This was an amazing story telling from the pov of a third grade boys imaginary friend

Wonderfully Creative

Where does Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The most novel approach thus far, I loved the perspective of an imaginary friend. I also felt that the author's background (teacher) provided a unique insight to on children that are often difficult to love because they do not respond in predictable ways.

What other book might you compare Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend to and why?

Indomitable Will a biography of LBJ by Mark Updegrove (sp?). Both books use creative approaches in assiting the reader in gaining insights on the mindset of the main character. Mark's book provides insights on LBJ via the impressions of the participants engaged with LBJ. Dickes book uses the suppositions of the imaginary friends regarding the motivations of thier human friends. I felt Dickes book humanized that spectrum of autisim. I thought it also makes a compelling argument regarding the beneficial societal aspects of thoughtful approaches to mainstreaming children with challenges while at the same time providing a cautionary tale regarding the special protections required for the most vuneralbe children.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I loved the narrator.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The book opened me up to the wonder and magic of childhood imagination. It is also a caution regarding how we must really touch back with young ones to ensure that we understand how they are processing confusing experiences.

Any additional comments?

The characters are a little lilmited and stilted but I suspect this is to remind us that the worldview of a child is simplistic.

Excellent Third Person Story Telling

What made the experience of listening to Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend the most enjoyable?

Didn't we all have an imaginary friend or two growing up? Almost re-living my childhood but I had no clue about all that my iFriend could do.

What did you like best about this story?

You knew that in the end, from the very start, Budo was going to take the fall. But that was a real part of the intrigue: How would he "disappear"? Was there an iFriend heaven? Did it hurt to disappear? Could an iFriend save another iFriend from disappearing? And like every good book should do, you get all the answers in due time.

What about Matthew Brown’s performance did you like?

Matthew Brown's performance was integral to selling all the concepts that the rest of us grew out of. Through his timing and a true commitment to closing the deal, he pursuades us to drop those walls we had constructed at 11, 10, 9 or maybe even 8 years old, in order to grow up. Matthew Brown's storytelling transported me back to days long past, to the hot, muggy summer days in South Carolina where, all a 10 year old Southern boy had to do to take an ok sort of day all the way up to a day to never forget, was stay out of Moma's way, playing the day away with your most reliable pal. 3333

Heartwarming story

This story was told from a point of view not often heard. The characters were so well developed, I would like to call Mr. Dicks and get an update on them.

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend

I wanted to listen to something different, something that took me away from the news, away from dark underworld characters and the like. Well, this was definitely it, what an enjoyable story. I enjoyed it from start to finish, I laughed & she'd a tear or two as well. Such a great premise and it followed through with great narration & wonderful story telling. My 10yr old grandson came in on on Mad having a bonus day (I won't say more because it would be a spoiler) But let me just say, my grandson was spilling over in laughter, as was I. I so enjoyed each characters gift to the story and appreciated the way in which each was brought to life & delivered to me. If you were thinking about this but unsure, I say Give it a try! You won't be disappointed. It is a nice break from the expected monsters & dark characters we have become accustomed to. Great work sir, I commend you for bringing us something new and easy to enjoy.

Bold attempt, doesn't quite live up to potential

I chose this book because I felt like Budo was such a unique protagonist and I liked the sound of Matthew Brown's narration. Overall, I'm glad I took the plunge and listened, because Brown's performance *did* turn out to be spot-on. The story, on the other hand... not as much. The very promising beginning (including Max's laugh-out-loud brilliant tactic for dealing with a bully) turned into a solidly suspenseful tale during the build-up to Max's kidnapping and Budo's subsequent efforts to save him. As the climax approached, however, the story began to slide into sentimentality, complete with overwrought emotional exchanges between the imaginary friends and an all-too-predictable existential crisis in the protagonist. That style would be fine in a young adult novel, but it's clear that Dicks isn't aiming for that demographic, and it comes across as clunky and unbelievable to adult eyes/ears. Personally, I could have done without the epilogue, as well---I would have preferred for Dicks to have resisted the temptation to wrap things up so neatly---but that could be considered a matter of taste.

The short of it? Brown's narration and the quality of the first 3/4 of the story make Memoirs a worthwhile listen. Just don't go into it with your hopes *too* high; despite its promise, Memoirs ends up just being slightly better-than-average.