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

Creative and heartwarming

This is such a sweet story and as a mental health professional such a beautiful representation of a kid on the spectrum and the joys and challenges that brings to the parents and educators in his life

Nice, light-hearted, easy read but enjoyable.

Any additional comments?

Nice, light-hearted, easy read but enjoyable. And a relatively original idea. If we can forget Drop Dead Fred ever happened. Lots of similarities to the The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime. If you liked that, you'll probably like this.

Keeper

Would you consider the audio edition of Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend to be better than the print version?

Haven't read the print, but I really enjoyed the narration, so I'll just say yes.

What about Matthew Brown’s performance did you like?

When I was listening to him play the main character, I totally forgot I was listening to some random man. When he was playing Max or the other imaginary friends, I forgot they were all technically the same person. Every character had a distinct image in my head.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The reunion. I cried the happiest tears a book has ever made me cry.

Any additional comments?

I love the angle of this book. I thought it might be cheesy, but it was really well planned out. Just read it; ad some creative happiness to your life.

This one is worth it, even though the ending needs

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

I think the voice of the narrator (and the voice of the performer) really carried the story forward.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Oh, it was impossible not to like the main character.

What does Matthew Brown bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Well, he changes the voices for the characters, bringing a new quality to the characters, adding another level of character to them.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was driving, and I admit that there were a few times where I was practically on the edge of my seat, which is kind of dangerous. There were a couple times where I was yelling at the console in my car like a football fan yelling at the TV. It was kind of exciting.

Any additional comments?

This is a unique story. The ending could use some help. The resolution moved a bit fast. It was a bit unnecessary. There was a shift in character that didn't seem necessary to me. But okay. Still, it's worth a read.

A Sweet Story

I enjoyed this reading. It was entertaining and such a great idea for a story. The idea of writing a book from the perspective of an imaginary friend really caught my attention. I would recommend this story to anyone. Especially someone who had an imaginary friend when they were little. :)

A book of many layers

This is an exquisitely written book about real life and the real life of a child, his family, his school, teachers and colleagues and the impact of his disability on his world. All this is intricately woven into a suspenseful story that kept me riveted.
There were many levels at which it resonated with me but most of all I appreciated the deeply pedagogic approach of the teachers portrayed in the book (except for Mrs Patterson! )
Thank you Matthew Dick’s for a beautiful story 🙏🏻

What a good read!

What a fantastic mystery with delightful characters! This well written story completely captures the nuances of human relationships while sharing the essential elements of adventure or risk to grow or fade parts of ourselves.

WOW!

This was not at all what I was expecting. It was so much more ! The author has a wonderful insight with regard to the mind of children like Max. Anyone who reads this should come away with a better understanding of their needs.

Unexpected twists and turns

I loved this book. I had not imagined that the story would take the turns that it did but it kept me engaged the whole time. The delivery was different but it totally worked as it showed it's innocence. Definitely would read this again.

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I actually really enjoyed this book. I hadn't heard of it before, but I'm glad that I gave it a listen, because it was great. I loved the narrator. His voice was easy to listen to and fit with the characters well. The concept of the story is really interesting. I've never read anything from a perspective like this before and it was very well done. The story line itself was interesting and exciting. There were funny moments, touching moments, sad moments and suspenseful moments. This book had it all and was a great all-around read.

CHARACTERS: Budo was such a great character. I loved seeing the world though his eyes and watching him change throughout the story.

COVER: I like how it's blurred out. It fits with the idea of this imaginary friend and the possibility of them fading over time.