ARE YOU LISTENING? MEMOIRS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND: A REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S" 
ARE YOU LISTENING? DAY" 
I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE TODAY'S 
AUDIO BOOK CHOICE....

GIVEAWAY ENDED
MEMOIRS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND

BY MATTHEW DICKS

READ BY MATTHEW BROWN 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

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.
 

PRAISE FOR MEMOIRS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND:

“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

“Wholly original and completely unputdownable. MEMOIRS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND is a captivating story told in a voice so clever and honest I didn’t want it to end. The arresting voice of THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME with the emotional power of ROOM and the whimsy of DROP DEAD FRED, but in a class of its own.” —Eleanor Brown, New York Times bestselling author of The Weird Sister

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

MATTHEW DICKS is a writer and elementary school teacher. His articles have been published in the Hartford Courant and he has been a featured author at the Books on the Nightstand retreat. He is the author of two previous novels, Something Missing and Unexpectedly Milo. Dicks lives in Newington, Connecticut, with his wife, Elysha, and their daughter, Clara. TO READ MORE about Author Matthew Dicks "Bio", visit his website HERE.  

ABOUT THE READER:

Matthew Brown is a reader in Latin American Studies at the University of Bristol. His previous major publications include Adventuring through Spanish Colonies: Simón Bolívar, Foreign Mercenaries and the Birth of New Nations (2005) and the edited collectionsInformal Empire in Latin America: Culture, Commerce and Capital (2008) and Simón Bolívar: The Bolivarian Revolution, introduced by Hugo Chávez (2009). He is also co-editor of Connections after Colonialism: Europe and Latin America in the 1820s (2012) and Militares extranjeros en la independencia de Colombia: Nuevas Perspectivas (2005).

MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
Meet eight year old Max DeLaney and the delightful Budo in Matthew Dicks’ MEMOIRS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND. This story is one that fascinates the reader as it builds from being a charming tale to one that is a thriller with heart. In MEMOIRS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND I found a story that grabbed me from the beginning and as the narrative evolved, it allowed me several ah-ha moments in its charming progression.

Budo is Max’s imaginary friend and he also narrates the story. Through Budo, readers begin to understand that Max is a special needs child and as the layers are peeled away, you find a touching story of the loyalty that Budo has for his friend Max. You also see how Max deals with the real world and how his parents struggle to cope with Max each in their own way. Max’s dad wants to believe that Max is just a young, quiet boy while his mother longs for some help to figure out how to handle Max. Slowly, without actually saying it, you understand that Max is somewhere on the autism spectrum as he exhibits symptoms of Asperger's syndrome. Certain social and emotional behaviors make it difficult for Max to interact successfully with others, especially his peers. However, with Budo‘s help, Max is able to function in the outside world.

As the story goes on, Budo starts to question his own existence and where he fits in and for how long.  He knows he is only “alive” because Max created him and still believes in him. Budo allows readers to see what the world of imaginary friends is like. Often quite funny, Budo experiences places and people when away from Max such as when Max sleeps, or is in class and doesn’t need him. Budo’s slant on the world is innocent at times but also fairly perceptive. He knows everything that Max knows of course, but also a lot more and this becomes very important as the story builds.

When Max innocently winds up in a dangerous situation, it is Budo who must find a way to save him since he is the only one that knows what is happening. As the action builds, and since I couldn’t stop listening, I found myself cheering for Budo and Max while at the same time was brought to tears with the swing of emotions. I imagine being a retired school teacher, and personally giving high marks to author Matthew Dicks for his view of what makes a good, caring teacher, helped me to relate to the story so very much. Dicks is spot on when he writes, “there are teachers who play school and teachers who teach school” as Budo describes Max’s teacher Mrs. Gosk.

Heartwarming as well as heart stopping, MEMOIRS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND surely has been one of my favorite audio books EVER. The characters are so well fleshed out that it was easy to create mental images of them as I listened. I was so caught up in this ingeniously written story and how perfectly it was developed, that I whole heartily recommend it to everyone who is looking for that special story experience! 

 

  GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO ESTHER AND MY FRIENDS AT

MACMILLAN AUDIO, I HAVE ONE COPY OF 

MEMOIRS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND,

TO GIVE AWAY TO ONE LUCKY READER

 

--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE
--INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT
--ALL ENTRIES/COMMENTS MUST BE
SEPARATE IN ORDER TO COUNT
AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: READ ABOUT THE AUDIO BOOK ABOVE AND COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING ABOUT MEMOIRS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND THAT WOULD MAKE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS AUDIO BOOK

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK I CAN FOLLOW IN THE ENTRY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING AT MATTHEW DICKS' WEBSITE HERE

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE CURRENT GIVEAWAY OF MINE YOU HAVE ENTERED. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH AND YOU WILL GET AN ENTRY FOR EACH ONE

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

 

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, JUNE 22

GOOD LUCK!