Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, Matthew Dicks
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, Matthew Dicks
3 Rating(s)
List: $26.99 | Sale: $18.89
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Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend
A Novel

Author: Matthew Dicks

Narrator: Matthew Brown

Unabridged: 10 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/21/2012


Synopsis

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.

About Matthew Dicks

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 also a Moth storyteller and a two-time StorySLAM champion. Dicks is the author of the novels Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, Something Missing, and Unexpectedly Milo. He lives in Newington, Connecticut, with his wife, Elysha, and their children, Clara and Charlie.

About Matthew Brown

Matthew Brown has voiceover experience in many different areas, including commercials (national and regional), audiobooks, ESL, feature film ADR/looping and animated projects both feature film and television. His narration credits include Matthew Dicks’s Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend and Mary E. Pearson’s Fox series. He received a 2011 AudioFile Best Audiobook Award for Young Adult & Fantasy for his reading of The Adoration of Jenna Fox.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Kim on September 01, 2013

I am a horrible person (ME.ME.ME.ME.ME.ME). I am worse than a horrible person. I am a killer. I am worse than a killer. I am a killer of dreams. My daughter, Marley, was about 3 when she introduced me to Hartluv. At first I thought that there were some hippy parents who subjected their child to this......more

Goodreads review by Nandakishore on May 24, 2015

Here is what I know: My Name is Budo. I have been alive for five years. Five years is very long for someone like me to be alive. Max gave me my name. Max is the only human person who can see me. Max's parents call me an imaginary friend. I love Max's teacher, Mrs Gosk. I do not like Max's other teacher, Mrs......more

Goodreads review by Barbara on August 07, 2024

I was intrigued by this book because my son had an imaginary friend who was very real to him. His "friend" then had cousins and they lived in his closet. Anyway, I was drawn to the title. I really liked the story and Matthew Green's ideas about imaginary friends. I agree with some of his ideas of wh......more

Goodreads review by Karen on June 02, 2024

Have you ever watched a movie where you knew how it was going to end right from the beginning, but you still cried when the ending came anyway? That's what happened to me with Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend. Budo is Max's imaginary friend. He looks more human than most imaginary friends, can pass th......more

Goodreads review by Bonnie on August 17, 2017

I'm sorry to say that I didn't love this book like I thought I would. Yes, the title is Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend but I thought it would be told from the POV of Max, the little boy, not Budo, the imaginary friend. From Budo's perspective, the story is told, not shown. And, tbh, it came across (......more


Quotes

“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

“Brown puts not only sound but also soul into the humor, the frustrations, the fears and the realizations of these unusual characters. Dicks has written a heartwarming tale; Brown ratchets up the warmth with his endearing narration.” —Shelf Awareness for Readers

“Matthew Brown's narration has just the right emphasis for reinforcing believability – from Max's flat utterances to Budo's confusion at all things human.” —The Herald Sun

“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

“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 Sisters