Harrold, A. F. The Imaginary. Emily Gravett, Illus. Fiction. Bloomsbury, 03/15. 224p. $16.99. 978-0-8027-3811-0. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 4-7.
Rudger is an excellent imaginary friend; Amanda’s sparky imagination brings him to life. But when a sinister man and his very alarming child companion come hunting imaginaries, Rudger and Amanda find themselves in a fight for survival. Harrold and Gravett have produced an exciting story that avoids cliché with many winning illustrations that charm, delight, inspire, and frighten. Characters, imagined and real, are refreshingly three-dimensional and imperfect. The plot manages to be both tensely exciting and deeply thoughtful, resulting in a sophisticated tale about the importance of noticing and caring.
Melissa McAvoy, Live Oak School