Hello, all! It’s your friendly neighborhood librarian here to tell you about a great new title that I finished recently.

The Imaginary

The Imaginary

Written by A.F. Harrold; Illustrated by Emily Gravett

Amanda Shuffleup has a best friend named Rudger. Rudger showed up one day in Amanda’s closet and now the two are inseparable. Amanda’s mom has no problem that Rudger has moved in because what harm can come from having an Imaginary Friend?

Well, the harm comes in the form of Mr. Bunting. Mr. Bunting likes to hunt Imaginaries. He likes to eat Imaginaries. And Rudger is next in his meal plan!

This book is equal parts whimsical, macabre, and strange. I love the premise; it’s original and unique. I was taken aback by how scary the book became when Mr. Bunting and his imaginary Friend came into the story. The illustrations definitely bring the story to life. There were times when I was reminded of The Ring (a horror movie). Overall, I like book as a whole. I think this would be a great pick for children that like to read fantasy, but not ‘high-fantasy’. There’s no wands, spells, or any such thing, but there is a touch of magic (even dark magic) that seems to flow into the realistic aspects of the story.

I would recommend this book for readers ages 9-12.

Stay tuned next month for my next children’s or teens’ new book review

2 comments on “New Children’s Fiction: The Imaginary

  1. Hi,

    I recommend this first math and magic book of Jim West called Libellus de Numeros, which my 11-year-old daughter just finished reading. Can you possibly review it? And possibly his second book, Circulus de Potentia?

    Now my daughter wants me to buy the second book. Thanks.

  2. […] This book was very spooky! It’s full of strange adventures and frightening creatures that any adventurous child would love to read. It has full page illustrations throughout that heighten the scary experience of reading this book. It’s actually quite similar in tone to The Imaginary (see other blog post). […]

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