The Imaginary

January 19, 2015
Echoes of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Toy Story can be detected in Harrold’s (the Fizzlebert Stump books) eerie standalone fantasy. Creative children like Amanda Shuffleup can fashion imaginary friends like Rudger, a boy who unexpectedly manifests in Amanda’s wardrobe one day. Most of the time adults don’t see a thing, but then there are sinister strangers like Mr. Bunting, whose moustache hides a terrifying maw designed to gobble up imaginaries—even though Mr. Bunting seems to have an imaginary companion of his own. As if this weren’t bad enough, Rudger is threatened by Fading—slow, silent erasure caused by a child’s forgetting—when Amanda is injured in an accident. The intervention of Zinzan, a wise old alley cat, provides a temporary refuge, but Rudger can only overcome his plight by asserting his own memory and vision. Part horror story, part gentle parable, Harrold’s story moves along at a steady clip, thanks to some very tense sequences and Gravett’s typically polished illustrations, which feature spikes of lurid color and haunting imagery. Ages 8–12.

Starred review from January 15, 2015
What happens to the imaginary friends we make when we are so little we can't remember them later on? Amanda's friend Rudger simply appears one day in Amanda's wardrobe and becomes her constant companion-and hers alone. He finds that sharing in Amanda's rich and adventurous imagination has its rewards but some significant dangers and challenges. There's the creepy Mr. Bunting, an ancient man in Hawaiian-print shirt and shorts who, it turns out, stays alive by devouring children's imaginary friends. There's the possibility of being forgotten, when age or injury-or death?-causes the bond to weaken. When Amanda is hit by a car, Rudger is able to take refuge in a library, the one place apart from children's company where sufficient imagination dwells to keep imaginary companions from fading. Rudger's attempts to connect with a boy too young to enjoy his unexpected appearance and to one of Amanda's less versatile friends are ill-starred. A harrowing hospital scene is satisfyingly gruesome though not disastrous. Harrold offers an appealingly childcentric world with hefty doses of scare and malevolence to explore the possibilities of imaginary beings with feelings of their own. Gravett's several double-page, full-color illustrations, along with lively margin drawings, sweetly blend the real with the imaginary, giving Amanda and Rudger appealing personality-and deliver chills in the form of Mr. Bunting and his own dreadfully spooky imaginary companion. Wonderfully entertaining. (Fantasy. 9-13)

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Starred review from February 1, 2015

Gr 4-7-This inventive mix of humor and suspense starts with the amusing appearance of Amanda's imaginary friend, Rudger. Their summer of make-believe adventures quickly darkens, though, when Mr. Bunting shows up. He's a grown-up who can not only see "Imaginaries" like Rudger, but also eats them to prolong his own life. After a narrow escape from Bunting and his creepy sidekick, a girl who's also an Imaginary, the narrative shifts from Amanda to Rudger. The boy discovers a secret library full of other imaginary people and creatures, then finds his way back to Amanda for a final confrontation with Bunting. The premise of the Imaginaries is unveiled nicely, with a plot that's never predictable. The author is equally adept at depicting lighthearted characterizations and scenes that are truly scary. Gravett's illustrations provide excellent support for the story, ranging from black-and-white spot art to full-page images, along with several full-color spreads. Some are fun, while others are chilling, such as the series of images that uses alternating all-black pages to lead into a harrowing portrait of the evil Imaginary girl, staring right at Amanda as she tries to hide. The eerie moments never overwhelm the larger story, though, and questions about the power and limits of imagination provide some food for thought amid the action. VERDICT A great choice for readers who like fantastic tales with a dose of true scariness.-Steven Engelfried, Wilsonville Public Library, OR

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