Scurvy Goonda

November 9, 2009
The mischievous title character in McCoy’s wacky debut is a pirate obsessed with bacon; he’s also the imaginary friend—or, to use the proper term, “abstract companion”—of 14-year-old Ted Merritt. When Ted, fed up with Goonda’s shenanigans, agrees to take experimental medicine to rid himself of his visions, he gets caught up in a war among the abstract companions. The skeletal bird Persephone has taken over the kingdom of the companions, and her plans include world domination and marriage to the very unwilling Goonda. Only Ted and a handful of rebels can help fight against Persephone’s oppressive new regime. McCoy provides heaps of surreal humor, from wildly original companions with bizarre quirks to Ted’s own family, particularly his loud-mouthed and inappropriate grandmother, who shouts things like, “CAPE COD NEEDS TO GET RID OF ALL THIS SAND!” The trope of imaginary friends who actually exist is well-worn, but McCoy breathes new life into it with his charming writing style and characters. There are a few missteps (notably an underestimation of children’s ability to use their imaginations), but the book remains satisfying. Ages 10–up.

December 1, 2009
Gr 5-8-In the first of a two-part series, 14-year-old Ted has had the same imaginary friend (or "ab-com," short for abstract companion) since the age of seven, and it's ruining his life. Everyone thinks he's nuts because he always seems to be talking to himself, plus Scurvy Goonda, a disreputable, bacon-loving pirate, is messy and destructive. However, when Scurvy disappears, along with every other ab-com on Earth, Ted follows his trail of rotten bacon to a strange land called Middlemost, where ab-coms are created to the specifications of children's wishes and dreams. There, Ted gets mixed up with a rebel group of ab-coms that are seeking to overthrow the dictator Persephone Skeleton, who in turn wants to conquer Earth and marry her old crush, Scurvy Goonda. Battles ensue, many ab-coms are annihilated in imaginative and gruesome ways, and Ted finds a long-lost relative and a new girlfriendand he discovers that his arm sometimes detaches at the elbow and makes his wishes come true. This makes for unusual and creative fantasy, but there are too many loose ends and unanswered questions. Chief among them is the nature of ab-coms; not only is their role as companions to human children rather muddled, but also the author has no problems with killing off these sentient creatures right and left. The failure to create a believable and logical fantasy world dooms this imaginative but frustrating adventure."Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2009
Grades 4-8 What if kids imaginary friends were, in fact, real beings, made to order on another world, and being organized to revolt against humans for the callous way their friendship is cast aside as children grow older? This is the premise of this zany fantasy adventure starring a 14-year-old misfit turned superhero. When Ted Merritt tries to cast aside pirate Scurvy Goonda, his former constant companion, he finds that the medicated patch he agrees to wear causes the disappearance of imaginary friends around the world. Following Scurvy to Middlemost, he encounters a variety of bizarre characters, learns his arm has magic powers (though he cant make it work reliably), teams up with two beautiful girls, and saves earth from invasion by the angry abstract companions. The authors experience with role-playing games is evident in both the characterizations and frenetic action, which includes enemies melting into purple sludge and numerous timely rescues. The first book in a two-part series, this easily stands alone and will be enjoyed by middle-school readers experienced with suspension of disbelief.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)