I read a LOT of books. Seriously! I have about 10 books checked out right now from the library! I read all kinds of genres - from mystery to modern love story, to chick lit to literary to some non-fiction. I always like to hear about a good book and I thought, why not share what I've read with others? (slaps forhead!)
I just read a gem of a book called, "Memoirs of an imaginary friend" by Matthew Dicks.
This book is about Max, an 8-year-old with Asperger's, and his imaginary friend, Budo. It's written from Budo's perspective. Imaginary friends look exactly like their young people "imagined" them. For instance, many imaginary friends don't have eyebrows, some barely have feet; one has funny eyes like a dinosaur. Budo is lucky because Max imagined him to be exactly like a human. Budo gives Max courage, is his protector against the bully Tommy Swinden, but most of all, is Max's friend when others aren't because Max is "different".
Budo doesn't like Mrs. Patterson, a teacher's aide at Max's school. One day she does something very bad and Budo has to rescue Max. Budo relies on the help from other imaginary friends to save Max.
You may think this sounds like a children's story, but it is so well written and you will find yourself cheering for Budo. He describes the little idiosyncrasies of an Aspergers child - such as Max will not wear more than 7 pieces of clothing, so in the winter his mom sews fur inside his pockets for she knows that Max will not wear mittens if he wears a hat. Little details like this throughout the book give you a clear understanding of Max.
The ending is heartwarming and so sad. This book will stay with me for a long time.
