FANTASTIC FRIDAY: Confessions of an Imaginary Friend as told to Michelle Cuevas
ABOUT THE BOOK
The whimsical "autobiography" of an imaginary friend who doesn't know he's imaginary—perfect for fans of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and Toy Story
Jacques Papier has the sneaking suspicion that everyone except his sister Fleur hates him. Teachers ignore him when his hand is raised in class, he is never chosen for sports teams, and his parents often need to be reminded to set a place for him at the dinner table. But he is shocked when he finally learns the truth: He is Fleur's imaginary friend! When he convinces Fleur to set him free, he begins a surprising, touching, and always funny quest to find himself—to figure out who Jacques Papier truly is, and where he belongs.
Readers will fall in love with Jacques's sweet, quirky voice as he gives them a look at life from an incredible new perspective.
REVIEW
I wasn't quite sure what to make of this book when I first started reading it. It's really quirky with the narrator being an imaginary friend. This story revolves around Jacques' discovery that he is imaginary (previously he thought he was Fleur's twin brother that everyone simply chose overlook or ignore). In his struggle to accept who he is he even creates his own imaginary friend (the imaginary friend of an imaginary friend). As Jacques comes to terms with being imaginary, Fleur starts to think that she's imaginary as well which leads to an unusual series of events. After attending an anonymous support group meeting for imaginary friends, Jacques is told what to do to become 'free'. But things don't go according to plan and Jacques ends up experiencing things that lead him to develop a greater sense of self and a great sense of purpose. While it took me a while to get into the book, I did eventually start to care about Jacques and what was happening to him and the changes he faced. The book is definitely unique, I can't say I've read another one quite like it which made it hard to predict where the story was going to go. I didn't manage to predict the ending of the story but really liked it nonetheless. If anything this story reminds me a bit of Kate DiCamillo's The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane in that it's a journey of discovery and learning to look beyond oneself to love others. The short chapters and humorous experiences that Jacques faces along the way do help make the book a quick read with a surprising amount of character development.
I've noticed a lot of books lately about imaginary friends. (Crenshaw has been getting a lot of attention, for example.) It's an interesting idea to explore; I should probably read a few of them!
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