Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Confessions of an Imaginary Friend

I am so annoyed with myself that it's taken me this long to get this review up for you. It's such a great book and I hate that I haven't given it the love it deserves. Add this to your shopping list for the growing bookworm in your life, probably ages 8 -12, I'd say.

Confessions of an Imaginary Friend (a memoir by Jacques Papier) - Michelle Cuevas
Nobody likes Jacques Papier besides his sister; when he comes across a cowgirl at the park and she informs him that he's an imaginary friend, just like her, Jacques’s world is forever changed.

I have to tell you I absolutely loved this book from the cover to the end. Honestly, it was a little sad to me because I kind of loved Jacques and I felt bad for him the entire way through. The book is written as his memoir and he details his every day adventures. His parents don't like him, everyone at school ignores him (even when he knows the answer in class), he never gets picked (at all) for anything, the bus driver even leaves him. The only person who likes him is his sister Fleur. Imagine his surprise when he overhears their parents talking about Fleur's imaginary friend! He feels a little hurt and annoyed that Fleur never even introduced him to her imaginary friend and he isn't sure why. Imagine his surprise when he realizes HE is the imaginary friend! His whole life was a lie, so he convinces Fleur to set him free. He wants to go out into the world and find himself, so to speak. 

Hilariously, he embarks on an adventure and finds himself "assigned" to new children. Which, while funny and adorable, Jacques struggles to find out who he really is, beyond the life of an imaginary friend. 

I can't tell you the end but I totally cried!! It reminds me a bit of The Giving Tree, which if you know me at all, you know I hate that book. That poor tree just gave and gave to the selfish boy (then man) until it had nothing left to give and the man discovers none of it was worth it. But what I loved is at the end, Jacques returns to Fleur, and his new friend, who he finds is achingly familiar and when you realize who it is- BRING ON THE MASSIVE BOX OF TISSUES. Not the $1.25 boxes from Target, but the BIG classroom size ones you get at Sam's Club, because that's how many you need. Get the ones with the lotion because you will have snot and just all of the feels. I don't think kids will have that reaction but I know adults will because we all remember what it's like to leave a childhood prized thing and then years later reconnect with it. It's a special connection that doesn't go away with time. To put it another way, you remember in the movie Toy Story where Andy grows up and his toys feels sad because he doesn't need them anymore? That's what this is. GUT PUNCH. (Which you know that's why I never saw those movies in the theater because I didn't want to full on ugly cry in front of a bunch of kids because I am a mature adult who should be able to handle this.) 

Seriously. Get this book, read it for yourself, and you'll enjoy it. Confessions of an Imaginary Friend is available through Barnes & Noble as well as Amazon. Michelle has other books out as well, be sure to swing over to her website to get those titles, too! 



1 comment:

Unknown said...

Just ordered this book for my nieces. Awesome!