My Ex-Imaginary Friend

Author: Jimmy Matejek-Morris

Told from alternating points of view, this humorous and heartrending adventure is about being there for friends in need, believing in yourself as well as others, and redefining what growing up looks like

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Summary

Description

Eleven-year-old Jack thought he had outgrown his imaginary friend, George—until his dad also disappears from his life. His mom's bipolar disorder isn't being properly treated, so while in the throes of a manic episode, she ditches Jack with his aunt, uncle, and cousins. Jack decides that only George can help him figure out where people go when others stop believing in them—and how Jack can put his family back together.

Meanwhile, the imaginary George—half-walrus, half-human, all magic—has a problem of his own: with nobody to believe in him, he is slowly disappearing. Rejoining Jack is his only hope for survival. Or is it?

Critic Reviews

“"Twin themes of abandonment and belief twine through this somewhat mind-bending debut. Less than a year after 10-year-old Jack's dad moved out, Jack's mom's mistreated bipolar disorder sends her running, too--and suddenly Jack's half-forgotten, part-walrus imaginary friend George is back in his life. George, who shares narrative duties in alternating first-person chapters, is delighted, as ever since Jack outgrew him, he has been disappearing bit by bit. Jack has an aunt and stepuncle to take him in temporarily, and though they make awkward attempts to help him understand that his mom isn't crazy, just sick, it's really through his own efforts that Jack comes to truly believe that, flawed as they both are, his parents still love him. In the process, he discovers that he might not need George as much as he thought. George, meanwhile, may not get older, but he is going through a coming-of-age of his own (shades of The Velveteen Rabbit or maybe Pinocchio). Readers may be left a little dizzy, though happy to watch both protagonists find their feet."--Booklist”

"Complicated emotions and difficult family conversations are bracketed with kindness in this unusual book."—Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Jimmy Matejek-Morris was born and raised in New Jersey, the middle of five children. He earned undergraduate degrees in Film and English at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. After graduating, Jimmy moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he earned an MA in Children's Literature and an MFA in Writing for Children from Simmons College (now University). He currently lives in Massachusetts with his husband Scott and their very well-dressed poodle-Pomeranian named Rudy. His first novel, My Ex-Imaginary Friend, was named a Best Children's Book of the Year by the Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College.