Audio Book (speaker uses a heavy french accent for effect)
Lexile 700
Accelerated Reader 4.8
I picked this up purely by accident and couldn't have been happier. I read the cover very quickly and saw memoir. Since I am always on the hunt for new memoirs I grabbed it quickly. It turns out I was very wrong. This is a fictional book about an imaginary friend. This book is a nice break from the heavy books one usually finds this age group.
I love that the concept of this book is very different. I sometimes get tired of the same genres and plots. This story is pure fun, I am considering buying it and using it as a read aloud. Jacques is definitely a character who would lend well to a read aloud. He is full of life, ironic, but yes it's true. Jacques has an adult sense of humor that uses a large vocabulary and lots of wit with a touch of sarcasm.
My notes:
Words that describe this book: cute, funny, ironic, different
Who would like it: This book is a good fit for higher readers because it has many layers. Readers need to be able to understand real versus imaginary and it can get a little confusing at times. You can take this book at face value for fun or you can dig deeper. With some guidance, you can probably lead a fairly philosophical discussion about what it means to be "real".
I have to believe this book is a fairly high level, perhaps W. This guess is based on the vocabulary you can find in the book: odiferous, existential, unethical, invasive, metaphorical.
Some memorable moments that might give teachers pause but will likely not make a student blink.
One example is when Jacques go to Imaginary Anonymous. "Hi, I'm Jacques and I just found out I'm imaginary."
The scene where the little girl goes to the psychiatrist at her parents' request because of her overactive imagination is laugh out loud funny. Perhaps it's my adult perspective at such a preposterous event. "Sure, your imaginary friend's imaginary friend can come in." Where does it stop!
Another funny scene is when Jacques calls the imagination office of reassignment. He listens to the phone prompts. Press 1 if you have been imagines as a trademark character and are worried about legal action. Press 2 if you have been imagined as food and are about to be eaten. If you don't laugh out loud at this stuff then I'm not sure what to think.
Enjoy!
Jacques is an imaginary friend but he acts and sounds quite real. His character is funny, witty and has a sarcastic sense of humor.