Imaginary Friends

by Chad Musick

If the delivery had been a demonic bowling alley or a mermaid’s grotto, Ivy would have sent it away. She has standards, after all. But she can’t refuse a magical Library, especially when they’ve gone to the trouble of including a wheelchair ramp. They say that on the Internet nobody knows you’re a dog, but somebody knows fourteen-year-old Ivy is an orphan, that she sells her paper-writing services to lazy college students, and that her imaginary friends are unhappy being stuck in the mural on the wall of her Alaskan home.

Himitsu refuses the Library, becoming angry enough to attack the delivery people with his bamboo sword. They won’t tempt him with books, any more than his mother has been able to tempt him into leaving their apartment during the past two years. He has all he needs: video games, online forums, and his virtual girlfriend Moe. Well, almost all. His dad’s death has left a hole in him, which is why when he receives text messages saying the Library can bring back the dead, he changes his mind. Moe tries to warn him about the danger, but what does she know, anyway?

Now, having been lured into the Library and having foolishly brought their imaginary friends with them, Ivy and Himitsu find those friends are trapped. The teens have a choice: fulfill the Librarian’s odd and painful demands in hopes of rescuing their friends or go back alone to their small, boring lives, knowing they’ve failed the only ones who really believe in them.

312 pages, Hardcover

Published May 2, 2023

About the author

Chad Musick grew up in Utah, California, Washington, Texas, and (most of all) Alaska. Fell in love in California, moved with family to Japan, finally found happiness. A PhD in Mathematical Science but a love of both art and science.

Despite a tendency for electronic devices to burst into flame after Chad handles them, persists in working in various technical and technology-related roles.

Chad makes no secret of being epileptic, autistic, and arthritic, facts that inform their approaches to both science and the arts.

Reviews

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a gifted advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via the publisher CinnabarMoth Publishing.

Imaginary friends is such a thought-provoking read. We follow Ivy, a young teenage girl from Alaska who lost her parents and has been alone ever since, except for her 'Imaginary Friends'. We also follow Himitsu, who lives in Japan, who also lost his father and now spends all his time playing video games alone. When both teenagers receive a request from a magical library, Ivy jumps at the chance to visit, but Himitsu is less enthusiastic, that is until he hears the library can bring back the dead. Both are tasked with rescuing their 'Imaginary Friends', but if they fail, they go home alone. I loved how imaginative this book was and the host of unique characters, too. I wish I could go to a magical library! This would make a great interactive book for any teen, and I highly recommend it for any young reader! I will be looking for more of this authors work as this was such an incredibly imaginative and creative story to lose yourself in. I would recommend this book to children 13+.

[Bonnie DeMoss · Rating 5 out of 5]

What does one do when a free magical library shows up at your door, ready for installation? Accept it, right? That’s what Ivy does, but Himitsu is not as trusting until the Library tells him it can bring back the dead. Suddenly Ivy and Himitsu find themselves in the library with their imaginary friends, who are trapped and can never leave. They meet another friend, Simon, and slowly all of their stories are told.

What an amazing and creative Young Adult story! Some of the lines in this book just jump out in their genius. “All giraffes are named Janice, excepting a few heretics” caught my attention early in the book as I went on a magical journey of discovery with Ivy, Himitsu, and friends. But I soon learned that although this is about a magic library, it is also so much more. It’s about pain and secrets and forgiveness. It’s about coming to terms with your past. And it’s about reaching out. One of my favorite lines is: “As with nachos, when two people share pain with each other, there always turns out to be less of it than either thought.”

This description of an author long gone took my breath away: “At the end of things, she knew, this form she inhabited would cease to be. She would crawl back into her books of poetry and pressed flowers, her spirit to be let back out only when her words were read out by dreamers and destroyers.”

Imaginary Friends is a beautifully woven tale of life, books, and how they intertwine with each other. I recommend it to everyone. It will not just touch your heart, it will touch your imagination. I feel more creative after having read it.

I received a free copy of this book from Cinnabar Moth Publishing, but I also bought a copy because when I see a talented author with so much genius, I want to support their work.

[Yamini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think about a moving library that magically appears at different places (like the Night Circus) targeting specific orphan children to ravel their boring lives. The book discusses the lives of 2 main protagonists. Ivy and her ton of imaginary friends. And Himitsu with his robo friend. When each of them is approached by the library to join, the offer is very lucrative considering their current lives and hard to resist. But, once accepted, there is no going back.

A magical library would be my favourite place to be, but this one comes with rules. And if you break them there will be repercussions. At the start, I was too engulfed with the amount of character(humans+others) introductions happening, so I decided to tab them in and keep track. The human characters were developed in great depth, keeping you rooting for their survival. Every time I felt I got a hang of it and knew where the story is headed, there came a new rule and sometimes a new person too. A lot of ups and downs, choices both sound and silly, taking you on a rollercoaster ride. Apart from the ample amount of characters introduced to us, the rest was wonderful.

Thank you @cinnabarmothpub for the ARC copy, it was a fun ride reading this one.

Genre: #fantasy #middlegrade
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
Tropes: #magicallibrary #physicaldisabilities #friendship

[Kayla Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imaginary Friends: Alaskan teenager Ivy has been alone since her parents died. Well, “alone” with her “imaginary” friends. Then one day she receives a delivery: doors to a magic library. In Japan, a similar delivery comes for Himitsu, but he aggressively turns it down…until he gets a message saying the library can bring back the dead. Mind changed, he brings his robot girlfriend with him to the library. Ivy and Himitsu soon learn that the friends they brought with them into the library can’t come out again, but together they set out to change the rules and save their friends.

Listen, this book was so good and so cool. I loved it. It is laugh out loud hilarious in some parts. I also had to pause reading at least twice because I was crying. This book has it all! There are mechanical librarians, long dead poets in sweatpants, chalk people, tons of family secrets, a sort of seance that gave me chills, and more rad stuff! It is a book for teens, but I sort of forgot that. Imaginary Friends doesn’t explain jokes or references, it knows the reader will keep up. There is a lot of breaking the fourth wall, which I love. This is a book that really respects the reader and encourages a more active reading style. The text demands interaction. I’m really genuinely mad this book wasn’t out when I was young, it is that rad.

The characters, real and imaginary are all incredible. Ivy is so sweet and smart and funny and just a delight. Himitsu is stuck, and it was a joy to see him figure out what his life could be if he would just…go outside? God, and his wonderful mother. I am crying just thinking about her. Also! Moe, his amazing robot “girlfriend” who really gets the story going. It is a real ensemble cast.

Imaginary Friends is great and I want someone to read it so I have someone to talk about it with!

Thank you Cinnabar Moth Publishing for the ARC!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Ann Dudzinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story starts with a lonesome fourteen-year-old orphan, Ivy, getting by as best she can with only the animals painted in a mural to talk to. She doesn’t think of herself as lonely, but her world is certainly small. Although not quite as small as sixteen-year-old Himitsu has made his world. At least Ivy goes outside (when the weather is conducive enough to venture out in Alaska), Himitsu has refused to leave his apartment for over two years and limits his conversation to his fake girlfriend (a small robot, Moe) and his online “friends”.

Then each is gifted a magical library with the tempting offer to connect with their dead parents. The only caveat is that they need to talk to the Librarian and keep him wound up. Little do they know that once they enter with their imaginary friends, the friends can no longer leave. To find the right people in the library that might be able to help them, Ivy and Himitsu must fulfill errands for the Librarian, errands that force them to confront painful events in their pasts. But if they succeed, their futures could be stranger, and fuller, than they ever imagined.

I really enjoy Chad Musick’s style; it’s always just on this side of bizarre and his imagination blows me away. He also has a touch of a sweet TJ Klune vibe with themes of family, friendship, and reaching our potential. This novel was exactly what I anticipated.

Told by an unnamed narrator (although you can figure out who it is pretty quickly) that regularly breaks the fourth wall and makes fun of literary rules, this is a twisty, adventurous, and touching tale. Characters who seem completely irrelevant will pop in and there’s a lot of backstory tying them together, which the author cleverly slips in when you’re not quite expecting it. Often when there are a lot of disparate characters, I get bored as the author tries to bring me up to speed on them. Don’t worry, no info dumps here. Just witty and always slightly bizarre history.

There wasn’t much for me to pick at in this read. The writing is uniquely funny without trying too hard. The casual inclusion of Emily Dickinson, Victor Frankenstein, and Ramses II was inspired and although I wasn't terribly satisfied with Simon’s outcome, I wouldn’t have changed anything else in how everything came together at the end.

Thank you to BookSirens and the author for providing the ARC ebook. I’ve left my review honestly and voluntarily.

[Linda (The Arizona Bookstagrammer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Imaginary Friends” by Chad Musick ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Fantasy. Location: USA, Japan, and the magical Library. Time: present and timeless.

Favorite quote: “All giraffes are named Janice, excepting a few heretics.”

There is a magical library that contains everything ever written. It’s malfunctioning, and the mechanical librarian needs help.

Fairbanks, Alaska, USA: Orphan Ivy League (14) lives alone, and has imaginary friends stuck on her wall. She can't refuse a magical Library request, especially when they have a wheelchair ramp. And her imaginary friends Janice the giraffe and Harmwala the hyena can come too.

Nagoya, Japan: Himitsu Hayashi (16) refuses the Library’s request. Since his father died 2 years ago, he stays inside with video games and Moe, his ‘schoolgirl-friend’ robot. When he hears the Library can contact the dead, he changes his mind.

In the Library, Ivy and Himitsu’s imaginary friends are trapped. They can fulfill the Librarian's tasks to rescue their friends, or go home alone, failing their friends.

Barnes & Noble lists the age range as 13-16 years, but I wonder. Many of author Musick’s explanations read as if for younger children. And I wonder if his chatty writing style with long discussions of side information will be appreciated by today’s teens who grow up reading leaner writing styles such as manga, comics, graphic novels?

Author Musick gently and respectfully explores issues of disability, gender preference, ethnic origins, and cultural bias. He lingers over descriptions of Ozymandias, Julius Caesar, Emily Dickinson, 1000 Cranes, many more. Information is often delivered in metaphors and similes.

His sweetly rambling writing style will appeal to those who love whimsical, philosophical/metaphysical-intense books with Hobbits and Hogwarts vibes. It takes time to really get into this book, so hang in there. It’s a solid 3 stars from me🌵📚💁🏼‍♀️ Thank you to Cinnabar Moth Publishing and Chad Musick for this early copy. Publishes 5/2/2023.

[Mandy Kell · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If there's one thing you learn from books, it's that you mustn't be too surprised for too long at so-called magical things, or they'll decide you're not worth it and kick you back to the so-called real world."

Chad Musick, Imaginary Friends ⠀
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Imaginary Friends by Chad Musick is a unique and imaginative fantasy that brings to mind Night at the Museum or The Pagemaster (I know, showing my age). ⠀
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The author injects whimsy and wonder into each page with a witty narrator and tons of magical realism that makes you question if you read that last line right. The descriptions of the library, the imaginary friends, and the locations that the main characters travel to are rich and interesting enough to keep up the page-turning pace of the story. ⠀
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Ivy League and Himitsu Hayashi are great characters who share the pain of orphanhood and who are both drawn to the Library with it's promise of connection with their departed loved ones. ⠀
They form a found family with the other characters they come across and work hard to preserve all that they hold dear. ⠀
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I loved the way the author wove historical facts and figures into the tale and scattered little crumbs of literary humor. The disability, diversity, and mental health representation was great to see in a youth book and the honest exploration of grief was natural feeling and well done. ⠀
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I would recommend Invisible Friends to anyone who finds comfort and adventure in their local library!

[Mustafa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imaginary Friends is a magical tale involving diverse and complex characters on a multi-realm adventure. As the title implies, some of them are imaginary friends, but do not let that fool you into thinking they are any less interesting and complicated than their fellow humans.

Musick succeeds at the difficult task of creating an epic adventure that is presented as a slow burn rather than a fast-paced thriller. The story takes its time introducing and developing the characters and their relationships, but it never gets boring at any point of the process. In fact, the reader's mind travels with the characters into curious, otherworldly situations which only get more and more intriguing as the story moves forward.

A very minor nitpick would be that a few of the characters seemed less important and could have been removed from the story. Perhaps the time spent on those characters could have been used to further flesh out the more important ones, in my opinion.

I would highly recommend it to people who are looking for a book with some magic, as well as some realism (and maybe some... magical realism). A potential reader is sure to have their mood uplifted by the end of the story. I finished the book feeling like it could easily become a great feature film or short TV series.


(I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.)

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives me major fairy tale vibes. The foreshadowing is great throughout the book, but there are still plenty that you will not see coming. The book deals with grief after the main characters have lost loved ones. And while the main characters are just teens, they have the weight of their parents choices on their shoulders. Love is a common theme throughout the story. The book shows many different types of love and also the things that masquerade as love and have the power to break us. This is a magical realism book that shows the importance of the accessibility to books and knowledge for everyone. It also shows the importance of our words and how harmful they can be, but also their ability to help.

[Hayley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The general premise of this book was good and honestly I was intrigued for the first half. However, the direction the story took was really chaotic, did not feel cohesive, and just fell flat on me. I think this book tried to do too many things at once. At times the tone of the writing changed in ways that didn't feel intentional and some chapters were totally useless to the over arching plot.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Laurel Becker]

Didn’t finish this one. The premise was super interesting to me, but the writing style was just not catching me. If the synopsis intrigues you and you like narrators who make snarky side commentary, then you should definitely read this book.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded to 5

Wow…this story is packed full of so much good-ness, magic and depth!!! Where do I even begin?!

Imaginary Friends is a coming-of-age adventure that incorporates magical realism. It’s unique, creative and filled with some wacky off-the-wall elements that give it an Alice In Wonderland vibe. I’d also say it has Chronicles of Narnia and Howl’s Moving Castle vibes.

A magical library that can possibly bring back the dead, a mechanical librarian, literary and historical figures making appearances, chalk people and of course, lovable imaginary friends.

Our two MCs, Ivy and Himitsu are dynamic unforgettable MCs. There’s thoughtful disability rep, multiracial rep and LGBTQ+ rep and overall themes of friendship, family, found family, identity and the power of love.

Don’t let the YA label fool you. The story also tackles themes of loss, trauma, guilt, grief, loneliness, forgiveness and confronting one’s past. Musick did an excellent job of keeping it YA, but not making it feel stilted by doing so. There’s depth here for readers of every age. It’s fresh and timely while simultaneously having a timeless quality.

The narrator was such a fun and special element. Breaking of the fourth wall was executed brilliantly. Our narrator is witty, hilarious and profound. They impart so much truth and wisdom throughout this story. It resonates no matter the age. I’m not one to annotate my books, but I annotated this one, for that reason.

With this story, I never knew what would happen next or who I might meet along the way. The possibilities felt endless. It was a pure delight!

Mr. Musick, can we please talk about the prequel??!! I completely respect you wanting this to be a standalone, but OMG I loveee this world and can’t help but want more!! 😊💗

💌 Thank you @cinnabarmothpub!!! I’m in love with the books you’re putting out into the world 💗