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Book Review

Publisher's Note:

Rudger is Amanda Shuffleup's imaginary friend. Nobody else can see Rudger-until the evil Mr. Bunting arrives at Amanda's door. Mr. Bunting hunts imaginaries. Rumor has it that he even eats them. And now he's found Rudger. Soon Rudger is alone, and running for his imaginary life. He needs to find Amanda before Mr. Bunting catches him-and before Amanda forgets him and he fades away to nothing. But how can an unreal boy stand alone in the real world? In the vein of Coraline, this gripping take on imaginary friends comes to life in a lush package: beautiful illustrations (10 in full color) by acclaimed artist Emily Gravett, a foiled and debossed case cover, printed endpapers, and deckled page edges.…

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The Imaginary

by A. F. Harrold

Reviewer: Cindy M
Genre: Fiction
Recommended Age: 9+

Overall Book Review:

Brilliantly fresh and ever so creative!  The Imaginary by A.F. Harrold caught me by surprise.  As a firm believer in NOT reading the cover or jacket flaps of books, I was consumed with curiosity from the early pages, terribly alarmed and frightened by the sinister and creepy Mr. Bunting and his ghostly companion, and eventually enchanted by the originality of the concept and story.  Author A.F. Harrold is to be complemented on his even-handed story-telling and concept execution that never flagged nor flailed.  Charming illustrations by Emily Gravett compliment the story in all the right places.  This middle grade book should appeal to both boys and girls and it will worm its way into the hearts of any adult who gives it half a chance.

Review of an Advance Review Copy from Bloomsbury Children’s Books


Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None

Violence/Gore:  A couple of frightening/creepy scenes; character kicks leg and is chased; character hit by a vehicle and severely injured; characters talk about deaths and a legend about a man who hunts and “eats” fantasy personages; character chased and a finger is bit off of a fantasy personage; a character eats a fantasy personage; character deliberately pushes another down the stairs to induce an injury; characters struggle; extended confrontation between characters and fantasy personages involving fantastical powers, struggling, pushing, grabbing; a fantasy personage disappears aka “old age”.

Sex/Nudity:  None

Mature Subject Matter:

Strangers/abduction.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Adult drinks wine.

Overall Book Rating
Profanity/Language
Rating:
0
10
Violence/Gore
Rating:
2
10
Sex/Nudity
Rating:
0
10

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About the Reviewer

Cindy M
An accountant and CPA by profession, I found myself a book reviewer for Squeaky Clean Reads by happenstance. When the opportunity came to transform that website into Compass Book Ratings, I was excited to seize it and meld my business background with my love of books. As the mother of three teenage sons, I have read a large number of children and young adult books and I believe that there is great value in a content review service. As much as we would love to read everything our children read, there just isn’t enough time. I also appreciate being able to select books for myself that are really worth my precious and limited reading time. I believe there is a book out there for everyone–they just have to find it!

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