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|title=The Imaginary

|sort=Imaginary

|date=October 2014

|isbn=1408852462

|video=6DE0yD5DENg

}}

Rudger is Amanda's imaginary friend. She found him in her wardrobe one morning and they've been inseparable ever since. Amanda's mother is quite accepting of Rudger, Amanda's friends less so. Amanda took him to school with her once but the trip wasn't a huge success so now the pair hang out by themselves, taking voyages of adventure in Amanda's garden, in her bedroom and under the stairs in Amanda's house. It's while exploring a complex of dark and dingy caves under the stairs - what on earth ''could'' be in a cupboard under the stairs other than a complex of caves? - that the doorbell rings and Mr Bunting appears.

Everything is made even better by Emily Gravett's fabulous illustrations: in colour for the pink dinosaur, in charcoal for the gloomy imaginary companion of Mr Bunting. There's a picture of Rudger trying not to Fade as he slumps against a tree that brought a tear to my eye. The imaginations of author and illustrator come together perfectly in this story and I'm sure the combination will incite the imaginations of readers, too. It certainly did mine.

If you like the sound of ''The Imaginary'', you might also enjoy [[Coraline by Neil Gaiman|Coraline]] or [[The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman|The Graveyard Book]], both by the fabulous Neil Gaiman. Imaginary friends are also under threat in another Bookbag favourite [[Who Framed Klaris Cliff? by Nikki Sheehan]].

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