My Ex-Imaginary Friend

Gr 4-6–Jack’s imaginary friend George is quite unique. He is part walrus, part human, and a fabulous magician. He is also disappearing. That is what happens when your human gets older and doesn’t have as much time for you. Jack doesn’t need an imaginary friend anymore (or so he thinks). Then Jack’s life gets turned upside down when his mom, who has bipolar disorder and is experiencing a manic episode, unexpectedly leaves him with his aunt, uncle, and cousins to go find herself. Jack then turns to his faithful friend George for help. Jack and George team up to help the boy figure out how to get his mom to come back, or to find his dad that left their lives months ago. Armed only with an emergency cell phone and a pack of playing cards, the friends run away to find a family that may not want to be found after all. With frank talk surrounding mental illness and what it really means to be a family, this is a story about a boy and his imaginary friend who are desperate to figure out where they belong.