This is a terrifically fun and touching novel narrated by Budo, imaginary friend to eight-year-old Max Delaney. Max is in school and is on the spectrum, and Budo is about his only friend. When Max gets in trouble, it's up to Budo to figure out how to rescue him--with the help of a few other imaginary friends.
Although it sounds a bit on the twee side, it's really not. It's charming, but poignant, and also incredibly suspenseful. The world of imaginary friends that Dicks has created is beautifully imagined and incredibly vivid--a lovely insight into the strange minds of kids. For example, Budo doesn't sleep, because Max never imagined him sleeping. And when Budo gets lonely, he goes to the children's hospital, because he can always find imaginary friends there. The descriptions of the other imaginary friends are so endearing, like one that is made of the paper on which kids draw outlines of themselves, and one that is little more than a spoon. A lovely book.