My Best Friend and Other Illusions

When Charlie Green’s little brother finds her a new gymnastics partner to help with her acrobatic party act, something seems familiar. He seems to have appeared out of nowhere, but even his name rings a bell. Rudy Jellen knows way too much about Charlie’s life, history, and family, but it’s not until Charlie and her brother Miles decide to help Rudy out that they realize the truth--- he’s Charlie’s childhood imaginary friend come to life. Charlie is soon in over her head as she tries to deal with Rudy’s antics, her mom’s busy schedule, her brother’s online gambling problem, and the fact that her archenemy has somehow developed a crush on her imaginary friend.

There have been a few other imaginary-friend-come-to-life stories, but in this interesting departure, those around Charlie can also see Rudy. Typically, it’s just the main character who sees his or her own fictitious pal, a situation which leads to awkward and unexplainable situations. In this story, others can not only see Rudy, but they generally think he’s terrific. He’s talented, charming, and good-looking, all making it hard to keep him hidden. Rudy manages to attract the attention of teachers, police, and even Charlie’s mom who does not appreciate the trouble her daughter’s “new friend” is causing.

The storyline is more complex than simply dealing with the appearance of Rudy; the Green family members are also still coping with the loss of Charlie and Miles’ father. Their mother, Jennifer, is working hard to raise the two of them on her own. Charlie is also trying to raise money to attend circus camp in Montreal while Miles has clearly been in trouble with online gambling and now spends much of his time corresponding online with their former babysitter, who is now living in India. Not only that, but Charlie faces constant torment from her former friend Kat and general ridicule from her classmates because of her appearance in a funny viral video. Rudy’s appearance coincides with the height of all this stress, and he doesn’t leave until the Green family discover some important truths about their lives and how they connect to each other.

Funny and sweet, magical but still somehow believable, My Best Friend and Other Illusions manages to tie childhood and adolescence together in a way that makes me wonder if the world might be a little better with a few more friends like Rudy running around.