My Name is Budo.
I have been alive for five years.
Five years is a very long time for someone like me to be alive.
Max gave me my name.
Max is the only human person who can see me.
Max's parents call me an imaginary friend.

Reading this book makes me long for an imaginary friend. Did I ever have one? I remember making up stories with characters but not friends that hang around. Maybe they popped in and out of existence only for a short while. If so my apologies they didn't get to enjoy a long life like Budo.

Also, I realize that try as I may, it appears that I cannot imagine up a friend, which does make me feel melancholy, that it's an ability we lose as we grow up.

It's a beautiful story with much depth. I brought my first copy to Mainz's BC Con, and this second copy is for sharing at the Virtual BC Con.

This book is now going to GoryDetails, who claimed it at the Virtual BC Con virtual book buffet table. There's not much gory details in this book but hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

The book arrived safely on this very hot day - many thanks! I don't recall having an imaginary friend myself, though I did have a very active imaginary play-life - it's just that I usually imagined myself as the hero, whether I was a horse or a cowboy or Ilya Kuryakin {wry grin}.

Later: Intriguing story, with a dark twist. The story's told from the perspective of Budo, supposedly-imaginary friend to young Max - though when Budo is the viewpoint character it's unclear just how imaginary he's supposed to be! He can converse with other children's imaginary friends, and these chats convey how different Budo's experiences are from theirs; he doesn't sleep (or dream), and observes the adult world when Max is sleeping. And so he's the one who is all too aware of what might happen when a teacher, disturbed by what she perceives as Max's neglect by his own parents, decides to take him to raise on her own...

The book ends with a childhood-ends/passing-of-the-torch scene that to me signaled Budo's transition to a new child; reminded me of the (very different in tone) imaginary-friend movie "Drop Dead Fred".

[There's a short TV Tropes page on the book, with some interesting tidbits.]

I'm sending this to BCer AlterEgoZoe to fill a wish, as a tag-it-forward in the US/Canada wishlist-tag game. Enjoy!

*** Released for the 2021 Keep Them Moving challenge. ***

Received thanks for fulfilling a wish.

Couldn’t get into it. Have sent it traveling When he looked up again Tas had gone. Rising to join the others, he caught sight of something small and abandoned on the floor. "Tas you forgot your pipe." He picked it up and then saw words carved into the wood he had not seen before. Find the music, find the magic.
"Did you carve this?"
Tas did not turn. "Yes," he said, reluctantly. "I have to leave it."
"But, Tas, why?"
Tas squared his shoulders as though firming some resolve. But still he did not turn. "Because the shepherd said that it could only be used once. Thats why I can't get the pipe to play that song-or any song. I've used the magic." He took a deep breath and went on. "And he said that once I found the magic I had the pass the pipe on." he paused and then he did turn, a scamp's humor in his long brown eyes. "It's going to be a long winter. I'm going to leave it here for someone else to find." "Snowsong" by Nancy Varian Berberick

Found a book? Find the magic! Welcome to BookCrossing!! If you are already a member, "Hello!", if you have only just found this lovely site, welcome!

Congratulations on finding a released BookCrossing book! You can now register on the site, if you want to. It's free to register, but of course you can remain anon. It's up to you!

If you do decide to join, please add me as your referring member, AlterEgoZoe. Thanks!

Most of all, enjoy the book, and enjoy BookCrossing!