"Look at this way ... there are things that happen. Irreversible processes ... like how you can turn an egg into an omelette ... but you can't turn an omelette back into an egg."
Charles Dimple needs a friend. Annabeth Arch needs a friend. Isabelle (Izzy) Applebee needs a friend. Along comes Tish or Bert as he is later named or Bertie, which is his next new name. For now I will call him Tish. Tish arrives when Charles dreams him up. Yes Tish is an imaginary friend - he is a Perfect.
Tish sees lots of Perfects when he goes to school with Charles.
"Some had ten feet and some had ten eyes. There were frills and gills. Tutus and tiaras. But they all had one thing in common: they had each found their Someone. And in their Someone's eyes, they were perfect."
The Perfect Friend (list by Charles): Tusks; Big; Smoke like steam from a hot apple pie; Loyalty; Honesty; and Politeness. Also feathers and fur; a trunk and an umbrella. I should also mention he loves pistachios.
What about those three friends:
Charles who lives at 33 Sprinkle street, loves berry-swirl waffle cones from Mr Confetti's ice-cream truck; making lists; tomato sauce; museums; and swings.
Sadly one day "Tish felt something crack inside, and wondered if his heart was just a mess of shell and egg. He didn't like time now that he knew how it could hurt him. Time wasn't fair. He wished they could go back and do everything all over again. But Charles had said that time only moved in one direction. And Charles had moved on without him."
Annabeth from Black Cherry Lane, is given to expressing unfortunate truths and for this misdemeanour she is often sent to The Kitchen Step which is a place to Think About What She Had Done until she was Ready to Say Sorry. Annabeth likes the alphabet; architecture; purple polka dots; skylights; her once best friend Ruby Jones; and the word dodecahedron.
Sadly one day "he was alone. Not just on the outside, but also on the inside too. Annabeth was only a few walls away, but there was a greater distance between them and in that space lay a truly unfortunate truth. Annabeth would not come looking for him again. Not after a minute. Not after a day. Not after week."
Three-year-old Izzy lives next door to Annabeth. She loves to play pirates; eating snacks; her guinea pig Bob; foam; and tea parties.
Then one day Izzy changes her name to Bella and she leaves Bertie at home when she goes out with her friends. What will happen to Tish now?
You do need to know a little more about Mr Confetti's ice-cream truck.
"The problem being that Mr Confetti's ice-cream truck only arrived when it felt like it. And always at the oddest times and in the oddest places. ... you didn't choose the flavour you wanted - Mr Confetti chose it for you. He had a knack for knowing just what it was you needed. The perfect flavour for you. And if you guessed right when he flipped your gold coin, you never had to pay."
I love this idea - it reminded me of a short story by Paul Jennings called Smart Ice cream from the book Unreal.
This is my new favourite book to recommend as a read aloud for your child (age 7+) or class (Grade 2 or 3). There are three interconnected stories in this book and a total of thirty chapters. Here is a set of teachers notes (Lamont). I strongly suggest, if you are a teacher looking for a class read aloud check your school library - this new Australian book is wonderful.
You may already know I am "bonkers crazy" about books that feature invisible/imaginary friends. Here are a few of my favourites. O'Diddy is my top pick! I do wish with all my bookish heart that it was not out of print.
O'Diddy (sadly out of print)
Confessions of an Imaginary Friend (not this book has a different cover in Australia)
Here are some other books by Edwina Wyatt
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