The story of a boy and his imaginary friendtold by the imaginary friend Zach shouldve outgrown his imaginary friend by now. He knows this. Hes 11, long past the days when kids are supposed to go on epic make-believe adventures with their invisible friends. But after the death of his father five years ago, all Zach wanted was an escape from the real world. So his imaginary friend, Shovel, hasnt faded away like the other kids have. Their imaginary friendship grew stronger. But now Zachs in middle school, and things are getting awkward. His best friend ditched him for a cooler crowd. His classmates tease him in the hallways. He still misses his dad. Reality is the worst. Which is why Zach makes regular visits to a fantasy world with Shovel. But is Zachs overactive imagination helping him deal with loss or just pushing people away? Poignant, humorous, and breathtaking, Imaginary is an inventive story of friendship, loss and growing up . . . as only an imaginary friend could tell it.