Imaginary Enemy [Hardcover]

Julie Gonzalez (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 11, 2008

Jane White goes by the pen name Gabriel when she writes letters to Bubba, her imaginary enemy. She’s been writing to Bubba (short for Beelzebub) since second grade, blaming him every time something in her life goes wrong. It’s never her fault! She doesn’t want to admit that her impetuous behavior and smart-mouthed comments often land her in trouble. And now that she’s a teenager, Jane’s slacker ways exude an I-don’tcare attitude. But Jane does care. She cares about fitting in at school; she cares that Sharp deMichael and his brothers next door think of her as normal and start excluding her from their offbeat plans; and she definitely cares the day she receives a letter from Bubba. How can an imaginary enemy write back? Just as the time comes for Jane to face her lifelong foe–she must also decide whether or not to assume responsibility for her actions.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–9—Instead of an imaginary friend, Jane White has an imaginary enemy to whom she writes letters whenever she needs to vent her frustrations, revealing her most vulnerable thoughts and insecurities. The story begins when Jane pens her first missive in second grade, wends through the complexities of middle school, and ends when she is an 11th grader wrestling with relationships and rediscovering the boy next door. Throughout, Jane's narration remains static, resulting in a jaded-sounding middle schooler and a naive 16-year-old. Her neighbors, a family of eccentric musicians, color Jane's existence and make for quirky companions and romantic interests. Jane gradually matures, slowly learning to take responsibility for her actions, but the other characters do not undergo much growth. Several plot threads are not fully developed or seem rushed or contrived. Pacing is somewhat uneven, especially when the focus moves away from action and dialogue to quick descriptive sections that serve to advance time, and the narration is sometimes choppy. With an ambitious and interesting premise and a mystery at the book's conclusion, this is ultimately an additional story with some fun, unexpected moments.—Amy J. Chow, The Brearley School, New York City
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Review

Starred review, Publishers Weekly, March 24, 2008:
"Readers will get a genuine kick out of Jane's fumblings and successes, both imaginary and real."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (March 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385735529
• ISBN-13: 978-0385735520
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,250,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, March 11, 2008

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Imaginary Enemy (Hardcover)

Looking for a fun book? This one is for you. Many people grow up having had at least one imaginary friend. Jane White has an imaginary enemy.

It all started in second grade when Jane began writing to Bubba. Whenever life would throw her a curve ball to upset her or embarrass her, she would sit down and write Bubba a letter to complain. Bubba was always there to collect the blame or abuse Jane tossed in his direction. Imagine her surprise when one day she received a letter addressed to her from Bubba.

Named after an eccentric aunt, Jane hates her name, and finds herself constantly battling her strange family and friends. There is the half-brother who suddenly decides to leave his mother's house and move in with Jane's family. There are younger siblings who constantly annoy Jane. The family's father figure suffers a mid-life meltdown only to quit his job and begin a new career. Add to all that a bunch of odd neighbors who home-school their children and "collect" sounds. Jane's problems are actually quite typical, but her creative way of dealing with them makes her story well worth reading.

Author Julie Gonzalez expertly combines all this in a fast-paced story that will hold the attention of middle grade and teen readers, as well as any grownup who remembers their own roller-coaster ride to adulthood. This comic novel is a fine addition to any individual or library collection.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quirky fun, March 19, 2008

By 

Ami Hassler "www.bookami.com" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Imaginary Enemy (Hardcover)

If you're looking for a fun, quirky book where not a whole heck of a lot happens, then Imaginary Enemy is the book for you. Jane White is as average as her name. She is the oldest product of her father's second marriage. She has an older half-brother, Luke, that she idolizes. She has two younger full siblings, Zander and Carmella, that drive her slightly batty. She's not exactly one of the popular kids in school, but she's no dork either. She's never the teacher's pet, but she doesn't require summer school. In other words, Jane falls middle of the road in just about everything she does, but she does have one eccentricity. Instead of an imaginary friend, Jane has an imaginary enemy named Bubba, short for Beezlebub. Since the second grade, Jane has taken to writing to Bubba under the pen name Gabriel whenever her life feels unjust. Jane doesn't want to take responsibility for much of anything. She'd much rather have the carefree attitude of a total slacker. Of course, that's what makes Jane's life difficult. While she would like to have an I-don't-care attitude, she does care. She worries about what her best-friend Emma thinks of her. She worries about what the deMichael boys next door think about her, particularly what Sharp deMichael thinks about her. She worries about having the right hair. She even worries about what her parents think of her, not that she'd tell them that. And she really starts to worry when her imaginary enemy writes back to her. How can a figment of her imagination be responding to her letters, and how is it possible that Bubba wants to meet her face to face? Can Jane handle the responsibility of dealing with her lifelong foe? After all, it's not as if Jane's had much practice taking responsibility for anything in the past.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Mixed Reactions, August 10, 2010

By 

Sandra McLeod Humphrey "Children's Author and... (Minnetonka, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Imaginary Enemy (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved the idea of the imaginary enemy--I thought this was quite an original concept. I also loved the quirky family next door with their passion for music, and I loved Jane's friend Emma. I think Jane's character could have been more fully developed, and some of the plotting seemed a bit contrived, but overall it was a fun read.