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Title details for Imaginalis by J. M. DeMatteis - Available

Imaginalis

by J. M. DeMatteis
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

What if your dearest friends were trapped in a world that was dying?

Mehera Beatrice Crosby has one great love—and it's not following the latest health fads (like her school friend Celeste), and it's definitely not Andrew Suarez (even if he does have a ridiculous crush on her). It's Imaginalis, her favorite book series.

When she learns that the long-awaited last book in the series has been canceled, Mehera is devastated—until strange events begin unfolding, and she realizes that her Imaginalian friends are counting on her to rescue them from their fading existence. Soon Mehera finds herself traveling between her world and the kingdom of Imaginalis. But what will happen when she accidentally brings the villain of the series, Pralaya, back to Earth, along with Prince Imagos and his Companions? Has Mehera doomed both worlds beyond repair, or is there a way to save Mehera's world—and Imaginalis, too?

Expert storyteller J. M. DeMatteis's richly imagined fantasy is a fast-paced adventure and a testament to the power of loyal friendship, creativity, and imagination.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    December 15, 2023

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780062003119

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780062003119
      • File size: 537 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • ATOS Level: 5.1
    • Lexile® Measure: 800
    • Interest Level: 4-8(MG)
    • Text Difficulty: 3-4

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 12, 2010
      In a sure-footed fantasy from DeMatteis (the Abadazad series), Mehera Beatrice Crosby is a precocious and enthusiastic 12-year-old who is wholeheartedly obsessed with the Imaginalis book series. She is the epitome of a loyal reader, and when she finds out that the series has been canceled, she is bereft and does everything in her power to resurrect her favorite characters, including trying to contact them: "Sure, it was a mystery—bigger and better than any Nancy Drew had ever faced—but I was going to solve it." She discovers that Uncle Nossyss the elephant, dashing Prince Imagos, Prognostica the Nebulous Seer, and other beloved characters are trapped in Nolandia and are slowly disappearing, requiring Mehera to build an Unbelievable Bridge to Earth to save them. While the book borrows several concepts from The Neverending Story (namely that the reader becomes a character in the book and that "the whole universe is just a story"), the well-drawn characters, abundant action and humor, and hopeful message about the power of reading and belief keep it afloat. Ages 8–12.

    • Kirkus

      June 1, 2010

      Veteran comic-book writer DeMatteis tries to make a middle-grade fantasy out of the naked desire of so many youngsters to live in the books they love. Mehera is 12, and she loves the Imaginalis series more than anything, refusing to accept that its reclusive author will not write the final book. It turns out that Imaginalis is real, and only the impossibly good Mehera can save it and the characters she loves: handsome Prince Imagos, Lord Nossyss (a Ganesh-like character with an elephant head), Prognostica (who can see many futures but doesn't always know which one will happen) and the eeee-villll Pralaya, who morphs from globby blob to unctuous male to terrifying female. If Mehera believes strongly enough in the Unbelievable Bridge (an IM: "We're trapped, Mehera...Only the Bridge can save us"), those from Imaginalis can come into her (our) world, find the writer of the series and save their land from extinction. Mehera's first-person narrative sounds like a middle-aged adult's notion of a 12-year-old girl, and the plot's all over the place, with huge swaths of exposition plunked down everywhere. Ho. Hum. (Fantasy. 8-12)

      (COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

    • School Library Journal

      November 1, 2010

      Gr 4-7-Mehera, an avid fan of the "Imaginalis" books, is anxiously awaiting the next installment. Devastated when she finally learns that the novel has been canceled, she tries to contact the author, to no avail. When she begins to receive strange messages and is eventually transported to Nolandia, the 12-year-old discovers that her long-held belief that Imaginalis is real is, in fact, true. The denizens of this world-including the seer Prognostica, valiant Prince Imagos, and the wise, Ganesh-esque Lord Nossyss-will cease to exist unless she can find the author and convince her to write the rest of the story. Fighting against the youngster and her companions is the villainous Pralaya, who seeks to become a resident of Earth and destroy it as he has long sought to destroy Imaginalis. The underpinnings of DeMatteis's novel are reminiscent of "The Chronicles of Narnia" with its religious parallels (in this case, Hinduism), humans who are responsible for the fate of an imaginary world, and powerful leader who is willing to sacrifice all for the good of his people. Some parts of the plot seem underdeveloped, and Mehera herself is not a particularly engaging character. However, the premise is intriguing and will delight readers who imagine themselves in the pages of their favorite books.-Karen E. Brooks-Reese, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA

      Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      May 15, 2010
      Grades 5-8 The author of the Oz-tinted Abadazad series creates another alternate worldthis one with Indian/Buddhist/Hindu overtonesthat supposedly exists only in a series of books but turns out to be real. Having been a rabid fan of the Imaginalis books for years, preteen Mehera is devastated to learn that the final volume has been canceled. Then she starts getting strange text messages and experiences a sort of perfect storm of belief and desire that carries her away to interdimensional Nolandia, where the Imaginalians are suspended and about to fade away in the wake of their worlds destruction unless Mehera can build a mystical bridge to a new home. To accomplish this, she must vanquish the villain Pralaya, the embodiment of entropy, and work through some personal issues. In an odd climax, she persuades the books embittered author to join her in a typewriter duet. This wordy but fluently written metafiction features two slam-bang opening scenes and enough action to keep the philosophical underpinnings in their place.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

    • The Horn Book

      January 1, 2011
      Twelve-year-old Mehera is crushed when the final volume in her favorite series, Imaginalis, is canceled. The book's characters enlist Mehera to find the author before Imaginalis and Earth are destroyed by villainous Pralaya. With nods to Narnia (Hinduism replaces Christianity) and The Neverending Story, the story line is a little familiar, but fantasy fans may not mind.

      (Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:5.1
  • Lexile® Measure:800
  • Interest Level:4-8(MG)
  • Text Difficulty:3-4

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