Real or Imaginary. That is the question

Calvin

By: Martine Leavitt

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pages: 181

Published: 2015

Read:  January

3 out of 5

Imaginary or Real? That is a tough question for a kid with schizophrenia. I believe it would even be tougher to write from the point-of-view of a person that has the disease. The main character, Calvin, tries to blame Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, for the fact that Hobbes, an imaginary tiger, talks to him. See, he was born on the day that Watterson released his very last comic of Calvin and Hobbes. AND then his parents named him Calvin! Throughout the book, Calvin is writing a letter to Mr. Watterson about his hike across Lake Erie to meet him. Along the travels, Calvin with Hobbes and school friend, Susie, the reader needs to decipher who is real and who generated by Calvin’s mind. Leavitt writes a story that leaves you guessing, but isn’t very personal. Maybe schizo individuals aren’t very personal? I felt this was just an okay story and do recommend for anyone who enjoys realistic, yet fictional stories about schizophrenia. However, there are many other YA novels on mental illnesses that are better and more character driven.