Description

Stripy was never supposed to be real.

But she was always supposed to matter, at least to April.

April and Stripy have been best friends forever. They have shared childhood and the confidence that they will always belong to one another. But as April grows older, their bond begins to fray. School, other friendships and the wider world start to demand April's attention, and the glowing screen in her hand becomes harder to put down. Slowly, almost unnoticed, their once-unbreakable friendship begins to falter.

For Stripy, an imaginary friend, attention is everything. It is her tether to life. Each moment of distraction, each glance April diverts to a device, weakens her hold on the world. To be forgotten is dangerous. It is a fate akin to death.

As April drifts further away, Stripy begins to change. What starts as a subtle unravelling soon draws the girls into events beyond their wildest dreams, where imagination carries real consequences and forgotten magic refuses to stay buried.

Set among the quiet suburban streets of Brisbane and travelling deep into the heart of the ancient Australian outback, The Figment is a coming-of-age story about friendship, loyalty, identity, and the power of imagination when it becomes a force for transformation.

A fast-paced adventure with a generous dollop of humour, this book will appeal to young readers who enjoy supernatural themes, magic, and dropping into another world.