Vincent is worried about Benjamin, a 6 yr old boy he found on his own after an explosion - lost in the rubble of the war torn city they live in. He is taking him to an orphanage where he hopes someone will look after him. When they arrive Vincent can see how many children there are and how little supervision there is so he decides to stick around for a bit.
A group of children, Lucky, Amos, Sophia and Zaar live in the orphanage, with Lucky as a sort of leader of them all. We find she used to have 5 in her family and she takes Benji under her wing to complete her '5'
But when Benji keeps talking to and about Vincent, they all ask who he is talking to? There's no one there! But he insists the friend who has been looking after him is real.

It's only when Benji's belief in Vincent begins to waver that Vincent wonders what he really is. Imaginary friend, ghost or maybe even an angel? If Benji's imagination has brought Vincent to life in his mind, what else does he imagine?

Children everywhere, have and still do wonder what might be hiding in the closet or wardrobe at night, and Vincent soon meets the monster in the orphanage closet.

Benji's growing uncertainty at the others insistence that Vincent is not real, and the threat from The Hanger Man from the closet, has Vincent fighting for his very existence. It's only when all seems lost that Benji finds the answer.

I was surprised at first, at how different this novel is from Leonie Agnew's others - but Wow! What an amazing concept for a story! Imagination is everything! Brilliant Kiwi fiction!tween-reads-8-12-yrs2 s Anne574 8

Wow. I did not see that coming from Leonie Agnew. Completely different from her other books which entertained while touching on serious themes. The Impossible Boy remained serious and challenging throughout dealing with the power of the imagination (imaginery friends), monsters under the bed (childhood fears in the face of trauma in real life), the ability of children to adapt and look after themselves, disparite parts coming together to survive. There aren't a lot of adult figures in this book. This is a child's world and a child's view of a war which to them is just what it is.
I have so many books on the go at once that I tend to speed read them first time through. This is definitely one that I will be going back to devour more slowly and really appreciate the many layers.children-s-fiction fantasy kiwi ...more2 s Anne KayesAuthor 4 books4

This is a devastatingly beautiful and moving read. I actually think 13 and 14 year-olds would enjoy this too. It would be a great novel study for a class with its themes around children in war and the use of the imagination to keep us safe/sane, or keep us in a state of fear. The descriptive language and dialogue are as gripping as the plot. As for how well characters are drawn, well, I felt so engaged with and protective of Benjamin that I had to see if he was okay at the end. This book would be a thought-provoking, useful read for any one approximately ten and over in any country. It is absolutely relevant.1 T.K. RoxboroghAuthor 14 books51

Set in some war torn country, The Impossible Boy is an account of a group of rag-tag orphans and their 'adventures'. It's a story with a twist. A bit of magic realism and one of the most beautifully written books I've read in a while. If I didn't know it was Leonie who wrote it, I could have easily thought this story penned by Neil Gaiman. It's fun, funny, sad, breathtaking and well worth the read. It will be a fantastic read aloud to-those-who-can't-quite-manage-on-their-own children as well as independent readers right through to old ladies me.1 Francesca Pashby1,126 13

This should really be a 4* book, but I marked it down, because ultimately it felt 2 stories competing against each other to me. I thought the dystopian realism of the war zone Agnew described was fantastic, and very, very relevant to the times we live in, and the ongoing situation and status of refugees everywhere ... that part felt it could be another 'Bone Sparrow' to me. But then there was Vincent Gum, the imaginary friend, battling cupboard monsters ... and this part of the book seemed written for a different audience. This is teetering on the edge of being a class set for group reading years 5/6 (NZ) ... a lot of potential here.childrens nz Melinda SzymanikAuthor 22 books48

Review coming Sheryn185 3

This is up for an award at present here in NZ. Clever twist, but thus far I haven't been able to 'sell it'. Svenja46 2

4.5 Michelle300 7

Vincent Gum is an invisible boy helping a six-year old in the middle of a war. A fantasy story set in a war zone. Unique. (If you haven't read the publisher's blurb on this site, don't, it contains information that you don't discover in the book until past halfway).children-s-fantasy middle-grade Kathleen Dixon3,992 64

This will be the third book now that I've read by Leonie Agnew and I have loved each of them. They're also very different to each other, which is excellent.

In this book, we are in a city that has been ravaged by war. Buildings are bombed, infrastructure is ruined, and reliance for food and medicine is on dropped Red Cross parcels (which may be intercepted). Orphans aren't safe on the streets, but there is an orphanage which
Vincent wants to take Benjamin to so Vincent can then go back to the railway station to try and find out what happened there. But Benjamin won't let Vincent go, which is probably all for the best once we get inside the orphanage and find out what it's really .

This combines a realistic look at the lives of war-affected children with a touch of the magical. If you believe in something hard enough, will it come true?children-s n-z-author Lorraine OrmanAuthor 10 books22

This is totally different to Leonie's previous two junior novels, so don't expect funny stuff in a New Zealand setting. Dramatic, thought-provoking, challenging, even startling - it's a tour-de-force you won't forget in a hurry. Katie FurzeAuthor 3 books10

I enjoyed Leonie Agnew's previous books, but this is my favourite. It's smart, imaginative, intriguing and gripping. The child characters are wonderfully real, and the writing is a pleasure to read. A fantastic books for older middle grade readers. DesnaAuthor 3 books10

Loved this. Wonderful imaginative story. We all need a Vincent in our lives. Tom MoffattAuthor 16 books18

It was impossible not to love this book. The story grabs hold of you, the prose is inspired and it’s written from the perspective of the wonderful Vincent … an imaginary friend. What’s not to love? The only downside was that, in comparison, my own imaginary friend – Trevor – seems dull and, well, rather unimaginative.junior-fiction1 Ben5

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