Binky's stay with his aunt and uncle in Memphis unexpectedly proves to be full of adventure when characters on the boxes and jars in their kitchen come to life and become his friends

In the prologue we learned that Binky's aunt dies and he inherits everything. Chewing an old stick of gum, that he finds in the Aunt's bedroom, brings back memories of his childhood. As a young child he spent the summer in the city with his Aunt and Uncle. He found himself every homesick. The story goes on to tell a tale of how all the figures from the boxes and jars in the kitchen came to life and became friends with Binky. These were imaginary friends that helped him feel not so lonely. When it is time for Binky to return home, he packs his new friends with him, but they do not come to life at home. He is no longer lonely but knows that when he truly is, he can count on his imaginary friend Ike! The author tells an imaginative tale of how a child deals with being homesick. This book is different than the other books because Rosemary Wells digs in deeper and uses personification to give her readers the feeling of loneliness. ( )

The story was cute and cool. I like how Binky was able to make a lot of new friends after going to his aunt and uncle. He was lonely there and the feeling of being lonely is not nice. I did enjoy Binky's friends too, especially Ike the pilot. I remember as a kid being very imaginative and Binky made me remember those times. I think kids will love this book and the characters in it, except for the mean aunt and uncle. ( )