The Anti-Book

With nods to The Phantom Tollbooth and Coraline, this darkly funny fantasy is a classic-in-the-making–the story of a boy who wants the world to disappear … and what happens when it does.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Name of This Book Is Secret comes a darkly funny story about a boy who wants the world to disappear. This fantastical quest for comfort and belonging was called a surprisingly powerful, formula-breaking coming-of-age story by the New York Times.

Mickey is angry all the time- at his divorced parents, at his sister, and at his two new stepmoms, both named Charlie. And so he can’t resist the ad inside his pack of gum- Do you ever wish everyone would go away? Buy The Anti-Book! Satisfaction guaranteed. He orders the book, but when it arrives, it’s blank-except for one line of instruction- To erase it, write it. He fills the pages with all the things and people he dislikes …

Next thing he knows, he’s wandering an anti-world, one in which everything and everyone familiar is gone. Or are they? His sister soon reappears–but she’s only four inches tall. A tiny talking house with wings looks strangely familiar, as does the mysterious half-invisible boy who seems to think that he and Mickey are best buds. The boy persuades Mickey to go find the Bubble Gum King-the king, who resides at the top of a mountain, is the only one who might be able help Mickey fix the mess he’s made.

From Raphael Simon (a.k.a. beloved author Pseudonymous Bosch!) comes this Phantom Tollbooth for today’s generation-a fantastical quest for comfort and belonging that will resonate with many, many readers.