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Summary
Summary
New York Times bestselling authors Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead, masterminds of classic middle-grade fiction, come together to craft a magical story about the enduring power of friendship.
It's been five years since Livy and her family have visited Livy's grandmother in Australia. Now that she's back, Livy has the feeling she's forgotten something really, really important about Gran's house.
It turns out she's right.
Bob, a short, greenish creature dressed in a chicken suit, didn't forget Livy, or her promise. He's been waiting five years for her to come back, hiding in a closet like she told him to. He can't remember who-or what-he is, where he came from, or if he even has a family. But five years ago Livy promised she would help him find his way back home. Now it's time to keep that promise.
Clue by clue, Livy and Bob will unravel the mystery of where Bob comes from, and discover the kind of magic that lasts forever.
Author Notes
Wendy Mass was born in Livingston, New Jersey on January 17, 1967. She received a B. A. in English from Tufts University. She worked as a book editor at numerous publishing houses in New York City and Connecticut and co-created a teenage literary magazine called Writes of Passage. She has written several nonfiction books for teenagers including Stonehenge, Readings on Night, John Cabot: Early Explorer, and Ray Bradbury: Master of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Her fiction books include Leap Day, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall, Every Soul a Star, 11 Birthdays, Finally, and The Candymakers. A Mango-Shaped Space won the American Library Association Schneider Family Book Award in 2004. She wrote the storyline for an episode of the television show Monk, entitled "Mr. Monk Goes to the Theatre," which aired during the show's second season.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-7-After a five-year absence, 10-year-old Livy returns to visit Gran Nicholas in Australia and rediscovers Bob, the short, quirky green creature in her closet. As Gran and her neighbors struggle with a drought, Livy and Bob are trying to help Bob find his way home. Unraveling tales that include her falling in a well and looking for a buried time capsule, Livy and Bob become a team. There's magic that keeps Bob hidden from adults and a real search when neighbor child Danny goes missing. Narrators Nora Hunter and Bob Dircks bring the magical and human characters together with humor and mystery, though Dircks's Australian accent is occasionally unconvincing. -VERDICT This lighthearted mix of family, fantasy, and friendship adds a serious note about global climate -dilemmas.-Barbara S. Wysocki, formerly with Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Ten-year-old Livy, who lives in Massachusetts, hasn't visited her Gran Nicholas's house in Australia for five years. When she returns for a visit, Livy is struck by the feeling that something very important is waiting for her. Sure enough, a peek inside her closet reveals "a small zombie wearing a chicken suit," perched atop a dictionary. "You're back. Took you long enough," the creature says to the girl. Once upon a time, it seems, five-year-old Livy discovered this strange being, who goes by the comically understated name of Bob, and the two formed a secret bond. Picking up where they left off, Livy keeps Bob hidden while they hunt for clues about what he is, where he came from, and how to get him home. Authors Mass (the Willow Falls series) and Stead (Goodbye Stranger) team up for this irresistible tale of magic, mystery, and friendship that poses timeless questions about identity and belonging. Ultimately, the answers Livy and Bob seek are waiting in the pages of a cherished book-a tribute to the power of storytelling, which draws readers into the imaginative investigation. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8-12. Authors' agents: (for Stead) Faye Bender, the Book Group; (for Mass) Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown Ltd. Illustrator's agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Livy, now ten, doesnt remember much about the last time she visited her grandmother in Australia five years before. Still, youd think it would be hard to forget a weird, green, diminutive creature dressed in a chicken costume. Livy rediscovers the creature--Bob--hiding in a closet (Youre back. Took you long enough). She vows to help Bob figure out who he is and where he came from, and to solve the mystery of how shed forgotten about him in the first place. Chapters alternate between Livys and Bobs first-person perspectives, and the text is filled with warmth and humor: She said my name. Bob. It makes me feelwell, seenThe Great and Powerful Bob. The Bobster. His Bobness. Gannons occasional interspersed illustrations, monochromatic and golden-brown, provide an old-timey feel. A climactic plot twist sends Livy and Bob searching for a neighbor boy who wandered away from home and leads to an emotional reunion for the little green creature. Friendship, family, and ruminations on home, plus some magic (and an environmental message that feels a little tacked on), should appeal to creature-fantasy fans. elissa Gershowitz (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Traveling to her grandmother's drought-stricken, rural Australian community after an absence of five years, Livy remembers little about her previous visit. But when she opens her bedroom's closet door, Bob a short, skinny, green creature in a bedraggled chicken suit looks up at her and says, You're back. Took you long enough. They rebuild their friendship while Livy helps Bob figure out what kind of creature he is (not a zombie, as five-year-old Livy had supposed) and how he can find his way home. She has questions: Why don't adults seem to notice Bob? Why does she forget him when they're apart? Clearly magic plays a part in the story and its climax, bringing reunions, farewells, and rain, rain, rain. The very readable first-person narration alternates between Livy's voice and Bob's, and seen within well-realized settings, these endearing characters and their friendship drive the novel. Stead, whose When You Reach Me (2009) won the Newbery Medal, and Mass, author of the beloved Willow Falls series, combine their considerable talents to create an unusual fantasy with simplicity, immediacy, and wit. Illustrations (not seen) will appear throughout the finished volume.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2018 Booklist
Excerpts
Excerpts
And standing on top of the dictionary is a small zombie wearing a chicken suit. He's rubbing his eyes, a Lego pirate clutched in one green hand. When his eyes adjust to the light, he uses them to look me up and down.Then he says, 'You're back. Took you long enough.' Excerpted from Bob by Wendy Mass, Rebecca Stead All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.