I wasn't sure what to expect, but had enjoyed Wendy Maas's The Candymakers and Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me. Bob tells the story about the friendship between Livy and a magical creature.



When Livy returns to Australia to spend time with her grandmother on her farm, it's a difficult time of transition. Grandmother has suffered from a drought and the farm is close to bankruptcy. The drought forced Grandmother to get rid of her horses and much of her animal stock and if it doesn't rain soon the farm's crops and animals won't be able to survive. Livy's also been having a hard time with the birth of her younger sister. With her parents seemingly focused entirely on her sister, Livy finds herself unable to sleep away from her parents. This separation anxiety has started to affect her own friendships as she no longer stays for sleepaways. This stay with her grandmother will be a big change for Livy and her stomach has started to ache as she thinks about her mother and her baby sister leaving.



In the 5 years since Livy's visit, she's forgotten much about her stay with Grandmother. Her favorite toys and things to do, etc. - but Livy discovers an old friend, Bob. Bob is green, small, and dressed in a chicken suit that Livy made 5 years ago. He's been waiting for her to return - 5 years much of it spent in Livy's closet playing chess by himself, reading the dictionary, crying and missing his friend.



When Livy and Bob are reunited, it takes less than a day before their friendship comes back in full force. They try to solve the mystery of Bob's origins, but there is only so much a 10 year old girl and her magical friend can do.



Bob is a fun read - it celebrates friendship without being overly sentimental. There are moments of magic, humor and sadness. It's the sort of book one can read to a child or they are likely to enjoy reading themselves.

Just finished this adorable MG story about childhood friends, folklore, and a bit of magic. Bob’s personality kept me laughing as he and Livy tried to uncover his true origin. This would make a great read aloud for 1st-3rd grade teachers! #bookaday @wenmass @rebstead

This book wasn't quite what I thought, and it was both more charming and deeper than I anticipated. A quirky tale of a young girl, her possibly imaginary friend, and their quest to find home.

I had a little bit of trouble connecting with Bob at first, but Livy drew me in, so I kept at it. I'm glad I did. The story is well-supported, easy reading without being childish, and the characters do engage the reader (and likely will appeal more to the target audience faster than with me).

Good for middle grade or young readers.

Would have given it 3.5 stars, or even 3.75...not quite a 4 in my book, but very close.

This book was inventive, interesting, different, saucy, and fun. Stands out among the usual middle-school fiction. You should read it. Even if you are not in middle school any more.

BOB by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead was a fun read. I just love Bob! The ending caught me by surprise. I fully expected a different outcome and I'm guessing that was on purpose. Well done Mass and Stead. I've already added to my order list for the upcoming school year and I cannot wait to use it for one of my read alouds..

I'm a fan of the work of both Mass and Stead. I can say this is more in line with Stead's writing. Stylistically its rooted in some degree of mythology or folklore. I couldn't say for certain if it's tied to any particular lore as explanations for drought are common. The audience for this one will be a stretch, though. Pretty far off center.

Bob is a chicken... or is he? He lives in the bedroom closet at Livey’s grandmother’s house and has been waiting 5 years for Livey to return. But why is he waiting?

I was unable to read this book before its scheduled release day as it fell close to the end of the school year; however, one of my students read it and thoroughly enjoyed it. :)

A visit to her grandma's farm reintroduces Livy to a long forgotten friend, Bob. Together they try to figure out what Bob is and where he came from. Livy tries to recover the memories of her past and her time with Bob when she was little. The story is told from both character's point of view, giving a unique insight into each character's story. Bob is a great example of two authors collaborating to write a story and one that is sure to warm the hearts of many readers.

I loved this book!!! It kept my interest from the beginning to the end. The story is very original while the authors are fabulous storytellers. It kept me guessing until the very end and a great ending it was!!! I highly recommend this book to any age because we can all learn something from it.

A very sweet book about friendship and magic. I appreciated how the authors took us to learn about another part of the world and then taught up about a creature that we didn't know a lot about. It was especially sweet to learn of the love of the grandma for her far away family, as well as her community. The story unraveled very nicely in the mystery to discover both about the past and Bob.

This was an odd little book, to say the least. I wasn’t sure for the longest time whether this was all in her head or if something magical was going on. The mystery drove me to keep reading, and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s hard to say too much about this book without giving anything away, so I will just say read it for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

Bob is a middle grade novel by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead. 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.

Bob is a wonderful look at childhood imagination, friendship, and folklore. Livy does not remember her first visit to her grandmother's house, since she was only five at the time she does not really worry about. When she makes a return trip she tries to remember, little things come back- but it is not until she comes face to face with a little guys non-zombie in her closet that she starts to work on the mystery. Together she and Bob work to fill in the blanks. I love that readers get an insight to Bob's thoughts, not just Livy's. I found the fairy tale nature of the mystery to be sweet, and now I need to do some reading and research to see if the story of Bob, and those like him, is based on a folktale I do not know or a fresh creation. I like that the book allows young readers to act like kids, for tweens to do things like truth and dare- but also let lose and dance and play with dolls. My only disappointment as that I was reading a pre publication galley, so I did not get the full impact of all the illustrations that will be included with the final copy. This is a wonderful book that I hope will find its way into personal, school, and public libraries.

Bob is a heartwarming story about friendship and folklore that stuck with me long after I finished the book. The characters were well written and the story left me with hope and a quiet joy.

So charming and lovely and weird. Would put in the hands of both reluctant readers and kids who gobble up beginning fantasy series (like the Spiderwick Chronicles).

A book by two of my favorite middle grade authors?  Yes, Please!  This book was great.  A sweet read about friendship, growing up and remembering childhood dreams and promises with some mythology and magical realism.  It is also set in Australia which I love seeing.  Not enough books are set there.  Livy is visiting her grandmother again after five years, and she can't shake the feeling that she is forgetting something important.  Then she finds Bob in her closet.  Bob insists that he is a chicken, but it is pretty obvious that he is something else entirely.  He has been waiting for Livy for five years so that she can help him find his way home like she promised to five years ago.  What unfolds is an amazingly magical story that will capture the hearts of many.

*I received an eARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley*

I have been in a bit of a reading slump lately so this took longer to read than it should have. This is a really sweet story that did really hold my interest when I had time to read. I read a huge chunk in one day to finish it.

Livy is visiting her grandmother in drought-ridden Australia, and she doesn't really remember the house but has a few weird memories tugging at the back of her mind. Then she finds Bob in her closet, and the story really gets going. Bob is a great character and I enjoyed the chapters told from his point of view.

I thought the ending was a smidge rushed, but very satisfying. I'm definitely buying this for my library, and I might try it as a readaloud because it's not too long.

A quiet story that is beautifully written. Great read for those wanting a cross between fantasy, reality, and fairy tale.

Livy returns to her grandmother’s rural Australian home after 5 years to find that she doesn’t remember much, except that there used to be a “weird chicken.” When she opens her closet door, she finds Bob, a green creature wearing a homemade chicken costume. What is Bob? Where did he come from? And why does Livy forget him as soon as he’s out of her sight? The story is effectively told in alternating first-person points-of-view, with Livy narrating one chapter and Bob narrating the next. Bob is a delightful story of friendship, growing up, and letting go with a healthy dose of fantasy and magic.

I am not a big fantasy reader, but I have loved Rebecca Stead's books, so I gave this one a try. When I first realized this was a creature story, along the lines of E.T., I almost set it aside. But I'm very glad I didn't.

Once I got to the second or third chapter, I couldn't wait to find out what happened to Bob and Livy. The sense of humor ("The Great and Powerful Bob. The Bobster. His Bobness."), the chicken suit, the guilt Livy feels over forgetting him...they all worked together to draw me into this magical story.

The alternating viewpoint chapters work really well, and I wondered if Mass wrote one character and Stead the other.

Most of all, though, there was just this lovely heart to the book. Bob's wish to get home, even though he doesn't know where home is; the community's need to find the missing boy; Livy's guilt and fear of being away from home overnight; Livy's distance from her little sister...they all come together to make a story worth remembering--and just put a pawn in your pocket if you think you might forget.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead are two of my favorite middle grade authors, and yet their new collaborative novel is a strange little work, missing the mark ever so slightly. The tale of Bob (a small green zombie/not-zombie dressed in a fake chicken suit) and his human friend Livy does work on some levels - as a modern fairy tale, primarily. There are some delightful and absurd moments throughout, and Bob's narration is especially engaging, but I feel that the emotional narrative impact is lacking. I think this book will do quite well, and it's a nice length, but it's not my favorite work from either writer.

Recommend to: students in grades 3-6 who enjoy fairy tales and fantasy, especially "this world" fantasy vs. "other world" fantasy