Visiting her grandmother in Australia, Livy, ten, is reminded of the promise she made five years before to Bob, a strange, green creature who cannot recall who or what he is. - (Baker & Taylor)

Returning to her grandmother's home in Australia years after visiting as a younger child, Livy slowly remembers a magical, mysterious green being in a chicken suit who she befriended years earlier and who has been eagerly awaiting her return so that she can keep her promise to him. Simultaneous eBook. - (Baker & Taylor)

<p>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.<br><br>It turns out she’s right.<br><br>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.<br><br>Clue by clue, Livy and Bob will unravel the mystery of where Bob comes from, and discover the kind of magic that lasts forever. <br><br> Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead, two masterminds of classic, middle-grade fiction come together to craft this magical story about the enduring power of friendship.<br><br>This title has Common Core connections.</p> - (McMillan Palgrave)

Wendy Mass is the New York Times–bestselling author of The Candymakers series and many other novels for young readers, including the Schneider Family Book Award-winner A Mango-Shaped Space, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life (which was made into a feature film), Every Soul a Star, Pi in the Sky, the Twice Upon a Time series, and the Willow Falls series that began with 11 Birthdays. She and her family live in New Jersey.

Rebecca Stead is the New York Times-bestselling author of When You Reach Me, winner of the Newbery Medal; Liar & Spy; FirstLight; and Goodbye Stranger. Her work has been also been awarded the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Fiction and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award. She lives in New York City with her family and their lazy but beautiful cat.

Nicholas Gannon is the illustrator of Bob, a picture book by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stea.

Booklist Reviews

*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. Grades 3-5. Copyright 2018 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

While visiting her grandmother in Australia, ten-year-old Livy rediscovers a weird, green, diminutive creature--Bob--and vows to help figure out who Bob is and how she'd forgotten him. Chapters alternate between Livy's and Bob's perspectives. The text is filled with warmth and humor, and occasional interspersed illustrations, monochromatic and golden-brown, provide an old-timey feel. Friendship, family, and ruminations on home--plus some magic--should appeal to creature-fantasy fans. Copyright 2018 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

Horn Book Magazine Reviews

Livy, now ten, doesn't remember much about the last time she visited her grandmother in Australia five years before. Still, you'd 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 ("You're 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 she'd forgotten about him in the first place. Chapters alternate between Livy's and Bob's first-person perspectives, and the text is filled with warmth and humor: "She said my name. Bob. It makes me feel…well, seen…The Great and Powerful Bob. The Bobster. His Bobness." Gannon's 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 Copyright 2018 Horn Book Magazine Reviews.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

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)

School Library Journal Reviews

Gr 3–6—Five years ago, Livy left her friend Bob, who she describes as a zombielike creature, in the closet of her grandmother's house in Australia without saying goodbye. Bob has loyally awaited Livy's return, dressed in the chicken suit she made to disguise him, and hopeful about the promise she made to help him find his way home, wherever that may be. As Livy gradually eases back into the rekindled friendship, vague memories return to her that could lead to the discovery of Bob's home. Livy's separation anxiety about her mother's upcoming trip with friends and the drought in her grandmother's town round out the story for a full plot line. Mass and Stead's brilliant collaboration has produced a beautiful tale of friendship, love, and the magic of childhood. Livy and Bob's points of view alternate chapters, and each character's personality is wonderfully realized with subtle nuances of emotion and humor. A perfectly paced plot, supported by secondary characters to whom readers will relate and luminous artwork by Gannon, fill out a story that readers will eagerly embrace. VERDICT A must-have for libraries serving middle grade readers, this novel delights.—Amy McInerney, Falmouth Elementary School, ME