Thank you, NetGalley, for the e-book. I have a soft spot in my heart for E.T. and now I've made room for Bob. Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass are chocolate and peanut butter together - fantastic!

Almost eleven-year-old Livy can't remember anything about an earlier trip to Gran Nicholas' home in Australia when Livy was five, despite her grandmother's best efforts to help her remember by plying Livy with knick-knacks and items she loved from her previous visit. Livy feels terrible about not remembering her stay until she finally is able to recall little details: a chicken that isn’t like the others, the stairs that lead to the second floor, and the closet door in Livy’s bedroom. Upon investigating the closet, Livy is reacquainted with her former friend, Bob, who looks like a small zombie dressed in a chicken suit as he stands atop a dictionary. Or at least he says he’s her friend, and he wonders why she hasn’t been back in five years. Alternating chapters, we hear first from Livy, then from Bob, as the story of their friendship is slowly revealed. Livy begins to understand more about Bob while she tries to help him figure out where he came from (it appears that Livy isn’t the only one in this story with the inability to remember the past). When a neighbor’s young son goes missing after lunch one day, Livy and her Gran join a search party while Bob embarks on an investigation of his own. Clues to the mystery of Bob’s origin are revealed, culminating in a satisfying end. Well-developed characters and a fast-paced story will keep readers engaged and interested in knowing how Bob and Livy’s friendship came to be.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC to review this book.
When Livy returns to her grandma's Australian farm after many years, she has a feeling she's forgotten something --it turns out to be a someone - Bob. This story alternates between the viewpoints of Livy and Bob as they work together to find out what Bob is, and where he came from. I found it a really sweet story, with a lovely message about the importance of family. I found the writing style to be really fun and engaging, and the characters were really vibrant. This book is a delightful twist on a typical fairy tale, and I definitely plan on reading it to my kids. I also can't wait to see the illustrations in the finished copy!

This luminous story about friendship and identity falls outside easy categorization. The gentle, teasing humor in the story begins with Bob, a little greenish creature dressed in a chicken suit who's been waiting for five years in a bedroom closet for his human friend to return. Never overly sweet, the story revolves around 10-year-old Livy who is visiting her faraway Gran in Australia and has very vague (and somewhat mysterious) memories of a previous visit years five years earlier. As she and Bob rediscover their friendship from that time, they unravel the mystery together. Readers are drawn along as the weird, funny, and touching fantasy of little Bob and Livy grows and grows. Cannot recommend this book enough. Wonderful for classroom read-alouds, or bedtime.

This was a sweet story that I finished in one sitting. It really is a callback to being young. Remembering how you felt about fairy tales and make believe and how carefree being young is.
Livy realizes that her friend Bob has been waiting 5 years for her. But she doesn't remember him. When she is with him, his magic helps her remember all the times they spent together. This is a great middle grade read about friendship and going the distance to help your friend.

Bob reminds of of Frank Cottrell Boyce's Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth. Quirky and heartwarming.

This is a story that one must experience, as it tells in one passage, "how one thing can be lots of other things. All it takes is a little imagination." It's been a while when a book brought tears at the end, and this one, out May 1st, did. Livy, ten, has come back to visit her grandmother in Australia, has not been there for five years. She keeps thinking that there's something important she's forgotten from the earlier visit. And there is, a green-faced creature, a zombie?, is hiding in her bedroom closet, and neither one knows who he is or where he might be from. His name is Bob. It's up to him and Livy to figure out the mystery and along the way, other questions about life. Thanks to NetGalley, I had the pleasure of reading this a little early. Wrapped up beautifully using part of background stories in magical water creatures, Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass have written a story that will fascinate children and offer a satisfying smile, maybe tears too, at the end. Illustrations by Nicholas Gannon show just enough scenes to aid the imagination.

Bob is a fun, short story of a girl rediscovering a childhood friend–who might just be a zombie. But this middle grades book isn’t scary. It’s fun and sweet and heartwarming and a little magical. It hasn’t stuck with me, but I enjoyed it as I read it.

“Bob” by Wendy Mass is a strange little tale about a girl who visits her grandmother in Australia and finds a green creature dressed in a chicken suit in her closet named Bob...I know it sounds so strange!

I often feel nostalgic as an adult reading middle grade books and the themes that are so universal in them no matter your age. I’ve certainly can name many other books that are better than “Bob”, but I have to say this one had it in sections and I could totally see it becoming a very cute and successful animated film. It would be adorable! I appreciated Mass’ unique take on the theme of friendship (that is so popular in middle grade) and her setting being in Australia.

Overall, I would think that many kids would enjoy this story and adults too will find Bob to be a very funny and genuine friend.

Thanks to Macmillan’s Children’s Publishing for sending me an advanced copy! Get your copy May 1st!

A gentle tale of friendship and magic told in the alternating voices of Livy and Bob, her mysterious friend. Just who, or what, Bob is and how Livy is going to help him will keep readers intrigued and charmed. And finally, I'm thankful to see there are no nightmares in the closet! A sweet story about growing up without being sugar-coated.

Loved, loved, loved this book! Short, sweet and wonderful! A quick read that is sure to be a hit in my school library with the 3rd through 5th graders.

Livy hasn't been to her grandmother’s farm in Australia since she was five; she's a whole ten-and-a-half now. Naturally, there are a few things she's forgotten, but they start to come back soon enough: the chickens, the horses (now sadly departed due to the drought), the little green dude in a chicken suit hiding in her closet. Bob was her best friend back in the day and, though she forgot him entirely in the intervening years, Livy intends to finally fulfill her promise to him to figure out who/what he is and get him back to his family, whoever/whatever/wherever they may be. A short and sweet adventure.

A refreshing and charming juvenile fiction novel. I read it in one sitting. I couldn’t get enough, but now I want a “Bob;” or maybe one like him? Truly a book for all ages. Highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

The unforgiving terrain of Australia is the backdrop for this story about a child named Livy and her grandma, Grandma's neighbors, and Bob.

So, imagine spending a few years of your life in a closet waiting for your best friend to return to free you. Then, when she returns, she can't remember you. This is Bob's Big Bummer.

But magic ensues and mysteries abound as they put the pieces of their puzzle together. Together.

The power of love and the bonds of friendship are shared between the characters of this book in an intricate tale that will affect you just as it did the town and even the weather! Whether or not you mean it to or not.

This is a really sweet, magical story about a friendship between a not-zombie creature in a chicken suit and a little girl who struggles to remember the details of how they became friends. It is an endearing tale of a precious creature, aptly (?) named Bob and his friend Livy who met him when she was five years old while visiting her grandmother's house in Australia. Livy has returned five years later to find this unusual green creature in her bedroom's closet who has been waiting for her all this time. Together, they work to figure out who Bob really is, where he is from, and how to get him back to his people. I enjoyed the story but kind of wished for a little more adventure for Bob and Livy. I think I loved the relationship and the discoveries Livy and Bob were making about how their friendship started and I just wanted a little more. Other than that, it is a pretty quick read and I think kids will snicker at times and will adore Bob and all of his oddities.

Bob is the story about a friendship between a young girl and a mythical creature. Throughout the story the reader is unsure whether Bob is truly a live being or merely an invisible friend. The book tells a sweet tale that touches on friendship, dependability, the ability to be true to your word and to keep your promises. This would be a good selection for upper elementary through middle school readers. I will be purchasing a copy for my school library.

Livy is visiting her grandmother in Australia again. It's been five year since she's last been there and she really doesn't remember anything about it. She tries to remember but nothing seems familiar. That is until she opens her closet...

Feiwel & Friends and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published on May 1st.

I'd seen a lot of publicity on this book and checked to see if it was available for review. It was not. I finally saw it available and grabbed it. I'm glad I did. This was a wonderfully fun tale to read.

Livy has forgotten Bob. In fact, if she doesn't carry a chipped chess piece around with her and touch it, she can forget him after she's closed the closet door. While she's adjusting to being around him again, she finds out he's invisible to other people. That's a handy talent. During her last visit she made him a chicken suit out of some of her old pajamas and she only remembered the weird chicken.

Bob isn't a chicken. He thinks he might be a zombie but she says no. It's not until you get to the end of the story that you find out what Bob is and it's amazing.

I really enjoyed Bob and Livy's antics, and how they found the missing boy, Danny, down in a well.

This is a sweet story that ends great. If you like fantasy, you need to read this book. It's special.

"I was too busy basking in the glow of hearing my name. The Great and Powerful Bob. The Bobster. His Bobness."

1.5/5 stars

Wow. Just, wow. I expected so much more from this fun-looking book with the best title in existence. Really, who doesn't click on a book titled with the name "Bob"?* Well, as I was book shopping on Netgalley and saw this book, I immediately requested it. I looked at my email every 5 seconds, waiting for what was hopefully a confirming email.Thankfully, it was; however, that was when my excitement ended.

*Well, I know I did just by the title of this book review and what I have just written!

This book takes place in a small town in Australia, and Livy is spending her time with her grandmother for the first time in 5 years. The thing is that she remembers little to almost nothing from her last visit. Then, she learns that she has a friend named Bob. This is when everything took a turn for the worst.

Once Bob, a green not-zombie-chicken-goblin-looking thing, comes into the picture with his accusing stares and whiny voice, I started to get frustrated and write notes like crazy because this is the most annoying story of a not-zombie chicken I have ever read. I hate Bob and his selfish nature.

I just hated how much abuse Livy, the main character, went through due to her love for Bob. Bob messes with her head as every five years he causes Australia to go into chaos and he breaks her down until she is a puddle of mushy potatoes. And no one likes soggy, mushy potatoes. Through this whole book, Bob compares Livy to her past self. For example, this quote describes the friendships between Livy and Bob through the whole book:

"Bob smiles back. 'That's better. You look almost like the old Livy.'"

He makes Livy feel so guilty because she is not the same as she was when she was five years old. No one is the same as one is five years ago. People change, develop into better (or worse) beings, and find themselves face-first in a pile of cakes. Okay, maybe, just the last one stays the same forever, but people definitely forget and change a lot in a span of five years, especially with the addition of magic. For example, five years ago, I did not enjoy writing as much; I was nervous to join 5th grade in a new school and find new friends; I wasn't an extreme reader; and, I was extremely in love with toys and dolls. Now, you can find some of my scarier dolls in my closet, waiting for me to go into my closet so they can...play with me? Or, is it kill me? I have never seen "Chucky" so I am not sure, yet, how stuff animals and dolls are supposed to act. There may have only been one moment that I felt connected to Bob in some way, however. I think everyone can tell why.

"Still, I do manage to finish a cheese sandwich that had only one bite taken out of it. Keeping up one's strength is very important when on a mission like this, and I will need enough energy to make it back to our house.

May as well take the ham slice, too."

No explanation required.

Although I may have disliked so many things about humongous thingamabobs, I did enjoy some aspects. One good thing are the beautiful illustrations, which I wish there were more of. Also, I really liked the writing style. It was very capturing and I loved how the story flowed so magically. I wish there were more descriptions of Australia and the surroundings so then I would not have to take a one-way trip to Australia. I never felt as if I were transported away onto some magical island, and I love having this element play in every novel I read. I also really enjoyed Livy, the main character.

Moreover, Livy is a ten year old girl who is ready to spend some time with her grandmother. She is kind to everyone she meets, even if it happens to be a weird-looking chicken. I actually really enjoyed reading about her as she reminds me a little bit of myself. I get really nervous whenever I am not around my parents in a new and unfamiliar place. This mostly happened when I was younger, and one can definitely tell just by my first day of Kindergarten experience. Livy is also very anxious to be away from her parents; so, once she finds out that a long-lost friend has been waiting for her, she gets very enthusiastic. She is also very much into chocolate cake so I can see how we could be best friends. The only thing I do not like about her is that she not have the decency to slap Bob in the face, no matter how nice she is.

Like I wrote, I expected so much from this. Not only does it have a magical premise that makes me drool, but it is super short and has a 4.26 rating on Goodreads, as of April 17th, 2018. I am going to be the first person to let a 1-star rating hit this book. I tried so hard to like it; however, as you can tell, I did not enjoy this very much. For what I had hoped would be a heartwarming children's story, I instead got a knock on my door, wished for something good, and got a pile of my dog's poop instead.

In conclusion, I have three messages:

To Nick Gannon: Great job with the illustrations! Keep on doing what you are doing and make me happy by creating beautiful artwork. My only criticism of your work is that you could have done more. Maybe? How full is your schedule?
To Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead: Write less of an annoying goblin-chicken in distress. Your storytelling was good, but Bob is what ruined this whole book for me. I do not think that children or any person of any age should see a "friend" being blamed for being forgetful, due to magic or not. No one should treat a person with that much abuse no matter what. Teach kids to be good to each other not matter what.
To readers: If you want to read this, I will not stop you. I would just advise that if you have problems with people taking verbal abuse or terrible friendships, don't read this. I would not advise you to read this to children of any age unless they know what a true friendship is like.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

*Received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review. All quotations came from an advanced copy so the wording may have changed or the quote may not be there at all.

Love,

newbookcats

A great story for junior readers. Some beautiful artwork here too. Will definitely recommend.

This is a different take on the anxiety of separation from family and living too far away for relationships to grow. The differences between adult and children's perceptions of life and events was refreshing. This would be a great book to discuss with children struggling with separation issues and imaginary (or not so imaginary) friends.