Bob

Mass, Wendy and Rebecca Stead. Bob. 2018. 201p. ISBN 9781250166623. Available at FIC MAS on the library shelves.

It’s been five long years since Livy has been to Australia to visit her grandmother. Now that the family has a new baby, Livy, her mother, and Beth Ann are returning to her mother’s childhood home in a sun-parched land. Livy doesn’t like to sleep away from her mother, but she will be staying with Gran while her mom and the baby visit old friends. Livy doesn’t remember the house at all. Gran relates all of these stories about the house and the farm, and has kept many of the toys that Livy loved to play with five years ago. Livy doesn’t recall any of it, but something is nagging at her. There was something very important that happened five years ago.

It’s not until she opens the door to her mother’s closet that she remembers. In the closet is a short greenish creature, wearing a homemade chicken suit playing Legos. Bob has been living in the closet for the last five years, waiting for Livy to return. Five years ago, she told him she was leaving but would be right back, and so Bob has waited faithfully for her, staying hidden in the closet just like she told him to. But Livy doesn’t remember Bob. And Bob doesn’t remember who he is, what he is, where he came from, or even why he’s here. All he knows is that Livy promised him five years ago she would help him return home. As memories return, Livy and Bob find themselves involved in the biggest mystery of their lives. Did Livy save Bob, as Bob remembers, or is it Bob that saved Livy, as all evidence indicates?

A light-hearted yet powerful tale of magic and friendship that last forever, the adventures of Livy and Bob, told from alternating points of view, will stay with the reader for long afterwards. Beautiful illustrations add visual information and complement the story. Fans of light magic will love this story of a friendship not forgotten.