Summary
Livy and her family have not visited her grandmother in Australia for almost 5 years. Once arriving, Livy feels like she has left something, like something is missing. She goes for a search in her old room. There she finds Bob, a short green creature dressed in a hand made chicken suit Livy told him she would be back, and 5 years later he was still waiting for her in her closet. But where did he come from? Who really is Bob? Livy helps Bob try to find his way home and following different clues and past memories they embark on a magical journey together!

Review
This book was the perfect intermediate fantasy read! It was a light hearted fun story that brings up the magic of childhood. It talks about imaginary friends and a very realistic magical well dwelling creature. It reminds me of a make believe or imaginary friend story young children have.
I originally chose to read this book because it was co-written by both Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead. I had recently read their book, The Lost Library, which was another adorable magical collaboration. I wanted to see similarities and difference between their two writing collaborations. I notice similarities between the character development overtime as well as their chapter pacing and writing style. The stories themselves were quite different. I preferred this one to the Lost Library! It would definitely please many audiences! ( )

This was very endearing. I think it will be a crowd-pleaser. It felt more Wendy Mass than Rebecca Stead to me, mostly because I imagine a younger audience for it. I think it would work as a read-aloud for kids as young as seven, maybe even a precocious six-year-old.

I also had a feeling like I was watching a heartwarming family movie, which is not a feeling I generally get from Stead's books. I know I've seen comparisons between this book and E.T. but I'm thinking of any movie where a child befriends a creature and has to hide the creature from adults. When I was a kid I watched Pete's Dragon like a million times and loooooved the idea of having a secret magical pet/friend.

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Two of my favorite authors together! Though I didn't love the result. Bob is original, but I didn't fall in love with his character -- maybe a tiny bit too weird? This is probably just a personal preference. The overall resonance of the story is strong, even still. Livy's process of remembering is poignant and calls out for all of us to remember what it is like to be a child and believe in magic. The illustrations are a nice addition. ( )

Oh my. This book. This is one of the most marvelous books. Mystery, thoughts on growing up, and how memory work all in a lovely tale of friendship and magic. ( )

Weird and sweet and mysterious. About forgetting and remembering and strange not-zombie friends. ( )