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Bob
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A classic middle-grade tale of magic and friendship, about a girl who helps an old friend find home, by two New York Times–bestselling authors 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 hous ...more
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 hous ...more
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Jenna
I would say 5 and up! I am much older than that obviously, and am really enjoying it.
Sasha (book hugger)
That is very possible! It is so good!
Community Reviews
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Start your review of Bob
Jul 23, 2018
Jesse (JesseTheReader)
added it
I was really surprised by this book! I originally picked it up solely because Nicholas Gannon illustrated the story, but I ended up really enjoying the story itself! It's got a very unlikely friendship and a fairy tale element comes into play. Two things I love in a book!
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I got this book for the beautiful cover and Rebecca Stead is one of my favorite YA authors so I was pretty excited to read this. It turned out to be so-so.
The story goes from Bob's to Olivia's perspective in each chapter.
Livy, now 10, goes to Australia from Michigan, USA to visit her grandmother. The last time she went she was 5 years old. Livy feels her memories coming back to her and something or someone important is in the back of her mind. As she goes upstairs to her mother's old room she s ...more
The story goes from Bob's to Olivia's perspective in each chapter.
Livy, now 10, goes to Australia from Michigan, USA to visit her grandmother. The last time she went she was 5 years old. Livy feels her memories coming back to her and something or someone important is in the back of her mind. As she goes upstairs to her mother's old room she s ...more
Sweet fantasy about a girl rediscovering the imaginary friend she left behind at her grandmother's house. But is Bob imaginary? What is he? Lovely illustrations and the shift from Bob to Livy's POV makes this extra fun.
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BOB was an incredibly endearing and thought provoking book about childhood friendships, change, growing older and still remembering what it was like to be young. I loved Livy and her experiences with BOB, Gran and her friends. This is a book that will be long cherished by children and adults alike. I could not put this book down and think it is a must read for classrooms and families. Who wouldn't love a not-zombie chicken friendship story?
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I’ve been looking forward to this book ever since I saw the powerhouse team of Mass and Stead up in lights (so to speak). I mean these two are middle grade fiction super stars!!! Together in one book. Color me excited and ecstatic! I was counting the days until release day.
BUT it didn’t quite live up to all my hopes and dreams. Bob is cute and original for sure, but overall it lacked the emotional kick I was hoping for. Come meet Bob though. He’s unforgettable! :D He’s…well that’s the mystery is ...more
Visiting her grandmother on a drought-stricken Australia farm, 10-year-old Livy reconnects with an endearing green creature she left 5 years earlier whom most people cannot see and she had forgotten.
Very engaging, with connections with mythological beings (and fairy tales) and the natural world. There's a particularly nice scene where the relatively grown-up 10-year-olds discard their reservations and play with dolls as they used to. Gives permission to the child reader to hold on to their chil ...more
Very engaging, with connections with mythological beings (and fairy tales) and the natural world. There's a particularly nice scene where the relatively grown-up 10-year-olds discard their reservations and play with dolls as they used to. Gives permission to the child reader to hold on to their chil ...more
Sweet story with a surprising ending!
Looking forward to seeing the completed book with the illustrations!
Looking forward to seeing the completed book with the illustrations!
Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead, in the same book? Bob brings together two of my favorite authors for a story featuring lots of magic, the sort of story Ms. Mass and Ms. Stead both excel at. It's been half a decade since ten-year-old Livy visited her grandmother. Australia is quite a distance from Livy's home in America, but she's happy to make the trip again even if she hardly remembers what it was like as a five-year-old. Gran Nicholas remembers, though. She recalls which toys Livy played with, w
...more
Absolutely delightful. Just the right length for reluctant readers. Easy to booktalk, just start with this: "Actually,maybe I do remember one thing. I think I remember a wrong chicken."
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This one was much more enjoyabke the second time reading. It's been 5 years since Livy visited Gran in Australia. She doesn't remember much from her first visit. Then she finds Bob, a little green creature wearing a chicken costume and who thinks he is a zombie. Bob remembers her but nothing about his life before he met her. Told in alternating chapters by Lucy and Bob, they put together the pieces of what happened during that last visit. Readers will enjoy piecing it all together too. With a to
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Sep 16, 2019
Figgy
added it
Ugh, why do both audio narrators seem to think Aussies sound like a cross between British and Irish? I mean, it's probably worsened for me since I've listened to a few audios lately with authentic Aussie narrators, but still...
Also, I get why the girl (who lives in America) might "recount" what people are saying in a really bad accent, but what about the Not-Zombie who has lived the last five years in Australia, listening to Aussies talk? ...more
Also, I get why the girl (who lives in America) might "recount" what people are saying in a really bad accent, but what about the Not-Zombie who has lived the last five years in Australia, listening to Aussies talk? ...more
I picked this up randomly at the library after the cover caught my eye. It was a cute and surprisingly good story.
Amusing story of 11-year old Livy returning for a visit to her grandmother’s in Australia, and then encountering the odd, little, somewhat sarcastic, green creature she had met the last time she visited. Livy and Bob must figure out what Bob is and where he came from so he can return.
There’s plenty of gentle humour in this story which gives us both Livy’s and Bob’s POVs.
There’s plenty of gentle humour in this story which gives us both Livy’s and Bob’s POVs.
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).
3.5 Stars. Sweet little story. It would be perfect for family sharing. Found myself laughing out loud at Bob who is a very endearing non-zombie. Honestly, I could have used a little more adventure between Livy and Bob and maybe a little more backstory on Livy and her family but it was a cute, well written story that I would definitely recommend to kids and families.
Loved it. Going to choose it for our final book club selection for 17/18. Perfect story to end the year with. Bob and Livy will be with me for a long time. Must read!!!
A truly beautiful story of friendship. Perfect for all ages. Children will laugh at Bob as a Not-Zombie chicken in a tutu, while parents will remember the magic of childhood. And yes, I did cry.
“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 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 suc ...more
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 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 suc ...more
Ridiculously sweet and tender story about a young girl and the power of her not-so-imaginary friend.
As an adult reader, I thought a lot about the imaginary friends of my childhood while reading this book, which tackles the liquidity of memory -- how easily certain experiences can slip through our fingers and into the cracks of the earth -- but also provides children with a fun fantasy story, one that doesn't rely on tired tropes like faeries, elves, unicorns, etc., but instead the character of ...more
As an adult reader, I thought a lot about the imaginary friends of my childhood while reading this book, which tackles the liquidity of memory -- how easily certain experiences can slip through our fingers and into the cracks of the earth -- but also provides children with a fun fantasy story, one that doesn't rely on tired tropes like faeries, elves, unicorns, etc., but instead the character of ...more
What a beautiful story!! It’s a children’s book, but I still highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quick read that will make you say “awww!” at least 15 times per chapter.
Livy is visiting her grandmother in Australia for the first time in five years. When she arrives, she finds Bob in the closet, but has little to no memory of him. What unfolds is Livy and Bob trying to figure out his origins, while also becoming reacquainted with one another.
This is a fun book that leaves you wondering about Bob's home until we finally realize what is happening. A modern fairytale that I loved. ...more
This is a fun book that leaves you wondering about Bob's home until we finally realize what is happening. A modern fairytale that I loved. ...more
Each of Rebecca Stead’s books differ from the other in all but their surprises she embeds in them. Bob, Stead’s latest, oozes charm — not in a cloying way, but in a way sure to enthrall children and their parents alike.
Bob has been waiting a long, long time — five long years, in fact — in Olivia’s grandmother’s closet. Livvy visited her grandmother’s Australian ranch five years ago, and she had completely forgotten the green and big-hearted creature she’d left, promising she’d be back soon. Now ...more
Bob has been waiting a long, long time — five long years, in fact — in Olivia’s grandmother’s closet. Livvy visited her grandmother’s Australian ranch five years ago, and she had completely forgotten the green and big-hearted creature she’d left, promising she’d be back soon. Now ...more
Meet Bob. Bob is smart, loyal, and funny – kind of like a literary Stitch (from Lilo & Stitch). He's been waiting 5 long years in a dark closet for Livy to return to her Gran's house in Australia. Now that she's back, she can help him figure out if he's a zombie (he's green and isn't undead, so probably not), why he's wearing a chicken costume (camouflague), why he's all alone (does he have a family?), and why it hasn't rained in 5 long years...but she has to remember him first! As Livy and Bob
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2018 Goodreads Choice Awards semifinal nominee
‘You can’t help falling in love with Bob just a little.’
Good Reading
‘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.’
Booklist
'Irresistible tale of magic, mystery, and friendship that poses timeless questions about identity and belonging.’
Publishers Weekly ...more
‘You can’t help falling in love with Bob just a little.’
Good Reading
‘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.’
Booklist
'Irresistible tale of magic, mystery, and friendship that poses timeless questions about identity and belonging.’
Publishers Weekly ...more
I hate to give this such a low rating. It was very cute, and had a lot of lovable moments, characters, and heart. I felt for little Bob, and I wanted to know what he was, and where he was headed, but when we got the end it all just felt like "shrug, ok . . ."
The payoff wasn't there. Is everything in Livy's book real? Should this really be a terrifying warning tale about mermaids that will drown people, or trolls that will kill over a bridge.
In the end, even with all the heart I was underwhelmed. ...more
The payoff wasn't there. Is everything in Livy's book real? Should this really be a terrifying warning tale about mermaids that will drown people, or trolls that will kill over a bridge.
In the end, even with all the heart I was underwhelmed. ...more
I read this book to my lil sister and we both love it! We kept getting interrupted and after a while, she would start growling like a dog when someone walked by so we would be able to finish the story!😂
May 14, 2018
DaNae
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
z150-in-2018,
earth-at-risk,
grade-3-reading-list,
fantasy,
austrialia,
z18-new,
z18-favorite,
mystery
A sweet, gentle tale surrounding a persnickety, mystery chicken.
This 2018 GRCA nominee tells an unusual tale of friendship. The best part is that my first assumptions were wrong, which is always a pleasant surprise.
Bob is the tale of a girl who returns to Australia after being away five years. She has very little memory of her last visit, so imagine her surprise when she finds a small, green, talking creature waiting in her closet! Livy and Bob must piece together what Bob is (not a zombie), how Bob got there, and how to get Bob home.
It's interesting that on ...more
Bob is the tale of a girl who returns to Australia after being away five years. She has very little memory of her last visit, so imagine her surprise when she finds a small, green, talking creature waiting in her closet! Livy and Bob must piece together what Bob is (not a zombie), how Bob got there, and how to get Bob home.
It's interesting that on ...more
This is an enjoyable book that takes the reader to Australia where there hasn't been rain in a long, long time. Livy's grandmother lives in Australia; the last time she and her mother visited was five years ago. Now Livy has a baby sister that is with them.
And, in the bedroom closet is her friend Bob. He was there the entire five years, waiting in the closet. He appears to be a dressed as a chicken in an orange suit with some feathers tacked on.
Mad because cannot remember him as much as he rem ...more
And, in the bedroom closet is her friend Bob. He was there the entire five years, waiting in the closet. He appears to be a dressed as a chicken in an orange suit with some feathers tacked on.
Mad because cannot remember him as much as he rem ...more
Bob is a trip back to the past, revisiting one's childhood, what it was like to be a child, the friendships one had back then.
It is a lovely story about Livy, who went back to her grandma's to find a long lost friend still waiting for her to help him find his way home.
A heartwarming read, lovely illustrations, highly recommended. ...more
It is a lovely story about Livy, who went back to her grandma's to find a long lost friend still waiting for her to help him find his way home.
A heartwarming read, lovely illustrations, highly recommended. ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mock Newbery 2022: August Read - Bob | 34 | 207 | Oct 13, 2018 04:52PM | |
| Play Book Tag: Bob by Wendy Mass - 3.5 stars | 2 | 13 | Aug 23, 2018 05:46PM | |
| Play Book Tag: Bob - Wendy Mass, 3 stars | 5 | 15 | May 25, 2018 06:41PM | |
| MCLS Reading Chal...: first name in title | 1 | 11 | May 24, 2018 10:53AM |
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Wendy Mass is the author of twenty-two novels for young people, including A Mango-Shaped Space, which was awarded the Schneider Family Book Award, Leap Day, the Twice Upon a Time fairy tale series, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall, the Willow Falls, Space Taxi and Candymakers series. Wendy wrote the storyline for an episode of the television show Monk, entitled
...more
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