Fun Reads Friday: Bob

Livy doesn’t remember much about her Gran’s house in drought-ridden Australia. After all, she was only five the last time she was there, and it’s been five years since they made the trek from Massachusetts. But when she goes up to her mother’s old room to try and remember, she has a feeling that she needs to look into the closet. Inside, she finds old comic books, a tutu, a Lego pirate ship, a dictionary, and a … zombie?

“And standing on top of the dictionary is a small zombie wearing a chicken suit. He’s rubbing his eyes, a Lego pirate clutched in one green hand. When his eyes adjust to the light, he uses them to look me up and down.

Then he says, ‘You’re back. Took you long enough.’”

With those words, Livy and Bob set off on an adventure to discover what he is and where he came from. There are other mysteries too: Why does Livy completely forget Bob when she’s too far away from him? Why can’t other people see him, or only see a chicken when they look at him? And where is the book that has a picture of Bob on the cover? They gather the clues and follow where they lead in this fantastic book of friendship, chicken suits, and black licorice.

I’ve read Bob several times, and the story becomes richer with each reread. It is a story of friendship, holding onto hope, and the adventures of childhood. Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead are fantastic writers separately, but together they have woven a tale that is not to be missed.