School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-7-After a five-year absence, 10-year-old Livy returns to visit Gran Nicholas in Australia and rediscovers Bob, the short, quirky green creature in her closet. As Gran and her neighbors struggle with a drought, Livy and Bob are trying to help Bob find his way home. Unraveling tales that include her falling in a well and looking for a buried time capsule, Livy and Bob become a team. There's magic that keeps Bob hidden from adults and a real search when neighbor child Danny goes missing. Narrators Nora Hunter and Bob Dircks bring the magical and human characters together with humor and mystery, though Dircks's Australian accent is occasionally unconvincing. -VERDICT This lighthearted mix of family, fantasy, and friendship adds a serious note about global climate -dilemmas.-Barbara S. Wysocki, formerly with Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Ten-year-old Livy, who lives in Massachusetts, hasn't visited her Gran Nicholas's house in Australia for five years. When she returns for a visit, Livy is struck by the feeling that something very important is waiting for her. Sure enough, a peek inside her closet reveals "a small zombie wearing a chicken suit," perched atop a dictionary. "You're back. Took you long enough," the creature says to the girl. Once upon a time, it seems, five-year-old Livy discovered this strange being, who goes by the comically understated name of Bob, and the two formed a secret bond. Picking up where they left off, Livy keeps Bob hidden while they hunt for clues about what he is, where he came from, and how to get him home. Authors Mass (the Willow Falls series) and Stead (Goodbye Stranger) team up for this irresistible tale of magic, mystery, and friendship that poses timeless questions about identity and belonging. Ultimately, the answers Livy and Bob seek are waiting in the pages of a cherished book-a tribute to the power of storytelling, which draws readers into the imaginative investigation. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8-12. Authors' agents: (for Stead) Faye Bender, the Book Group; (for Mass) Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown Ltd. Illustrator's agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.