I picked up an advanced copy of Bob during tech week of my school musical, which was not the best idea. I spent every moment I was not onstage reading and nearly missed my cue several times! I should have known that any book by acclaimed authors Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead would be difficult to put down when it was time to go on stage. And with illustrations by Nicholas Gannon, author of The Doldrums? I mean, come on. What was I thinking?

A perfect book for children in the fourth and fifth grades, Bob follows a girl named Livy who visits her grandmother’s house in Australia for the first time in five years, only to find that she has forgotten almost everything. The only thing Livy does seem to remember is a “wrong chicken” that her grandmother denies ever existed. Upon further investigation, however, she not only finds the “wrong chicken,” but also learns that his name is Bob, he has no idea what he is, and he has been waiting for Livy for five years.

Livy spends the rest of her time in Australia helping Bob search for his family and learning as much as she can about him and what he may be. But something strange happens whenever she leaves him for even a short period of time, something that may keep her from remembering Bob ever again. This heartfelt story of friendship and childhood memories is definitely worth finding time to read between summer reading books!

Bob is Lemuria’s May 2018 Middle Grade selection for its First Editions Club for Young Readers.