Livy can’t remember her first visit to her grandmother’s house in Australia, but she does seem to recall a ‘wrong chicken’ and bumping down the stairs.
She definitely doesn’t remember the strange little creature she finds in the wardrobe. His name is Bob and he doesn’t know what he’s doing there, but he’s been waiting for Livy to come back for more than five years. That’s a very long time to sit in the dark.
Clue by clue, Livy and Bob unravel the mystery of where Bob comes from and what Livy has forgotten in this magical story about friendship and loyalty and the power of imagination.
INTERVIEWS
Publishers Weekly KidsCast: Wendy Mass & Rebecca Stead interview
‘Irresistible tale of magic, mystery, and friendship that poses timeless questions about identity and belonging.’
‘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.’
‘Rebecca Stead owns my heart, I swear. Her books just make me happy down to my toes.’
A wonderful story, beautifully and realistically imagined but with a deft touch full of empathy and humour.’
‘It is the true gift of the storyteller to take such age-old themes and issues and shine a light on them in such a way that it appears brand new.’
‘Realistic and compassionate…This is a layered, textured read, and adds to Rebecca Stead’s growing list of consistently high quality novels. Highly recommended.’
‘You can’t help falling in love with Bob just a little.’
‘A delightful story of friendship with a touch of magic.’
‘A magical story…a story of remembering and forgetting across vast distances and generations.’