The Gumazing Gum Girl!: Chews Your Destiny (Gum Girl Series #1)

by Rhode Montijo, Rhode Montijo (Illustrator)

Overview

Gabby Gomez loves to chew gum everywhere, even though Mami has warned her against it: There was the time at the art gallery. And don’t forget what happened with her tía Carmen’s parrot! But when Gabby gets gum stuck in her hair, that’s the last straw. Chewing gum is now BANNED.

But one last teeny-tiny gumball couldn’t hurt, right? It's not like Gabby will turn into gum...except, that's exactly what happens! With her new, stretch-tastic powers Gabby can help save the day, but she will have to keep her gummy alter-ego a secret from Mami or else she'll find herself in a really sticky situation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423157946
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	06/13/2017
Series:	The Gumazing Gum Girl! , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	267,927
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	580L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Rhode Montijo received a BFA in illustrations from California College of the Arts, and published Pablo's Inferno, a five-issue indie comic series. He wrote and illustrated Cloud Boy and The Halloween Kid. Rhode also illustrated Lynn Rowe Reed's Benny Shark Goes to Friend School, Greg Trine's Melvin Beederman, Vicky Rubin's The Three Swingin' Pigs, and Gary Soto's Lucky Luis. Stick Together is the fifth book in the Gumazing Gum Girl! series. Rhode lives in Los Angeles, California.

Editorial Reviews

"Perfectly paced and bursting with laughs..."— Kirkus

"...a welcome[d] addition to the ranks of early-elementary superkids."— BCCB

From the Publisher

Mighty-Mega Ultra-Stretchy Super-Duper Extenda-Bubble Bubble Gum might sound a little over the top, but it’s Gabby Gomez’s favorite—she chews it constantly. After a series of catastrophes and a peanut-butter hair treatment, though, Gabby’s mother forbids gum outright. Driven to deceit, Gabby has a freak accident that turns her into a gum-based superhero, able to use her sticky powers to rescue snatched purses and retrieve dropped keys from storm drains. Tension builds as Mrs. Gomez comes perilously close to discovering Gabby’s secret gum-chewing life (signaled by the “DUN! DUN! DUN!” of impending doom). Stripped-down, stylized (and bubblegum-pink) cartoons take prominence in this funny first book in the Gum Girl series, allowing Montijo (The Halloween Kid) to depict action and signal emotions clearly. He concentrates on Gabby’s inner struggle, following her step by sticky step back to a law-abiding childhood (“Mom would be so proud of what I just did.... But I can’t even tell her. And it’s all because I haven’t been telling her the truth”). The Spanish-language endearments Gabby trades with her mother deepen the sense of the affection they share. Ages 4–8. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 2–4—Gabby Gomez loves to chew gum, even when she goes to bed. But one morning when her mom has to pick the stuff out of Gabby's hair with peanut butter, she bans her daughter's habit. Already feeling distressed while walking to school, Gabby discovers her last piece of a super-duper gum in her pocket. With it she blows the biggest bubble she's ever made, and it touches overhead wires. The bubble bursts, and Gabby is covered in the sticky stuff. She acquires some superpowers, though, including the ability to catch a purse thief and gaining the sobriquet "Gum Girl." But what will she tell her mother, and how will she get to school on time to avoid detention? The characters are one-dimensional, but the simple, entertaining story is easy to read, and the numerous illustrations are eye-catching. Children who like series such as Greg Trine's "Melvin Beederman, Superhero" (Holt) will easily be drawn into Gabby's world.—Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT

School Library Journal

Chewing gum imbues a girl with gooey superpowers in this laugh-out-loud early chapter book. Gabby Gomez loves chewing gum, anyplace, anytime--even in her sleep. So when she wakes up with gum stuck in her hair, her mother decides she's had enough and outlaws the sticky substance. Poor Gabby doesn't mean to disobey her mother, but when she discovers a piece of MIGHTY-MEGA ULTRA-STRETCHY SUPER-DUPER EXTENDA-BUBBLE BUBBLE GUM, she can't resist. The special gum results in the biggest bubble ever, and when it pops, the outcome is not just a gum-covered girl, but one with sudden, gummy superpowers. Gabby's new powers enable her to help people in need, but the price of hiding them from her mom is hard to bear. Using a successful blend of traditional prose, dialogue bubbles and bold-lined, black-and-white illustrations, Montijo delivers laughs all the way through, ensuring that the "moral" never hampers the fun. The one place Montijo stumbles is in the disappointing portrayal of class bully Natalie Gooch, a stereotypically large, boyish-looking girl; there are plenty of small "girly-girls" who are horrible bullies--let's see more of those. Perfectly paced and bursting with laughs, the tale will appeal to fans of humor and reluctant readers alike, who will identify with Gabby's sticky situation. (Fiction/graphic hybrid. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews