GABBY DURAN AND THE UNSITTABLES

Twelve-year-old Gabby Duran’s reputation as babysitter to the stars is positively intergalactic.

As if watching the children of Hollywood’s hottest action hero weren’t cool enough, now the Association Linking Intergalactics and Earthlings as Neighbors has come knocking. After a series of babysitting mishaps threatens to expose the secret of human-alien integration, they declare Gabby “Sitter to the Unsittables.” Though a bit one-dimensional, Gabby is a conscientious and likable heroine who rises to the challenge of protecting a young, shape-shifting alien for an entire school day. It’s no easy feat, with a bounty on her head and undercover agents for the Group Eradicating Totally Objectionable Uninvited Trespassers hot on her trail. Sworn to secrecy and uncertain whom she can trust, Gabby risks everything to protect her new extraterrestrial charge. Middle-grade readers looking for an accessible and entertaining foray into science fiction will find plenty to enjoy here. Relying heavily on visual description and peppered with eccentric characters, this first book in a planned series plays out like a Disney pilot. What’s lacking is depth. Gabby’s complicated and intriguing family history is introduced in the very beginning of the novel and barely mentioned again.

Surely the “trusted friends” who are invited to read Gabby’s first dossier deserve a real understanding of what makes her unique.