Perfectly paced and bursting with laughs, the tale will appeal to fans of humor and reluctant readers alike, who will...
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)Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4231-5740-3
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: April 2, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2013
In a battle of the sexes that’s all trappings and no center, Bad Bart (“the biggest, burliest pirate this side of the Atlantic”) and Mean Mo (“the maddest, mightiest pirate this side of the Pacific”) square off for the world title. After hardtack-eating, cannonball-throwing, arm-wrestling, treasure-counting and several equally trite contests end in ties the two inevitably fall for each other, “tie the knot” and sail off together with a fond “Aarrrr!” Aye, there be pirate talk aplenty here and splashy watercolors featuring much swashing and buckling—but pegleg and flowing blonde tresses aside, there’s nary a trace of difference between the two contestants. Alas, the combination of absurdity with strict internal logic that sparks such similar head-to-heads as Kevin O’Malley and Carol Heyer’s Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude (2005), illustrated by Scott Goto or, most recently, Chris Barton’s Shark vs. Train (2010), illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld, is absent. Yo ho hum. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: March 22, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4231-2201-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Ten-year-old Billy is disappointed that summer is about to end. School begins tomorrow and he would like a few more evenings like this. Each night Stuart, Juny Layne, and Mary Frances Bethel walk over from the nearby farm to play a game of catch-the-lightning-bug. Tonight is special, because the games are always the best when the moon is full. Once in for the evening, Billy wishes he could possess the bright moon, keeping it to have when he wants it. He stretches his arms out as far as he can and, indeed, gathers it into his room. But finding no place to hide it, he must return it to the sky. He lifts it to the window and it rolls across the lawn and out of sight. The next day, his father comments on the path that has appeared in their yard, but, before Billy can explain it, his mother chases him out to the school bus. Though he is sure no one will believe him, he is happy there is yet another night when he and his friends can play under the moon’s light. Blue watercolors capture some of the lyricism of the text, heightening the black of the trees in the evening landscape, and contrasting with the illumination of the moon. A quiet, nostalgic, and magical story told in the matter-of-fact way that children who like fantasy will enjoy. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: March 15, 2001
ISBN: 0-8234-1624-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
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