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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | J FICTION PAL | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | J FICTION PAL | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | J FICTION PAL | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Stillwater Public Library | J FICTION PAL | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Wildwood Library (Mahtomedi) | J FICTION PAL | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Dear fans of Dork Diaries and Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life--meet your new favorite kid-next-door hero! Gabby Garcia an overly confident baseball-obsessed sport nut who's going to win your heart.
If life were a baseball game, all-star pitcher Gabby Garcia would be having her Best. Season. EVER! Until she's suddenly sent to another school and her winning streak is about to disappear--both on and off the field.
But Gabby never gives up! She has a PLAN to keep her champion status intact, and every step of is written out--PLAY by PLAY. How could it not work
This new series written by Iva-Marie Palmer is filled with funny illustrations, sports facts, and blooper-reel moments that will have readers laughing and rooting for more.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-The first in a planned series. Gabby Garcia is a 12-year-old baseball prodigy, and she knows it. She's on her best win streak ever when she's forced to switch to a new school-one with a very good and established ball team. Gabby expects to waltz into her new school and be welcomed onto the team with open arms and grateful praise, but things don't exactly go as she hoped. When Gabby is relegated to the field hockey team-the worst field hockey team ever-she discovers that the ragtag group is comprised of incredibly talented peers. The team members are entering the state talent contest together, and Gabby is determined to help them take first place, but she just can't get her heart away from the ballfield. This novel joins the plethora of middle grade books in hand-drawn, journal format, though Gabby would tell readers this is "definitely NOT a diary!" The cast is diverse, both in description and illustrations. The Chicago Cubs are referred to as "loveable losers" who haven't had a World Series win since 1908 and who haven't played in the World Series since 1945; however, they recently won the pennant in 2016. The plot is mildly interesting but not likely to keep most readers engaged for the long haul. VERDICT It's refreshing to see a female ballplayer protagonist in a middle grade novel. Consider for robust collections or where baseball stories circulate well.-Taylor Worley, Springfield Public Library, OR © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
From the opening pages of her story, baseball-obsessed seventh-grader Gabby Garcia makes it clear that her book is not a diary but a playbook, because "playbooks are how you make things happen." And Gabby is all about making things happen for herself: she's the star pitcher on her school's baseball team, but when a "severe asbestos situation" forces the immediate closure of her school, Gabby is sent to a private school where the baseball team already has a great pitcher. Confident to the point of cocky, Gabby is sure that the team will be begging for her services, but when she finally gets on the team, things don't go as she had hoped ("even though I have what's called a 'big personality,' I feel like it's not working for me here"). Gabby's satisfying journey toward gaining a more team-focused attitude is narrated in a wry and witty voice that ought to win over many readers, sports fans or not. Kissi's comics-style spot illustrations (not all seen by PW) appear throughout. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Fonda Snyder. Illustrator's agent: Anne Moore Armstrong, Bright Group. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Twelve-year-old Gabby is a golden child, and nothing can go wrong, until it does.Gabby, the star pitcher for Luther Junior High, is about to complete her second no-hitter of the season when the game is suspended, everyone is evacuated, and the school is closed because of an asbestos situation. The young Latina is assigned to Piper Bell Academy for the duration, a very upscale private school. She creates a playbook, definitely not a mere diary, to state her goals and strategies for maintaining her status in her new school. She assumes that she will be begged to join the baseball team and achieve further greatness, all in spite of gentle warnings from her parents and best friend. But her plans go immediately, painfully awry and must be listed as losses in her book. Feeling completely vanquished, she quits baseball and joins the marvelously inept field hockey team. A bit of humble pie and determination to do the right thing brings about a satisfying conclusion. Middle-grade readers will identify with Gabby's preteen angst, laugh at her mostly self-inflicted struggles, and cheer for her success. The playbook format, heavily illustrated with doodles and delightful action sketches, also serves the purpose of describing the characters' physical appearances, including skin color and ethnicity, which are implied by naming conventions but never stated in the text. Hilarious and joyful. (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
First things first: don't confuse this book with a diary. It is a playbook in which talented athlete Gabby Garcia records her strategies to win at life. And she'll do anything to win. As the starting pitcher for her school's baseball team, everything seems to be going the seventh-grader's way. However, it all changes when her school is shut down due to an asbestos problem, and she becomes the new kid at a school that already has a star pitcher. Gabby has a difficult time making friends and finding her place, and she learns more about losing than she'd like. But as she learns some valuable lessons about teamwork and being a better friend, she manages to break her losing streak. Palmer creates a captivating world with baseball at its center. Gabby's diarylike narration gives readers insight into the high-spirited protagonist's thoughts and passion for baseball, and doodled illustrations give her playbook an authentic feel. Interestingly, Gabby's Latina identity is not central to the story, which stays focused on universal middle-school struggles and experiences.--Rodríguez, Sonia Alejandra Copyright 2017 Booklist
