04/03/2017
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)
You’re going to root, root, root for Gabby Garcia! A hilarious home-run.” — Sarah Mlynowski, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Whatever After series
“Big thumbs up for this endearing story of a winning-obsessed girl who learns to stop keeping score and enjoy the ups and downs of life.” — Suzanne Selfors, author of the Ever After High series
“Sassy and fun from the first inning to the last! Gabby Garcia is sure to win fans among young readers everywhere.” — Lenore Look, award-winning author of the Alvin Ho series and the Ruby Lu series
“Middle-grade readers will identify with Gabby’s preteen angst, laugh at her mostly self-inflicted struggles, and cheer for her success. Hilarious and joyful.” — Kirkus Reviews
“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.” — Publishers Weekly
One of the “10 Exciting New Middle Grade Books with Latinx Main Characters”! — Brightly
“It’s refreshing to see a female ballplayer protagonist in a middle grade novel.” — School Library Journal
“It’s rare for a sports-themed book to hold broad appeal, but Iva-Marie Palmer deserves a trophy for serving up an engaging, relatable story about a Latina athlete that even gym-phobic kids can enjoy.” — Common Sense Media
You’re going to root, root, root for Gabby Garcia! A hilarious home-run.
It’s rare for a sports-themed book to hold broad appeal, but Iva-Marie Palmer deserves a trophy for serving up an engaging, relatable story about a Latina athlete that even gym-phobic kids can enjoy.
One of the “10 Exciting New Middle Grade Books with Latinx Main Characters”!
Big thumbs up for this endearing story of a winning-obsessed girl who learns to stop keeping score and enjoy the ups and downs of life.
Sassy and fun from the first inning to the last! Gabby Garcia is sure to win fans among young readers everywhere.
One of the “10 Exciting New Middle Grade Books with Latinx Main Characters”!
05/01/2017
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
2017-03-06
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)
