The Gumazing Gum Girl!
The Gumazing Gum Girl! (sometimes referred to simply as Gum Girl!) is an American chapter book series by Rhode Montijo and sometimes co-authored by Luke Reynolds, starting with "Gum Luck". It came out in August 20th, 2013. The story follows a young girl named Gabby Gomez, who has an unfortunate fixation of chewing and blowing bubblegum at all times.
 Montijo's "Vintage" poster for the series | |
| Author | Rhode Montijo Luke Reynolds |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English Spanish |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Publisher | Disney/Hyperion |
Publication date | August 20, 2013-present |
Premise
The series revolved around Gabby Gomez, a Hispanic gum-obsessed elementary school girl who becomes a sticky, stretchy superhero creature, Gum Girl, after accidentally electrocuting herself by blowing a bubble that was way too big. But Gabby must hide her secret from her parents. As Gum Girl, Gabby risks her life to fight criminals such as Robo-Chef and Mr. Hansen.
Characters
Gum Girl
Gabriella "Gabby" Gomez / Gum Girl is a young girl who loves to chew gum, but her parents and teachers warned her against it, but she accidentally transforms herself into the sticky, stretchy superhero, Gum Girl. She usually wears a pink dress, a pink bow, and black mary-janes. When she is a superhero, her entire body was made up of chewing gum which gives her extreme “stretch ability.”[1]
Rico
Rico Gomez is Gabby's brother. He usually wears a shirt and the vest. He is the fan of Gum Girl and Ninja-Rina.
Mrs. Gomez
Mrs. Gomez is Gabby's mom. She usually wears a pink shirt with a white collar, and a black skirt. She punishes Gabby from chewing gum.
Dr. Gomez
Dr. Gomez is Gabby's dad. He usually wears a white shirt and black pants. He was a dentist of his own appointment, Gomez Dental. He was similar to Phillip Sherman from Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo.
Ms. Smoot
Ms. Smoot is Gabby's teacher in Fillmore Elementary School, who hates tardiness.
Mr. Hansen
Mr. Hansen is Gabby's former substitute teacher in Fillmore Elementary School. His identity was a hamster-like monster. He was similar to Sulu from Captain Underpants and Cuddle E. Hugs from SpongeBob SquarePants.
Natalie
Natalie Gooch is a large stereotypical boyish-looking girl, who bullies Gabby, but becomes Gabby's friend. She was a secondary protagonist of the series. She can also be a member of The Cocodrilos.
Ravi
Ravi Rodriguez is a young little boy, who becomes a news reporter.
Ninja-Rina
Ninja-Rina is a third protagonist in the series. She is a masked ballerina with mad ninja skills. She knows jujitsu, basket-weaving, and ceramics.
Ninja-Rina's Mother
Ninja-Rina's mother was the one that tries to pull the key off from the stand of the Ferris Wheel.
Sol Azteca
Sol Azteca is a famous luchador who was Gabby's uncle.
Yee
Yee is a police officer chief who gives a key to Gum Girl and Ninja-Rina.
Robo-Chef
Robo-Chef is a pastry chef who hates gum and serves as an antagonist in the series.
The Underhander
The Underhander is an infamous luchador who threatens to steal the Jade Jaguar. He serves as an antagonist of the series
The Everhander
The Everhander was Sol Azteca's host.
Ikal
Ikal the Quetzal was Sol Azteca's pet Quetzal.
The Jaguares
Miguel, Alma, Lucas, and Litza (also known as The Jaguares) are Sol Azteca's students.
The Cocodrilos
The Cocodrilos are The Underhander's henchmen.
The Escaped Monkeys
The Escaped Monkeys are the gag characters in the series. They are monkeys that hold spatulas and being escaped from the zoo after Gum Girl defeats Robo-Chef, starting in "Gum Luck".
Reception
The book series was published to immediate critical acclaim. Some reviewers praised the book series as an exciting way to learn to read in English and in Spanish, particularly compared to the primers that it supplanted. Kirkus Reviews noted the book series' heavy use of humor and sequences. Kirkus wrote, "Perfectly paced and bursting with laughs....". BCCB wrote, "...a welcome addition to the ranks of early-elementary superkids."
Books
| No. | Title | Date | ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chews Your Destiny | 2013 | ISBN 978-142315740-3 | |
| Gabby Gomez loves chewing gum so much that she falls asleep chewing it, only to wake up covered in gum. Although her mother bans her from chewing gum, Gabby discovers that if she chews a special kind of gum, blows it up and has it pop all over her, she has super powers. | ||||
| 2 | Gum Luck | 2017 | ISBN 978-142316117-2 | |
| Gabby fights with the villain, Robo Chef, who wants to take revenge for the embarrassment that happened to him at a baking event due to gum. Gabby’s problem is that her parents said no more to gum, but Gabby just found out that she was Gum Girl. | ||||
| 3 | Popped Star | 2018 | ISBN 978-142316138-7 | |
| As Gabby Gomez is trying to tell her family she is Gum Girl, she encounters Ninja-Rina, a masked ballerina for whom no crime is "tutu" big. | ||||
| 4 | Cover Blown | 2019 | ISBN 978-136804817-0 | |
| Gum Girl and her family visit Mexico to met a famous luchador, Sol Azteca. | ||||
| 5 | Stick Together! | 2021 | ISBN 978-136805810-0 | |
| Back from Spring Break and the trip of a lifetime, Gabby has a new friend by her side...former bully Natalie Gooch. With their friendship blossoming, Gabby is eager to fight for justice and protect her town. But when Mr. Hansen returns to Fillmore Elementary acting a little bit nutty, Gabby learns that danger might be closer than it seems. Will a Gum Girl team finally assemble? Or will Gabby Gomez finally be stretched to her limits? | ||||
Book Packs
Books Including
- Chews Your Destiny
- Gum Luck
- Popped Star
References
- Corbett, Sue (20 July 2018). "Books for Emerging Readers Publishers discuss the unsung value of early chapter books in fostering literacy". Publisher's Weekly. Retrieved 19 June 2019.