FICTION

Gabby Torres Gets a ­Billion Followers

­Roaring Brook. (Gabby Torres: Bk. 1). Jan. 2025. 160p. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781250901378.
COPY ISBN
Gr 3-5–After a year of pleading, ­nine-year-old Gabby Torres is finally invited to join the Sea Musketeers, an ocean conservation club. She comes up with a great idea: make a club social media account. Everyone loves it and decides Gabby will be in charge, but Gabby’s parents feel otherwise. Gabby and her best friends, Prya and Kat, create a compelling slide show to convince them to allow it. Her parents agree but with rules: post once a week, only post with mom, and never go online alone without supervision! Excitement builds as the club’s posts begin to get comments. Unfortunately, Gabby peeks and sees a negative comment which leads to her making many bad choices trying to get to the bottom of who the anonymous poster was, even accusing her best friends and her teacher. When phone calls from school come in, Gabby is in deep trouble. Her parents ground her, and she can no longer manage the account. This book’s narrative creates opportunities for caretakers to have candid conversations with young readers about internet usage, potential dangers, and safe practices. Brightly colored illustrations amid a mix of panel sizes and block text blend together to form this timely, realistic story.
VERDICT A strong entry in the family and friends graphic novel genre. Give this to fans of Raina Telgemeier, Shannon Hale, Varian Johnson, and ­Nathan Fairbairn.

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