Gabby Gibson: Middle School Detective

by Sharon Ritter

Gabby Gibson has always had a thing for solving mysteries, and now’s her chance to crack her first real case. The cash from Panda Pride Day, her school’s big fundraiser, is missing. No money means no dance, and it’s up to Gabby to solve the crime -- and become the school hero. Oh, and BTW, she’ll have to join forces with the world’s biggest nerd to find the culprit. Peek inside Gabby’s detective notebook and walk the halls of Preston Middle with her as she battles the Queen of Mean and her stuck-up posse, learns that popularity depends on how you look at it, and discovers that people aren't always who you think they are.Look for a special message from Gabby to young readers in the all-new epilogue of this 10th anniversary edition.

186 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 7, 2014

Reviews

[Barbara Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has her pulse on the middle school audience. Gabby Gibson, the protagonist, is the perfect heroine. Gabby’s dad has passed away, but she follows in his footsteps as detective par excellence.

She is a seventh grader at Preston Middle School who experiences many of the problems that her young readers face. There is gossip among the girls, bullying, the nerds, those perceived to be the haves and the have-nots. The dialogue is funny and authentic. Readers will laugh and cry with the characters and their foibles. Student and adult characters share equally the laughter and the criticism.

Plot centers around the mystery of how the Panda mascot of Preston Middle School got his head cut off at an important soccer game, and how the money for the annual seventh grade dance went missing. When the dance is canceled by principal, Mr. Sauerbutts, Gabby kicks her detective skills into high gear. There are enough twists and turns to keep the plot interesting. Our detective thinks she has the answer, but discovers she was wrong. Will Gabby solve the mystery and save the dance? Does the Panda mascot find his head?

At just under two hundred pages, the book is a nice fit for readers ages nine and up. Just a suggestion, a few simple drawings might have made some of those hilarious scenes even more effective.

[Mark Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful little YA story that grips the reader from page one. The mystery is engaging, and from the standpoint of a parent of a daughter in high school, the humor is relentless. Middle school was not that long ago for me, and I can tell you that the characterizations of middle-school girls and their ways of conversing with one another are spot on. I laughed all the way through it.

[Andrea Chairez · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter read this book and loved it.

[Timothy Baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read. This wonderfully fast paced book is filled with incredibly realistic middle school aged characters with their middle school drama and problems. But that only serves as a backdrop to an unpredictable and suspenseful mystery as Gabby Gibson seeks to solve her first crime before the middle school celebration is canceled.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun book, but I'm slightly biased. ;-)

[Joyce Lacerda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book!!