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The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids #13
Gremlins Don't Chew Bubble Gum: Library Edition
Lucky episode #13 in the popular Bailey School Kids series--from the authors of Witches Don't Do Back Flips and Leprechauns Don't Play Basketball. The gang trails a new school secretary to find out why electrical appliances seem to blow whenever she walks by. Illustrations.
Audio CD
First published March 1, 1995
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498 people want to read
About the author
Debbie Dadey
229 books327 followersDebbie Dadey is the author and co-author of 162 books for children, including the Mermaid Tales series from Simon and Schuster and the beloved Adventures of The Bailey School Kids from Scholastic. Ms. Dadey is a former teacher and librarian. Please like her at Facebook.com/debbiedadey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
March 25, 2023
It's been a while since I've read a Bailey School Kids book.But here we are.This is probably my tenth book that I've read or so.And unfortunately right off the bat this one wasn't super great. It wasn't bad either, but it definitely wasn't one of my favorites. The story I'm talking about is Gremlins Don't Chew Bubble Gum.One of the greatest things about this series was the use of different monsters and supernatural elements.This time we're reading about a gremlin.When I think of gremlin I think of that Simpsons Treehouse Of Horror episode with that little thing attacking the school bus.That's one of my favorites.This one though is a normal looking lady that chews bubblegum and has electricity flowing through her hair.What? The story starts off with the kids of Bailey City in a blackout.Mrs Jeepers our maybe a vampire maybe not teacher sends melody to the principals office with a note to let them know the power is out. When she arrives to the office she sees the new secretary named Mrs Kidwell. She's chewing gum and messing with the breaker box and melody notices electricity flowing through her hair. When she mentions this to her gang of friends,they also notice a charm on her hand in the shape of a lightbulb. This book follows a pattern of things getting broken,Kidwell getting a charm such as radios and computers on them.Howie comes up with the conclusion that Mrs Kidwell might be a gremlin.Why? Because his dad told him the story of gremlins. they're basically these creatures that were spotted supposedly around world war 2 in fighter planes when the planes malfunctioned. So that's basically what a gremlin is,a creature that just tears things up ,or fixes them Which didn't make any sense. As I said this one was not a very good one it was borderline boring. I enjoyed the bits with melody getting scared of the dark ,creepy hallway.It made me remember being in school early in the morning and everything being dark. It was actually kinda creepy. I also did like the little arc of what Howie's dad did for work. It was described as being top secret. I wonder if later in the series it's revealed that Howie's dad is somehow tied in to these creatures coming into this town.We will see .I also did not like the ending of this book. it kinda made no sense . Gremlins Don't Chew Bubblegum is one of the weaker stories in the series.I'd give it about a two out of five stars.
February 23, 2024
Gremlins Don't Chew Bubble Gum
Ok middle school story, but at the bottom of middle school. It was ok. Lot's of luck
3 stars
Happy REading!
Ok middle school story, but at the bottom of middle school. It was ok. Lot's of luck
3 stars
Happy REading!
Read
October 19, 2024Gremlins Don’t Chew Bubble Gum
There’s a blackout and Melody is sent to the office with a message to the substitute secretary Mrs. Kidswell. She’s a tiny woman with a lime green dress with orange flowers. She has her hair in black braids and they shine with silver streaks. Only when Melodie looks at her again the silver is gone. She’s wearing a charm bracelet with a light bulb charm. The Principal is trying to fix the short circuit but keeps making a bell go off. Melody worries that the electricity won’t be back on before she has to give her special science project- using 10 different seeds in her yard. Mrs. Kidwell assures her that it will. By the time she leaves, Melody notices now her bracelet has two charms. She touoches her watch.
When Melody gets back everyone is going out for recess. They all talk about their projects. Howie’s has to do with radio waves, and Liza’s has to do with static electricity. This reminds Melody of what was strange about Mrs. Kidwell. Her hair was standing straight up. They start playing kickball and Liza wants to go in after a while because she’s thirsty, but the bell is still ringing. Melodie notices her watch is broken and the realizes everything Mrs. Kidwell touches gets broken. Howie says she must be a gremlin and then explains they’re tiny creatures that break mechanical things.
They go inside and check the clocks. Their all frozen on 10:28. Then they hear something making a popping noise. Its coming from the office. They see Mrs. Kidwell standing by the intercom chewing gum. Her hair is shining,They ask her is it time for lunch and she confirms it is. She blows a huge bubble. When they leave she blows another one and the bells stop ringing.
At l unch, Eddie says they can count her out from being a gremlin because gremlins don’t chew bubble gum. Melody points out that’s not significant but her three charms are. One is a light bulb. The other is a clock. Every time she messes something up she gets a new charm. Mrs. Jeepers announces they’ll only have time for a few projects after lunch. Howie goes first but it starts to squealing. This suprises Howie because it worked last night (It’s a radio). Liz sees Mrs. Kidnwell going to ride the school bus.
Melody says what’s strange is when they went in the office Mrs. Kidwell was playing with the knobs on the intercom. The third charm on her bracelet was a radio. They decide that they have to do something to stop Mrs. Kidwell before she takes them back to the Dark Ages, First tho they head to FATS where Howie’s dad works. FATS stands for the Federal Aeronautics Technology Station to get more information.
Howie’s dad tells them tho that gremlins were just a joke people used when things didn’t work right. They were first mentioned during WW1 when British planes started malfunctioning. The lights would go off, alarms went berserk, and monitors would give wrong information. The gremlin was never found tho and was said to have went elsewhere. The kids say they think they found her at their school. (It was also said she has wild hair that stuck up).
The next morning, Mrs. Kidwell notices Eddie working on his plane for his science project. She says she’s partial to blue planes and touch’s it. Surpringly, at first the plane starts to work- Eddie couldn’t get it to- but then it goes berserk and Mrs. Jeepers sends him into the hallway without listening to his explanation that it wasn’t his fault.
After school, the kids talk about whether Mrs. Kidwell can also fix things-with her bubbles-. Then they notice Mrs. Gurney-the bus driver. Her bus has stopped and it’s not out of gas. The horns are beeping and going crazy. They see Mrs. Kidwell on the steps and she pops her gum and the horns stop. She tells them that was a good trick. When asked why she isn’t riding the bus, she says she’s walking today to the library for exercise. Melody notices she has five charms now. Included are a bus, a plane, and a radio.
The kids go to the library to spy on Mrs. Kidwell and to find out more about gremlins. They find out she’s reading a book about FATS. Howie’s found a book called “The Truth About Gremlins” but he says he can’t check it out because al the computer systems in all the libraries in Bailey are down. Mrs. Kidwell comes over to them and asks why they want to know about gremlins. She’s got another charm. It’s a computer.
The next day FATS is invaded. None of the machinery or anything else works. Liza, Eddie, and Melody tell Howie what book they find Mrs. Kidwell reading. Howie says if they find lucky charms they can all stop her. Eddie has lucky underwear. Howie has a wishbone. Liza has a horsehoe and Melody mentions the number seven.
They all make excuses to go to the beathroom and slip their good luck charms in Mrs. Kidwell’s office. (The only one that doesn’t is Eddie because by this time Mrs. Jeepers is tired of them going to the bathroom). But while their in the computer lab, the screens go blank, They then all go to a clover field and fill their backpacks and go sit in Mrs. Kidwell’s office. Not long after she says she has a headache and goes home. Mrs. Moore -the old secretary comes back-. She says she went to England for her honeymoon. Ironically this is where Mrs. Kidwell went to take flying lessons. Mrs. Moore says her new name is “Mrs. Lucky”.
My Thoughts:
Not what I would think of a Gremlin -thinking of the movie- but she did cause a lot of mischief just not the bad kind.
Rating: 5
There’s a blackout and Melody is sent to the office with a message to the substitute secretary Mrs. Kidswell. She’s a tiny woman with a lime green dress with orange flowers. She has her hair in black braids and they shine with silver streaks. Only when Melodie looks at her again the silver is gone. She’s wearing a charm bracelet with a light bulb charm. The Principal is trying to fix the short circuit but keeps making a bell go off. Melody worries that the electricity won’t be back on before she has to give her special science project- using 10 different seeds in her yard. Mrs. Kidwell assures her that it will. By the time she leaves, Melody notices now her bracelet has two charms. She touoches her watch.
When Melody gets back everyone is going out for recess. They all talk about their projects. Howie’s has to do with radio waves, and Liza’s has to do with static electricity. This reminds Melody of what was strange about Mrs. Kidwell. Her hair was standing straight up. They start playing kickball and Liza wants to go in after a while because she’s thirsty, but the bell is still ringing. Melodie notices her watch is broken and the realizes everything Mrs. Kidwell touches gets broken. Howie says she must be a gremlin and then explains they’re tiny creatures that break mechanical things.
They go inside and check the clocks. Their all frozen on 10:28. Then they hear something making a popping noise. Its coming from the office. They see Mrs. Kidwell standing by the intercom chewing gum. Her hair is shining,They ask her is it time for lunch and she confirms it is. She blows a huge bubble. When they leave she blows another one and the bells stop ringing.
At l unch, Eddie says they can count her out from being a gremlin because gremlins don’t chew bubble gum. Melody points out that’s not significant but her three charms are. One is a light bulb. The other is a clock. Every time she messes something up she gets a new charm. Mrs. Jeepers announces they’ll only have time for a few projects after lunch. Howie goes first but it starts to squealing. This suprises Howie because it worked last night (It’s a radio). Liz sees Mrs. Kidnwell going to ride the school bus.
Melody says what’s strange is when they went in the office Mrs. Kidwell was playing with the knobs on the intercom. The third charm on her bracelet was a radio. They decide that they have to do something to stop Mrs. Kidwell before she takes them back to the Dark Ages, First tho they head to FATS where Howie’s dad works. FATS stands for the Federal Aeronautics Technology Station to get more information.
Howie’s dad tells them tho that gremlins were just a joke people used when things didn’t work right. They were first mentioned during WW1 when British planes started malfunctioning. The lights would go off, alarms went berserk, and monitors would give wrong information. The gremlin was never found tho and was said to have went elsewhere. The kids say they think they found her at their school. (It was also said she has wild hair that stuck up).
The next morning, Mrs. Kidwell notices Eddie working on his plane for his science project. She says she’s partial to blue planes and touch’s it. Surpringly, at first the plane starts to work- Eddie couldn’t get it to- but then it goes berserk and Mrs. Jeepers sends him into the hallway without listening to his explanation that it wasn’t his fault.
After school, the kids talk about whether Mrs. Kidwell can also fix things-with her bubbles-. Then they notice Mrs. Gurney-the bus driver. Her bus has stopped and it’s not out of gas. The horns are beeping and going crazy. They see Mrs. Kidwell on the steps and she pops her gum and the horns stop. She tells them that was a good trick. When asked why she isn’t riding the bus, she says she’s walking today to the library for exercise. Melody notices she has five charms now. Included are a bus, a plane, and a radio.
The kids go to the library to spy on Mrs. Kidwell and to find out more about gremlins. They find out she’s reading a book about FATS. Howie’s found a book called “The Truth About Gremlins” but he says he can’t check it out because al the computer systems in all the libraries in Bailey are down. Mrs. Kidwell comes over to them and asks why they want to know about gremlins. She’s got another charm. It’s a computer.
The next day FATS is invaded. None of the machinery or anything else works. Liza, Eddie, and Melody tell Howie what book they find Mrs. Kidwell reading. Howie says if they find lucky charms they can all stop her. Eddie has lucky underwear. Howie has a wishbone. Liza has a horsehoe and Melody mentions the number seven.
They all make excuses to go to the beathroom and slip their good luck charms in Mrs. Kidwell’s office. (The only one that doesn’t is Eddie because by this time Mrs. Jeepers is tired of them going to the bathroom). But while their in the computer lab, the screens go blank, They then all go to a clover field and fill their backpacks and go sit in Mrs. Kidwell’s office. Not long after she says she has a headache and goes home. Mrs. Moore -the old secretary comes back-. She says she went to England for her honeymoon. Ironically this is where Mrs. Kidwell went to take flying lessons. Mrs. Moore says her new name is “Mrs. Lucky”.
My Thoughts:
Not what I would think of a Gremlin -thinking of the movie- but she did cause a lot of mischief just not the bad kind.
Rating: 5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2014
I liked this story, it was full of suspense and predictions. It had twists and turns you thought one thing was going to happen but something else happened.
November 5, 2023
This was another Bailey School Kids book that had a very convincing argument for the strange adult being a "real" monster. A fun little romp with a very strange character.
July 16, 2018
This book was another cute book in the series.
They're all predictable, but cute and fun to read nonetheless.
It was a little odd that Ms. Kidwell appeared and all those things started going wrong, and how did those charms end up on her wrist if she wasn't a gremlin?
I don't know guys, it's becoming very clear that gremlins in fact do chew bubble gum.
They're all predictable, but cute and fun to read nonetheless.
It was a little odd that Ms. Kidwell appeared and all those things started going wrong, and how did those charms end up on her wrist if she wasn't a gremlin?
I don't know guys, it's becoming very clear that gremlins in fact do chew bubble gum.
June 15, 2021
I liked this one a lot!
December 23, 2021
The lucky charms thing seemed like a stretch but otherwise a good little kids story.
September 3, 2022
I really like Miss Kidwell as a character - her story is pretty simple, but she's fun and quirky.
January 13, 2024
Story and ending were okay. Definitely read better stuff.
January 13, 2024
This series is really great. It gives Teacher from the Black Lagoon mixed with Wayside School vibes.
March 11, 2025
Laughed so hard at this chapter. The gremlin was so funny. The kids at Bailey, really enjoyed her! Loved this one
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September 12, 2025First read aloud of the year complete!
March 30, 2014
Mrs.Jeepers quickly jotted a note and handed it to Melody. "Please take this to Miss Kidwell," Mrs.Jeepers said. Miss Kidwell was their substitute school secretary. Melody handed the note to Miss Kidwell. On Miss Kidwell's right wrist was a bright silver chain. One lonely charm dangled from the bracelet. It was a light bulb charm. Miss Kidwell nodded. "You must be a very smart girl. Now scoot to class." Melody stopped at the office door and watched Miss Kidwell wave good-bye was it her imagination or were there two charms dangling from Miss Kidwell's bracelet now?Whatever Miss Kidwell touched got messed up, Could Miss Kidwell be a gremlin...?
August 5, 2011
This is the thirteenth book in the The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series. We've read several of them and so far our oldest really likes them. We won't likely read these books in order, but it doesn't seem to matter much. It's a fun story and we like the fact that all of the strange characters may or may not be the "monsters" they are portrayed to be. We are looking forward to reading more books in this series.
September 16, 2014
The collection of "The adventures of the Bailey School Kids" stories are among my all-time favorite children's books. Witty, mischievous and fun, these short and silly books continue to bring giggles to the young and old. Just as I have enjoyed them as a kid, my own children also love them today. I even catch myself re-reading them (alone) from time to time. What can I say? I guess I'll always be a BSK kid at heart.
March 6, 2015
My last week of having Isaac home in the afternoon and this is what he chose off the shelf. I knew I should have picked to get something I would enjoy reading! If I let him pick he gets one of these Bailey School Kids that I can't stand, or a Magic Treehouse book. Not quite done with it, but I plan to pick the next book. :)
I really can't stand these Bailey School books, but we finished it. Isaac said he wants to pick another one.
I really can't stand these Bailey School books, but we finished it. Isaac said he wants to pick another one.
July 29, 2011
The Bailey School Kids is a best-selling children's book series by Marcia Thornton Jones and Debbie Dadey. Its main characters are a group of four children (Eddie, Howie, Liza, Melody) who suspect some persons in the stories are popular folk lore or fairy tale characters. They are appealing because they mix a familiar story in with this group of kids. Mid-grammar school
April 26, 2012
I was introduced to these books when I was in second grade and I loved them! They are catchy because the kids in the story always think that one of their teachers or their friends is a mythical creature. In this book the students think one of their teachers is a gremlin. The book always leaves you hanging where the kids could have been right.
April 24, 2015
The school gets a new substitute secretary, a woman with strange hair reminiscent of an electric shock. As soon as she arrives, the school’s electricity (such as the lights, the bell, and the bus horn) begins experiencing some strange, inexplicable, and unsolvable problems.
Fun and mysterious.
Fun and mysterious.
October 7, 2015
This series would be good to have in the class for kids who are in the transitional chapter book phase. This has a lot of humor and twists and turns in the story that will keep kids interested and curious. The author makes the story fun and kids will want to read more when they finish one. I would recommend this for third through fifth grade.
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November 12, 2012A silly series that creates more questions than it answers. It's great for formulating theories as well as predictions. The class dynamics should be very familiar to those of the Magic School Bus generation.
October 30, 2014
A fill in secretary is at Bailey School, her name is Mrs. Kidwell a everything she's around goes haywire, the lights, the bus, even the kids' science projects! Is Mrs. Kidwell a gremlin, and if she is how will they get rid of her before she destroys the whole city?
February 21, 2008
I LOVE these books! I loved these series when I was a kid. Excellent.
June 21, 2008
I dont care if gremlins dont chew bubble gum, but I LOVE BUBBLE GUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 12, 2008
i do not really know what a gremlin is but loooks creepy to me.
December 26, 2008
Gremlins is STRANG.
January 15, 2009
stupid
August 22, 2009
great when ur littler
January 27, 2012
There is a substitute teacher and everyone thinks she's a gremlin.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews