Gabby Garcia's Ultimate Playbook

Gabby Garcia's Ultimate Playbook

by Iva-Marie Palmer, Marta Kissi (Illustrator)

Dear fans of Dork Diaries and Middle School: The Worst Year of My Life—meet your new favorite kid-next-store hero! Gabby Garcia an overly confident baseball-obsessed sport nut who’s going to win your heart.

If life were a baseball game, all-star pitcher Gabby Garcia would be having her Best. Season. EVER! Until she’s suddenly sent to another school and her winning streak is about to disappear—both on and off the field.

But Gabby never gives up! She has a PLAN to keep her champion status intact, and every step of is written out—PLAY by PLAY. How could it not work?

This new series written by Iva-Marie Palmer is filled with funny illustrations, sports facts, and blooper-reel moments that will have readers laughing and rooting for more.

Genres: Middle Grade, Sports, Realistic Fiction, Kids, School, Childrens, Baseball

304 pages, Hardcover

First published May 9, 2017

About the author

Iva-Marie Palmer is the author of the young adult novels Gimme Everything You Got and The End of the World as We Know It. She also wrote the Gabby Garcia's Ultimate Playbook series and Oh My Dog! for middle grade readers, as well as the books Romeo, Juliet and Jim and the Edgar Award-nominated The Jules Verne Prophecy with co-writer Larry Schwarz. Christmas People is her first adult novel.

Before writing professionally, Palmer worked as an award-winning community news reporter in Chicago's South Suburbs and as a web editor for the Walt Disney Company. She also got to know many a Christmas person working at a Hallmark store through high school and college.

Palmer now resides in Burbank, California with her husband and two sons.

Reviews

[Shauna Yusko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. I know who the audience is, and it would be read in a middle school library. It's a little long. But there are positives. Honestly though, while Gabby was such a spot-on middle school student (hence her appeal to the 5th-8th grade crowd), she actually bugged me.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn't in to this one and I think it stemmed from my dislike of her as a main character? She came off a bit snooty though her confidence is obviously what makes her shine on the diamond and in life.

The illustrations throughout complimented the story nicely, though I wouldn't call it a graphic novel and for a girl in sports, it's certainly fun to see representation.

[Cora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Funny and interesting, but not the best. I’ll probably read more in the series while I wait for my other holds and books to arrive since they’re available on Libby right now. My brother loves it and recommended it to me, but he also likes sports and identifies with the mc, Gabby, much more than me.

[Kristina Danilenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

i think it was a really funny and exciting book because, i too love baseball and i feel like i am seeing myself in a different world

[Sandy Sopko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gabby is delightful! A 7th grader, she is the star player and pitcher on her school's baseball team having a perfect season until her school is closed because of asbestos. Shuffled to a new school and its rival baseball team, Gabby faces enormous challenges that cause her to doubt herself. Great narrative voice. I would love to see this series at my intermediate school!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really didn't like Gabby throughout most of the book. Kind of the point, but as a character-driven reader this affected my feelings about the book as a whole. Book redeemed itself by not using the predictable sports story pattern.

[Doug McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seven word review = This Dad of sporty girls says Yay!

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Diaries are usually just about what happens. Playbooks are about how you make things happen.”

[Liz Bremer · Rating 1 out of 5]

was a birthday gift, felt bad if I didn't read it. it sucks.

[fay reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

(spoil free) 2.5 stars, obv...

So, Gabby Garcia's basically this winning-obsessed girl who creates a playbook so she can win all the time. IMO I think this is a SUPER DUPER MID story idea. The book WAS mid. It wasn't BAD. Gabby did gain a very CLEAR character development. It's just not my type of book. I feel like YOUNGER kids (7-9) would enjoy this or sports-loving kids. I'm neither of those.

I would recommend this for YOUNGER kids, but for OLDER kids...it's a no for me.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gabby is the star pitcher on her middle school’s baseball team. In fact, Gabby’s basically the star of the whole school and she knows it. Everyone loves her! But life throws her a curve ball when her middle school suddenly has to close and everyone is transferred to different schools. Gabby does the best she can to show everyone at her new school the star that she is, but her classmates don’t catch on. Kids don’t flock around her, no one seems interested in being her friend, and worst of all, the baseball team hasn’t begged her to join them. Gabby has to start all over in finding her place and building her legacy. Through a lot of mistakes and loses she’s sure should have been wins, Gabby learns that, although it’s great to love what you love (baseball for instance) and it’s important to have confidence, her priorities might just be in the wrong place.

This adorable chapter book, illustrated with cute doodles as if it were a diary, is a great read for middle school aged kids. As Gabby explains in the beginning, the book is her playbook for life. In it she writes her goals and her plan to accomplish them. Then she keeps track of whether or not she achieves these goals, which she records as “wins” and “loses”. She recaps those “wins” and “loses”, which is where the storyline of the book is developed. Gabby is a lively, confident girl with some arrogant tendencies. She often sees herself as flawless and expects others to as well. Despite this, she is a lovable character and it is exciting to see her grow to become more humble and kind. Also, as the book goes on, Gabby becomes a better friend. She makes new friends with people she never thought she’d be friends with and learns to support them even though they have varying interests. Most importantly, she learns that life isn’t all about winning. While at times to storyline can be a bit unrealistic, younger readers will probably still enjoy this cute story.

++Review originally published on Children's Book and Media Review++
http://byucbmr.com/reviews/gabby-garc...

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Palmer, Iva-Marie Gabby Garcia’s Ultimate Playbook, Pgs. 286. Katherine Tegen Books (Harper Collins), 2017. $12.99. Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: G.

Gabby Garcia loves baseball. She loves being the best pitcher her school has ever seen. Then, in the middle of her second no-hitter game, her principal announces that the school will be temporarily closing. Gabby is selected to attend the elite Piper Bell Academy until her school reopens. Since Gabby’s baseball fame has made her one of the most popular girls at school, she expects her transition to be a breeze. Unfortunately, her new classmates aren’t impressed. As every good sports player knows, you must have a playbook to win, but Gabby is striking out on every play. Her social life is tanking. Even the baseball team is rejecting her. Gabby must change her strategy if she is going to prove that she is more than just an egotistical show off.

This book is strong in every category. The writing style is humorous and entertaining. It’s easy to root for the main character. The storyline, which is really about being true to yourself and accepting less than perfection, teaches these lessons through a sports narrative. Readers who like sports will be especially fond of this book, but it’s a win for all types of readers. Illustrations add a fun touch, as well as the playbook format, in which each day represents a “play” with a goal and plan of action. The story teaches that it’s never too late to change a first impression or right a wrong.

EL, MS – ESSENTIAL. Reviewer: Valerie McEnroe, Media Specialist
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...

[Talia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, and that's coming from a girl who doesn't care for sports. 12-year-old Gabby Garcia is having the most amazing middle school year. She has great grades, a lot of friends, and is the golden child of the school's baseball team. Gabby's the best pitcher they've ever seen! Right in the middle of one of Gabby's best games, her principal storms on to the field to tell everyone they have to evacuate because the school has asbestos. Now Gabby has to go to another school until she can get back her winning life on the baseball team.

Life as a new student for Gabby is hard; her new school is more stuffy than her old one, the baseball team doesn't really want her and finding friends is basically impossible when everyone thinks you're going to contaminate the school. This book is all about Gabby finding her way and trying to change her philosophy that winning is the most important thing. This book does focus a lot on Gabby's love for sports, but you don't have to be a sporty person to like it. You can replace Gabby's love for baseball with basically anything, the story wouldn't have changed much if she was in love with debate club or the band instead.

[Carlie Allred]

Middle-schooler Gabby takes pride in being the only girl on her school's baseball team - and its star pitcher - but when an asbestos problem at her school forces her to transfer to a nearby middle school, she learns valuable lessons about friendship, humility, and following your dreams.

This is a cute book, and one that I would have liked better back when I was a tween (and I mean that as a compliment.) The characters are fun, the events are engaging and told with a lot of humor, and the lessons learned and payoff of the story are sweet. As an adult reader, certain events had me scratching my head, (Really? They're reassigning an entire school's worth of students, but Gabby is the only one sent to her new school?), and the plot... meanders a bit. (You know how some books go from plot point A, to B, to C, to the end - "Gabby Garcia" went from A, to B, back to A, back to B, big jump to G, back to A, and then X, Y, Z.)

Overall, I'd totally recommend this book to any tween reader. The book had a mix of text and cute drawings, though the story is mostly told through the words. Lots of fun, and funny!

[Kelly Hager]

Gabby Garcia's life is going perfectly: she has great grades, good friends and she's the best baseball pitcher at her school. She's even in the midst of pitching a no-hitter when everything falls apart: her school has asbestos. Now she has to transfer to a new school and all of a sudden she's a jinx, the baseball team doesn't need her (or even like her) and her grades are heading firmly toward Cs. It is not ideal. How to reverse this trend?

This is adorable and sports fans will love it. Watching Gabby try to reinvent herself is pretty hysterical (let's just say that all of her new "talents" prove to be harder to master than she expects) but kids will learn to (a) keep trying and (b) attempt new things. There are definitely worse things. ;)

It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and I would definitely read the sequel.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected this book to have better reviews. Being about sports, having cute illustrations and a unique playbook format, and told with a humorous voice makes it a win in my book for upper elementary and middle school kids.

The main character, Gabby, has an inflated ego because she is able to pitch no-hitter games against other teams. When her school closes in the middle of the year and she has to attend another school, she fully expects the team and coach to beg her to play. Things don't work out as planned, as she racks up more losses than wins in her life playbook. Although she strategizes from the beginning to gain friends and popularity, she is seen as an egotistical show-off. She's actually a nice person, just very driven to win and be the best at whatever she does. She has to change her strategy in order to turn around the mess she has created for herself.

[Ana C · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my opinion, this book is worth reading because :
- Its style is that you can actually feel like you're inside the book, where actions take place.
-What I liked the most is that the book actually teaches you how to never give up, like this little fragment that i personally loved: "When you're right at the center of everything , you know exactly what to do.You're already wining, in a way."
-I personally enjoyed how the book ended, because it made me think about changes in life and the proper attitude to have towards them.
-I admire the main character's character because even though she went through a change, in the end she was victorious with all the challenges she had to face.

I encourage you to read it.

[Bees · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trying to catch up on my reviews for all the books I read but didn't SAY that I read.
Gabby the Golden Child. Who has a VERY VERY BIG EGO. Seriously girl. Want a big ego? Go solo sports. Anyway, she USED to be big till she had to be transferred. POP THAT BUBBLE. POPITY POP POP. So then she tries to get big HERE...uh...not off to a great start. SHE WEARS HER OLD UNIFORM. TO.A.NEW.SCHOOL. AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!! Things go downhill from there, and probably game wise too, but I only understand it socially and not game-wise, because I do NOT understand baseball OR field hockey. Which is a thing. Who knew??? Good book. Probably good game description. I wouldn't know /-:

[Brynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a really great book. It is a great book for sports readers because it talks about baseball and field hockey pitch. I also think it is a great book for non-sports readers because it talks about her ups and downs in her life, it talks about her friends, and it talks about her talents, getting the first crush she never thought she'd get, and a lot more interesting things. This book was not that challenging to read, it took me about a week to read with only reading 30minutes a day. Without it not being that challenging I thought it was a pretty good book and I would recommend it to you.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book required a lot of suspension of disbelief. (The asbestos? A private school? The field hockey team?) I enjoyed the format and the arc for Gabby, though.

I've read a lot of YA/MG recently that made me feel a lot of secondhand embarrassment, but this book probably caused the most. That's not a bad thing, but "Oh no, Gabby darling" was my main reaction to a lot of the book.

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gabby Garcia's Ultimate Playbook is a fun story and easy read. Gabby is a great baseball player, but her school gets shut down, and she is sent to another school in the meantime. Gabby goes through many bad things before she gets to the good. Gabby keeps fighting even though things don't always go her way.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gabby Garcia is suddenly wrenched from her fabulous life as baseball star pitcher and straight-A student to a new school. How can she continue to be a winner? Give this to fans of "Dork Diaries", sports fanatics, and any middle schooler who is trying out new things to see where they fit in.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

it’s a good book because you can see gabbys highs and lows as well as you can see her mistakes. i think that the way that towards the end of the book gabby had a little bit a friends even without diego all the way in the middle of nowhere.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty standard middle grade fare. I liked the illustrations. I wanted more of the family, they were more compelling characters and I wanted them to get more space. I didn't buy the crush at all and she doesn't spend a lot of the book being likable. I do like the ending.

[Alice · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm abandoning this book - it's just not my style

[Dariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was okay.

[Kiran · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having this book on my wishlist for a while and not reading it, it was quite a pleasant read.

[Jia ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

SOOOOOOO GOOD! I tried to read this book a year ago and stopped because I thought it was boring but now I have read it and think it is SO good!

[Gabrielle_7707 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gabby Garcias ultimate playbook is a good book for people who love sports and like to be able to relate to the book. this book is easy to relate to if your from ages 10-13.