Cover Blown

Gumazing Gum Girl #4

by Rhode Montijo

Gabby Gomez (a.k.a Gum Girl) and her family visit Mexico where they meet the famous luchador Sol Azteca, who takes them to his wrestling training camp inside an ancient Mayan pyramid. There Gabby (a.k.a Chica Chicle) uncovers hidden connections within herself and her Mexican heritage. She also discovers the chicozapote tree that the Mayans and Aztecs used for GUM! When the infamous luchador the Underhander threatens to steal a sacred artifact, Gabby and Rico quickly slam into trouble. Will Chica Chicle be able to bounce her way to safety-or will she be stuck for good?

Genres: Humor, Graphic Novels

160 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2019

Reviews

[Shawn Robare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've recently read and re-read this series to my 5 year-old daughter and I wanted to add them here because I really love what Rhode Montijo has done with these books. First of all, they are beautifully illustrated with a minimalistic color palette, and the pages are mostly heavily illustrated. That said, there is a fair amount of text, which is a balance that my daughter needs/loves right now. Picture books were becoming boring for her, but she is just not ready for true chapter books, so a series like this is perfect where we get through each book in a couple of sittings. I also love the way the overall series is set up. These are primers for comic books and graphic novels which I think is great, heavily leaning on cliffhanger endings that lead to the next book and keep my daughter absorbed in the story. They also build on themselves, growing the story into a larger narrative.

[emyrose8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute! I love the turn this book took. Family, knowledge, helping people are all themes in here. It seemed a little more text heavy than previous books, but it’s still a fast read. And the ending sheds light on the next book... dun dun dun!