Gabe's First Note

by JJ Lissaris

Picture Brooklyn, 1989. Gabe Silvestri, age eleven, is “totally freaking out” (his words, not mine) because he’s about to start sixth grade at Bader Junior High School in a specialized program for academically advanced students. That’s where Gabe’s First Note , the first book in a series called Notes , picks up. Gabe learns just how thrilling junior high can be when he gets his first note from a girl in his class, Natalia Gutiérrez. When he receives an invitation to his first boy/girl party, he’s on top of the world. But he also navigates the difficult moments when he faces some first-day disasters, bombs a quiz, and gets picked on by Freddie Sawyer. At home, Gabe’s strict but caring mom and oddball younger sister Alessandra are a source of love—and stress—in his life. And his grandma, who lives only two houses away, is always there to support him, set him straight, and feed him cake…lots and lots of cake.

See the series overview for more information about the series.

189 pages, Paperback

Published December 7, 2021

About the author

John J. Lissaris (JJ) has been writing since childhood. His poem “A Book Is a Best Friend,” written in Mrs. Farran’s second-grade class, was his first critical success—and he hasn’t looked back since.

As an adult, he has written and directed two musicals for middle schoolers: Different Lives (2006) and Star Harbor (2008). He has also penned a young-adult novella, The Perfect Moment (2007), and a musical, Finally Time (2012), based on the novella.

More recently, he has written a middle-grade play, Notes (2018), and three middle-grade books (2021–2022) in a series by the same title. He also assembled a group of twenty-one 11- to 18-year-olds to create a studio recording of Back to Star Harbor (2023), based on the original 2008 musical.

Born and mostly raised in Brooklyn, New York, JJ taught middle school and high school for eleven years and is now a senior assessment specialist at a state university. He currently resides in New Jersey with his wife, two children, and adorably judgmental Boston terrier.