Review by Frank Plowright

Gabby Torres is an extremely smart nine year old gold with a passion for reading and for the Sea Musketeers, an organisation spread across multiple schools whose members have the common goal of protecting the oceans. Gabby’s the youngest member, but her enthusiasm and baking skills confirmed her membership, and it’s her idea to create a social media account to promote their work. Except Gabby hasn’t considered she’s too young for a social media account, and her parents are going to take some convincing.

The Gabby Torres books are labelled as graphic novels, but they’re more illustrated children’s books with connecting pages handled as comics. However, they’re immensely charming and well drawn by Angela Dominguez, the type of positive, life-affirming stories you’d want your children reading. Dominguez makes Gabby extremely likeable without tipping her over into parody, and emphasises a family background including Mexican grandparents and the cultural heritage that supplies, while Dominguez is as innovative as her character. There is a mission to promote awareness of sea pollution, so we get to take the test Gabby sets her friends. Whether any nine year old born in the USA without overseas relatives would even know of the country Liechtenstein is another matter.

It’s no surprise that the mature for her age Gabby overcomes the misgivings of her parents about a social media account, which is permitted under strict conditions of parental supervision. There’s a clever balance of Gabby’s other activities and her checking the account that’s been set up, and of course the suspense of the title hangs over the story. How will Gabby acquire a billion followers? A further mystery concerns who’s been posting nasty comments. It’s passing on that no matter how much a child wants to join in, dangers and upsets also await online.

In addition to all the other fine qualities, Dominguez ensures the story’s funny. Gabby may be very smart, but she’s not the most delicate when it comes to the feelings of others. While responses do lead to some soul-searching about her behaviour, watching her blunder on regardless is funny.

There is one disappointment. The title is a cheat. Why? Dominguez is so creative, so why does the title set up anticipation for something that never happens?

Gabby returns in Gabby Torres is the Best Winner Ever.