hdbblog's review against another edition
4.0
So you think you've had some interesting baby sitting experiences? Well, I think Gabby Duran has you beat. After all, sitting for the "Unsittables" isn't a walk in the park. This story was absolutely adorable! A light, quick-moving, and grin inducing romp through the life of a very special baby sitter. I zipped through this, and I don't regret one minute of it.
Now, this is definitely a book targeted at Middle Grade readers. If you can't let go of reality long enough to accept the fact that Gabby is quite a popular baby sitter, and by that I mean movie stars fly her to their sets to watch their kids, then the sheer silliness of this story won't sit well with you. If you can, you're in for a treat! This book is the perfect MG no-brainer. It has the perfect amount of MG friendly tension and intrigue. There isn't anything too gross or too scary to address when deciding whether to put this in a readers hands. Best of all, there's an underlying message. One of understanding, patience, and acceptance.
If you aren't sold yet, let me tell you that Gabby Duran is a wonderful character. On top of being a compassionate and amazing baby sitter, she's also a very smart and resourceful young girl. Her affection for the children she worked with was infectious. It could very well be that I'm biased, seeing as how I worked with children for a huge portion of my life, but I loved seeing that kind of passion in a book character. There wasn't a single part of Gabby that I didn't feel connected to, and I'm not even the target audience.
Are you looking for a new book for that MG reader in your family? Consider putting this in their hands. Then sit back, and prepare for the giggles to start.
Now, this is definitely a book targeted at Middle Grade readers. If you can't let go of reality long enough to accept the fact that Gabby is quite a popular baby sitter, and by that I mean movie stars fly her to their sets to watch their kids, then the sheer silliness of this story won't sit well with you. If you can, you're in for a treat! This book is the perfect MG no-brainer. It has the perfect amount of MG friendly tension and intrigue. There isn't anything too gross or too scary to address when deciding whether to put this in a readers hands. Best of all, there's an underlying message. One of understanding, patience, and acceptance.
If you aren't sold yet, let me tell you that Gabby Duran is a wonderful character. On top of being a compassionate and amazing baby sitter, she's also a very smart and resourceful young girl. Her affection for the children she worked with was infectious. It could very well be that I'm biased, seeing as how I worked with children for a huge portion of my life, but I loved seeing that kind of passion in a book character. There wasn't a single part of Gabby that I didn't feel connected to, and I'm not even the target audience.
Are you looking for a new book for that MG reader in your family? Consider putting this in their hands. Then sit back, and prepare for the giggles to start.
dmtcer's review
5.0
Twelve-year-old Gabby Duran, Babysitter to the Stars is recruited to babysit for Unsittables - children of Aliens who have not-so-human capabilities. Gabby wants to make enough money to help ease the financial burden for her single, hard-working mother, and also to begin saving money for her own future in a music conservatory. On a day she has set aside in her own schedule as being too busy to babysit, she receives her newest charge - Wutt. And to complicate matters further, Gabby is warned that someone from the group G.E.T.O.U.T. is trying to annihilate Wutt. Gabby wants to make it through the day, and still (hopefully) play solo in her school orchestra that evening.
Kids will adore the madcap adventures of Gabby and her friends as they try - unbeknownst to all but Gabby - to keep little Wutt safe. This is a fun adventure for young to middle readers.
Kids will adore the madcap adventures of Gabby and her friends as they try - unbeknownst to all but Gabby - to keep little Wutt safe. This is a fun adventure for young to middle readers.
golden_lily's review
3.0
A pretty cute and satisfying MG, though not one you can put a lot of thought into.
Gabby Duran is a twelve year old supersitter. She's in demand around the world, flying to movie sets to watch action stars' triplets and such. Since her dad's death in the Army, her mom's catering company isn't quite enough to pay the bills, (which her genius younger sister handles, along with all the books and scheduling for two businesses,) so Gabby's shouldering a lot of responsibility. When a mysterious woman in a black limousine offers her a ten minute sitting job at four times her usual rates, Gabby sees an opportunity to not only help the family, but save for her dream, a prestigious music college.
Edwina introduces Gabby to Philip, his parents, and their talking cat. Despite a rough start, the job is a total success and Gabby is inducted into A.L.I.E.N. as the official Sitter to the Unsittables. Aliens are among us and they really need a date night without their slugspawn.
First, Gabby says her charges have known her since they were infants. They're four. Who is letting eight year olds babysit? Who is letting twelve year olds fly across the country to babysit? The Babysitters Club wouldn't let anyone under eleven in, and then only as junior members who needed supervision. This is ridiculous. Someone call a child labor lawyer STAT.
Gabby's a great sitter though. She really loves the kids and engages them with a way that's charming to see. The main plot unfurls when she's forced to watch a shapechanging alien named Wutt while at school. (Are pre-teens in 2015 really going to get the Abbot and Costello joke when we meet Wutt's parents Hoo and Ayedunno? I did chuckle.) Gabby consistently puts Wutt's needs first, tries to be entertaining but educational, and really cares about her charge. When an anti-alien group, G.E.T.O.U.T. shows up and everything goes pear shaped, Gabby never complains. In fact, that's kind of my problem. Gabby's too perfect and adapts too quickly. I wanted to see her get a little more ruffled. She also keeps the existence of aliens a secret for less than 24 hours, which is why we don't entrust that knowledge to pre-teens.
On the moral side, there's a good lesson about appearances being deceiving. Content wise, it's absolutely ok for younger MGers, probably even reaching down to the 7-8 range. (Two brief references to dad dying in the army and one mildly scary chase scene where the heroines roll into a ditch.) In all, a cute couple of hours, but not a book I'll keep on my shelves, as my 11 year old nieces are probably already too old for it.
Gabby Duran is a twelve year old supersitter. She's in demand around the world, flying to movie sets to watch action stars' triplets and such. Since her dad's death in the Army, her mom's catering company isn't quite enough to pay the bills, (which her genius younger sister handles, along with all the books and scheduling for two businesses,) so Gabby's shouldering a lot of responsibility. When a mysterious woman in a black limousine offers her a ten minute sitting job at four times her usual rates, Gabby sees an opportunity to not only help the family, but save for her dream, a prestigious music college.
Edwina introduces Gabby to Philip, his parents, and their talking cat. Despite a rough start, the job is a total success and Gabby is inducted into A.L.I.E.N. as the official Sitter to the Unsittables. Aliens are among us and they really need a date night without their slugspawn.
First, Gabby says her charges have known her since they were infants. They're four. Who is letting eight year olds babysit? Who is letting twelve year olds fly across the country to babysit? The Babysitters Club wouldn't let anyone under eleven in, and then only as junior members who needed supervision. This is ridiculous. Someone call a child labor lawyer STAT.
Gabby's a great sitter though. She really loves the kids and engages them with a way that's charming to see. The main plot unfurls when she's forced to watch a shapechanging alien named Wutt while at school. (Are pre-teens in 2015 really going to get the Abbot and Costello joke when we meet Wutt's parents Hoo and Ayedunno? I did chuckle.) Gabby consistently puts Wutt's needs first, tries to be entertaining but educational, and really cares about her charge. When an anti-alien group, G.E.T.O.U.T. shows up and everything goes pear shaped, Gabby never complains. In fact, that's kind of my problem. Gabby's too perfect and adapts too quickly. I wanted to see her get a little more ruffled. She also keeps the existence of aliens a secret for less than 24 hours, which is why we don't entrust that knowledge to pre-teens.
On the moral side, there's a good lesson about appearances being deceiving. Content wise, it's absolutely ok for younger MGers, probably even reaching down to the 7-8 range. (Two brief references to dad dying in the army and one mildly scary chase scene where the heroines roll into a ditch.) In all, a cute couple of hours, but not a book I'll keep on my shelves, as my 11 year old nieces are probably already too old for it.
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