Gabby, a twelve year old, has become a superstar babysitter. The rich and the famous even fly her to her babysitting appointments because she is the only one who can tame their wild children. Her wages add to her single mother's income and the support of their family. She also hopes to save enough to go to a prestigious college to study music and become a professional French Horn player someday. Her little sister is in charge of the business side of Gabby's babysitting jobs.
One day, Gabby meets an unusual woman who gives her a job babysitting an alien child. She passes with flying colors and is asked to become a babysitter for alien children. This top secret position becomes an adventurous day when Gabby takes care of a high spirited little girl from planet Flarknartia who can change her appearance at will. Gabby also has an important concert to practice and participate in that evening. The babysitting job becomes a madcap undertaking all day long.
This story is funny with lots of snappy dialogue. You have to read carefully to keep up because it moves quickly. There are lots of action packed scenes. I enjoyed the premise for this book. It was very creative to think that this young girl had a "Mary Poppins" type of skill to be able babysit any child that might otherwise be "unsittable".
I give it a 3 out of a 4 rating. It was a good book and I could recommend it to grades 4th - 6th grade. It might be a bit challenging for a 3rd grade reader. I think it will appeal to girls but there are both both a boy and a girl featured along with Gabby on the cover. The AR reading level is 5.4.
- Age Range: 8 - 12 years
- Grade Level: 3 - 7
- Series: Gabby Duran
- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Disney-Hyperion; Reprint edition (May 17, 2016)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1484725425
- ISBN-13: 978-1484725429