By Colorado Kids Advisory Board member Emily Tucker

Title: Get Ready For Gabi! Who's That Girl?
Author: Marisa Montes
Illustrator: Joe CaPeda
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Number of pages: 103

Gabi the great thinks she has super powers when she wears her special boots. She loves playing super hero with her Grandma and her little brother Miguelito. One day her grandma told Gabi and Miguelito to go out side while she was cooking dinner. When they went out side they went down the block a little ways and they saw a moving truck in front of the haunted house. Gabi and Miguelito took a peek in and they saw a bike just like Gabi's and right away she knew that there was a girl her age that was going to live in that place. So when she went to school the next day she told her best friends Devin and Jasmine about what she saw. She told them that after school that day that she was going back to see who lived there. When she got home from school, she dropped her stuff in her room and went down stairs, yelled to her Grandma that she would be right back and went out the door. When she got there, she rang the door bell and a little head peaked out the window. Then, all these thoughts ran into her head-- like maybe she's a ghost! But then, Lizzie opened the door and the two girls talked until Lizzie's mom called her in. The next day, Gabi brought her school friends and they talked and played with Lizzie in her back yard. Gabi finds out so much about Lizzie and that she wants to be a super hero too. When she goes home her brother is there and he is crying. She asks him what's wrong and he tells her that there are these two bullies that are being mean to him. So she walks out side and to take care of them. Since she is wearing her special boots she kicks them in her super hero way, but instead of hurting them they wind up on the ground laughing at her. The next day she goes back to Lizzie's house. They play in the back yard and then Lizzie's two older twin brothers come to the back yard. Gabi did not know that those where her older brothers and they get in a fight because Gabi said that they where being mean to her brother! She did not believe her and Lizzie called her a liar. The next day Miguelito was on his little bike again and ran into the same bullies. Gabi was there and she tried to take care of them. Lizzie was swinging up in the trees and when she saw that they were making fun of Gabi's little brother she came down and started to yell at them. When she was done they said sorry and every thing they could to get Lizzie to forgive them. Lizzie and Gabi then became best friends.

I like some things about the book like when Gabi introduced herself to Lizzie when she just moved in. I also liked when Gabi and Lizzie got into a fight and they worked it out. Another thing I really like about this book was when, Gabi, Lizzie, Devin, and Jasmine all became friends! Some things didn't like about the book was when Jake and Jack, Lizzie's two older brothers where being really mean to Miguelito.

I would recommend this book because it is a really good book to read and it does not go all over the place like, for example one chapter is in Gabi's house and then another chapter is in space. It also teaches a good lesson. I think kids from 7-12 might like to read this book because it is really interesting and easy to follow. I would also recommend the Junie B. Jone's books because they have the same idea of this book and they are good books just like this one was. (March, 2004)