Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Everyone’s a suspect when someone leaves Gabby a mean social media comment. As the youngest member of a student environmental club known as the Sea Musketeers, 9-year-old Gabby Torres is eager to stand out, and she decides that starting a social media account for the group is just the ticket. The others are encouraging, but Gabby’s worried parents lay down some guidelines for online safety. Her best friends, Kat and Priya, who also hope to join the Sea Musketeers, are supportive, but Gabby makes a mess of things. Kat and Priya are upset when the test to join the Sea Musketeers proves harder than they realized, Gabby ends up breaking her parents’ social media rules, and, when she notices a rude anonymous comment on the club’s page, she begins to levy accusations against everyone around her. Short paragraphs of text are mixed with traditional comic art. Zippy cartoon illustrations adeptly convey emotions, while ample white space and simple backgrounds keep the focus on the endearingly earnest protagonist. Set in the same world as Dominguez’s Stella Díaz series, the tale offers a nuanced and compassionate depiction of forgiveness as Gabby works to make amends and realizes that making a mistake can be an opportunity to learn and grow. Gabby is biracial (her mother presents white, while her father is Mexican American), and Spanish words are occasionally used; Kat appears white; Priya is Indian American. A gently edifying and wholly genuine depiction of a young person navigating relationships.(Graphic/fiction hybrid. 7-9) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Exuberant nine-year-old Gabby Torres volunteers to start a social media account for her ocean-conservation club, the Sea Musketeers, to prove her maturity to its older members. Though her parents are initially wary, they ultimately agree to let her run the account under their strict supervision and with limited access. Gabby is excited to learn about hashtags, promote the club's mission, and score new followers, but after she receives a rude comment from an anonymous account, she begins to view everyone -- from friends to family members to teachers -- as potential culprits. As her accusations intensify and her desire to identify the commenter drives her to break her parents' rules, Gabby finds that her desperation is alienating those around her and distracting her from her good intentions. Dominguez has created an instantly endearing protagonist in Gabby: though she still has growth to undergo, her zeal feels wholly natural in a preteen whose enthusiasm for a cause and desire for acceptance override her common sense. Gabby's close relationship with her Mexican American family provides an affectionate, grounding presence. While the story is not without its messages, it's also charmingly funny. Vignette illustrations and/or comics panels on every page depict Gabby's imaginative perception of the world (e.g., she assumes "Miss Information" is a woman who spreads fabrications online). Gabby's future exploits are sure to have followers -- though maybe not quite a billion. (c) Copyright 2025. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.