Angela Dominguez’s newest illustrated novel follows nine-year-old Gabby Torres, a passionate fourth-grader determined to make a difference through her Sea Musketeers club. Inspired by environmental activism and eager to prove her maturity, Gabby ventures into the world of social media to raise awareness for her cause. But when online trolls surface and she hides her actions from her parents, things quickly spiral out of control.

This thoughtful, age-appropriate story explores the allure and hazards of the digital world through the lens of a relatable, enthusiastic protagonist. Gabby’s missteps—borne of ambition, not malice—highlight important themes like responsibility, friendship, and learning from failure. Dominguez balances humor and heart with well-paced illustrations that make the story engaging for younger middle-grade readers.

Rather than offering an overly moralistic tone, the book encourages conversation about digital boundaries and emotional maturity. Gabby’s journey is messy and imperfect, but ultimately honest—an accessible and relevant read for today’s young readers navigating both their values and their screens.

Book Title: Gabby Torres Gets a Billion Followers
Author: Angela Dominguez
Genre / Age Range: Contemporary fiction with humor / Middle grade (ages 8–12)
Read-Aloud or Independent Read: Independent read or read-aloud with discussion

What My Young Readers Thought
Ages: 8 and 10
Favorite part:
8-year-old: Loved the fun, fast-paced plot and the idea of becoming famous online—she connected with Gabby’s excitement and energy.
10-year-old: Didn’t connect as much—felt a bit young or exaggerated for her taste.
What made them laugh (or gasp or cry): The absurdity of Gabby’s quest and some of the things she tried for attention made the 8-year-old laugh a lot.
What stuck with them after reading: For the 8-year-old: that followers aren’t the same as friends, and it’s okay to be yourself.
Would they read a sequel or recommend it to friends? The 8-year-old would! The 10-year-old might pass, unless a friend was interested.

What I Thought as a Parent
Quality of writing and storytelling: Clever and approachable, with strong pacing and an entertaining voice.
Themes or topics worth discussing: Social media pressure, online vs. real-life identity, attention vs. connection, family support.
Content notes (if any): None—handles social media themes responsibly and accessibly.
Educational or emotional value: High in terms of teaching digital awareness without being preachy.
What I appreciated most: The book creates a great opportunity to talk about what it means to be seen and valued—and how online fame isn't the same as meaningful relationships.

Quick Impressions
Fun and engagement: High for younger readers, mixed for older ones
Writing quality: Energetic and fun, with some smart commentary
Relatability and themes: Very relevant for today's kids, especially those starting to notice or use social media
Age appropriateness: Great for ages 7–10
Re-readability: Likely for the 8-year-old; not for the 10-year-old

Would We Recommend It?
Overall impression: Yes—for younger middle grade readers curious about digital life
Who we think would enjoy it: Kids fascinated by YouTube, TikTok, or social media culture—even if they’re not using it yet
Best time or setting to read it: At the beginning of a conversation about online presence, or when introducing ideas like attention vs. authenticity
Perfect for fans of: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Click’d by Tamara Ireland Stone, or The Next Great Jane by K.L. Going

Gabby Torres, like most elementary school kids, has an obsession with receiving likes on her posts. As a member of the school’s environmental protection club, Gabby strives to bring awareness to her peers about protecting earth and to provide ways of how to do so. However this goal of bringing awareness became out of hand when Gabby starts to disobey her parents’ want for her not to be on social media due to her young age; the situation even cost her her friends. Like most adolescence books, Gabby learns that social media is not everything and what matters most is having a healthy balance between working on social media contents and being involved in life goals.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy for review!

There are so many reasons this book will be recommended time and time again to my students
-the character lives in the Chicago area like we do!
-the crossover with Stella Diaz will make readers want to read both series
-love the format-chapter book and graphics for our middle grade readers?! Yes please!

This was really cute. I loved how passionate Gabby was about her environmental club and how she learned about the dangers of social media.

Gabby Torres, a friend of Stella Diaz, decides the Sea Musketeers needs to have a social media presence. With the help of her parents and a set of rules, Gabby sets up an account for her environmental club. When Gabby stumbles on a negative comment, she is bound and determined to find out who wrote that comment. She alienates her friends trying to get to the bottom of this mystery.

What Worked for Me:
-Talking about how to use social media appropriately at a young age is such an important conversation for readers to see! I loved how Gabby's parents were involved in the whole process, modeling appropriate social media use for Gabby. Their rules were very acceptable even if Gabby didn't always agree with them.
-The fact that Gabby loves the Sea Musketeers so much was endearing to see. We need more young people who are willing to get involved in issues they care about!
-I think fans of Stella Diaz are going to love this new series! I love seeing spinoff series based on characters I have already grown attached to.

What Didn't Work for Me:
-This was written for an audience much younger than what I typically read. I could tell it was written for lower elementary aged readers and that turned me off from the book. I am not the right audience for this book, and I fully admit that. It lacked the depth I wanted from a graphic novel.
-I didn't love how this book was a mix between a traditional book and graphic novel. I think it some cases it works but I wanted more of a graphic novel vibe for this book.
-The title of this book is completely misleading. I kept waiting for the billion followers part and it never happened. Yes, it's hyperbole, but I also think a different title would have worked better.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press, and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

While this was not one of my favorite reads, the style of writing will resonate with students. A mix of color illustrations and text, similar to the Emmie series by Terri Leibson, students more comfortable with graphic novels will find comfort in this book. A lot of great themes were covered, I'm just the wrong age. Proper use of social media, pitfalls of sneaking around, friendships, unfounded accusations, and general growing up are all touched on.

i could see this book doing numbers with the pre-teen crowd. I used to love books like this at that age. it's relateable and very interactive by not being full on graphic novel, but not full novel. Kinda a nice intro into both honestly.

This was a fantastic chapter book that creatively teaches kids about online/social media safety in a way that isn’t condescending. Gabby is a fun and funny character that readers will want to see in future stories.

Looking for a great book to help your kids learn about online social media safety? This is a fantastic choice!

The story follows a girl who wants to run a social media page for her club, but after seeing a negative comment, things start to spiral. As she navigates the challenges of online interactions, she learns valuable lessons about friendship and the importance of not taking everything posted online too seriously.

It’s an engaging and insightful read that teaches kids about digital responsibility in a relatable way. Highly recommended!

actually, Gabby Torres did NOT get a billion of followers. But she did learn about social media responsibility and awareness. she also learned about the nature of internet trolls the hard way. i love how this book is using diary entries format and truly felt like something that 9 years old would write. it has an innocent but enthusiastic tones about the narrative. recommended for little kids who start to get curious about social media.

In GABBY TORRES GETS A BILLION FOLLOWERS, Gabby is the youngest member of the Sea Musketeers club, a group of students who want to protect oceans. Having watched her mom do social media content for her bookstore, Gabby is convinced she can use social media to promote the club and share content to support its mission. She presents the idea to the group and becomes the group’s social media manager. Her parents are initially opposed to Gabby being on social media but eventually they relent as long as Gabby agrees to follow their rules. Gabby dives in headfirst, excited about her role and watching the follower number grow. When she encounters a negative comment, she becomes obsessed with trying to figure out who is behind it, leading her to break her promises to her parents.

The highly illustrated book provides a relatable story about the challenges of social media for elementary readers. Along the way, Gabby also learns some important lessons about friendship. Fans of the author’s Stella Diaz series will enjoy this one—especially when they realize Stella is the president of the club. With its pairing of humor, environmental activism, and social media pitfalls alongside plenty of colorful illustrations, the book will appeal to many elementary grade readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing an eARC of the book with me.

This was really fun. There is a great message about the dangers of social media, and ways kids can make change. I liked the mixed format of traditional comic panels and — how would you describe them? almost like a journal with illustrations. I also appreciated the message about being a good friend. Lots of good stuff in this one!

Very cute book, I enjoyed the storyline, I believe my daughters will enjoy this. I bought a copy for them on Amazon! I love the integration of Spanish words and culture. I also enjoyed the illustrations. Overall great book for kids!

Gabby Torres does not get a billion followers... but she does get on social media for the first time when she starts a page for her environmental club. Definitely aimed at younger readers, but a nice introduction to the world of the internet & social media.
Thanks for NetGalley for an advance copy of this book!

This was a great start to a new middle grade series. I’d say it’s geared more toward the younger end and is a cross between graphic novel and early chapter book. I enjoyed the diverse cast of characters. There was plenty of humor paired with life lessons. And it was very well illustrated. Thank you to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for this arc.

Gabby Torres Gets a Billion Followers is a fantastic read for the younger middle grade crowd! It is highly illustrated, but not quite a graphic novel. I really enjoyed the illustrations, and found Gabby to be a delightful character. I loved how passionate she was... and how impatient lol. I definitely related from my younger days. This is a great way to talk about social media, and its dangers with the kiddos.

Thanks to NetGalley, Angela Dominguez, and Macmillan Children's for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own!

Gabby Torres feels that she is a very mature nine year old, and therefore can mix with older kids, at the Sea Musketeers Club, for protecting the ocean life. She wants to spread the word about the club and what it does, and feels the best way is social media. Her parents say that as long as she is doing it with them watching, she can.

And you know where this is going. She breaks the rule, and gets obsessed with trolls that put her and her club down. She thinks, that like Harriet the Spy, that if she asks enough questions, she can figure out who said the mean things. In doing so, she alienates all her friends.

It is a cute beginning to what looks as though it will be a series of adventures. It is also a good tale of what can go wrong when kids get into social media too much.

I did like how it wasn’t only about that, though. That his was also about her trying to learn how to cook, so she would have gifts to give out, or sell to raise money for her sea group. Makes for a more rounded character.

Although this book is listed as middle grade, it is almost an early chapter book, so it might be good for younger middle grade. After all Gabby is only in the fourth grade, and middle grade starts in the sixth grade.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out on the 14th of January 2025.

Gabby is a great character, and her story is fun and informative. The artwork is nice, but I did find that, overall, I never quite warmed up to her and was always just. a bit off put by how she dove into things without considering the consequences. And yes, I get that it was likely age appropriate behaviour, but I really didn't like how she treated people and how she justified everything she did that was wrong.

That being said, Gabby's first experience with social media does serve to teach an important lesson about how social media can be both powerful and hurtful. Becoming obsessed with it the way Gabby does is a way for the negatives of social media to be presented without diving into the more scary aspects for young readers. There were lessons aplenty in this book, including how to be a good friend. I'm just not sure that, by the end, Gabby truly learned them or learned them the right way. I kind of feel like she stepped back from social media completely rather than learned how to be responsible with it, and the baking thing drove me a little nuts because she still kept forging ahead. Does no one use a recipe?!

All in all, a good way for an elementary schooler to understand about social media risks and to initiate a conversation for sure.

This was a great read and an important one for kids. Kids are often excited to venture into the world of social media, but are often not ready They also don't want to hear what their parents or teachers have to say about being on the Internet. Gabby Torres is a great way to communicate that information to kids in a fun, age-appropriate way. I teach fifth grade and this book may be a bit young for my students. They will still enjoy reading it though they likely won't get the message that's trying to be communicated. A definite must for an elementary school classroom.