Gum Girl 4: Music, Mischief and Mayhem!
#4 in Gum Girl Series
on Goodreads (9)
What’s inside...
The town of Catastrophe faces challenges from three unique villains causing chaos. The first villain, a mime artist, casts a balloon of silence over the town, erasing all noise, which prompts the superhero Gum Girl to intervene. Next, Pigment Princess arrives, draining color from everything in sight as she aims to control the color scheme of the town, and once again, Gum Girl must stop her. Lastly, during a Fancy Dress Day, an ex-counterfeiter turned clone named Stick Man attempts to erase individuality among the citizens. Gum Girl intervenes to thwart his plans and restore order to the town.
Discussion points
What do you think Grace (Gum Girl) feels when she's trying to solve problems in her city? Can you relate to those feelings?
How do Grace’s actions help her friends and city? What can we learn from her about helping others?
If you had Gum Girl’s abilities for a day, what would you do and why?
Music and mischief play a big role in this book. How do they add fun and excitement to the story?
Can you think of a time when you turned a challenging situation into a fun adventure, like Grace does?
Tip: Role play these questions
Encourage your child to express their thoughts and emotions about Grace’s experiences in the story. Relate the themes of friendship and responsibility back to their own life, asking how they might handle similar situations. Use the music and mischief elements from the book to craft a playful, imaginative atmosphere during your discussion.
Key lessons
Example Lesson: The importance of teamwork
Explanation: In 'Gum Girl 4: Music, Mischief and Mayhem!', the protagonist, Gum Girl, works together with her friends to resolve the chaotic events caused by the villain. Through collaboration, they overcome obstacles and restore harmony.
Real-World Application: Children can learn to value working with others to achieve common goals whether in school projects, sports, or family activities.
Example Lesson: Responsibility and consequences
Explanation: The story illustrates the consequences of the villain's actions and how they disrupt the community. Gum Girl demonstrates responsibility by taking initiative to fix the problems.
Real-World Application: This teaches children that their actions have impacts and encourages them to take responsibility in their everyday decisions.
Example Lesson: Creativity and problem-solving
Explanation: Gum Girl uses her creativity to come up with innovative solutions to the problems caused by the villain's mischief.
Real-World Application: It encourages children to think outside the box and use creativity to solve problems they encounter in school or at home.
Example Lesson: The value of perseverance
Explanation: Throughout the book, Gum Girl faces numerous challenges but she persistently pushes forward and does not give up despite setbacks.
Real-World Application: This can inspire children to keep trying and not be discouraged by failure, teaching them perseverance in challenging tasks or learning new skills.
Example Lesson: Respect for diversity
Explanation: Gum Girl 4 showcases a diverse cast of characters, each bringing their unique abilities to the table, highlighting the strength in diversity.
Real-World Application: Children learn to appreciate and respect individual differences and understand that everyone has unique contributions to make in a group setting.