Gabrielle Ford

Gabe and Izzy is the heart-warming story about a girl and her dog, and how they impacted the lives of thousands of people.
Gabrielle Ford grew up wanted to be a dancer, but at a young age was diagnosed with Friedreich's Ataxia. In middle school she began to lose her balance, and other students started to notice. Gabe fell victim to the all to common problem, bullying. The bullying became so severe that after high school, she refused to leave her mother's house for fear of being seen. Eventually, Gabe talks her mom into letting her buy a dog under one condition: Gabe would be responsible for taking care of this dog entirely. Little did they know, Izzy would be diagnosed with a similar disease as Gabe.

Together Gabe and her community fund raised for Izzy's surgeries, catching the attention of Animal Planet, who filmed a special of the two of them. From here, Gabe and Izzy began taking public speaking roles all of the country to speak to kids about bullying. This book is written with help from Sarah Thomson, and is written at the level for grades 6-12. There is a photo of Gabe and Izzy on the front cover, with a painted version of a library behind them. The first two pages have photos of Gabe and Izzy, alone and with a class full of students. The book begins with an introduction, dedicating this book to everyone who has experienced bullying. Following the introduction there is a Dear Reader section, where the author and Gabe explain why they wrote this book. There is the "Gabe and Izzy Anti-Bullying Pledge" before the book, and its website so the reader can join the fight against bullying. Throughout the book there are inserts explaining things such as Gabe's disease, bullying, coonhounds, and newspaper clippings. There are bright and colorful photos in the center of book, which allows the reader to see Gabe and Izzy, their families, and their public speaking events. Throughout the book there are messages from people that heard Gabe speak and how she changed their lives. The messages and inserts truly add value to this book. I would recommend this book for anyone grades 6th and above. This is an inspiring book, at times can be repetitive, but for a younger reader the repeated information may be useful.… (more)