What do you think?
Rate this book
Life in the Gumball Machine
Life in the Gumball Machine is a story of great adventure and fun when three friends, Daisy, Patrick, and Michael, find an abandoned gumball machine hidden in an old shed. After they are magically transported up and into the gumball machine, they encounter a beautiful world of color and amazing gumball people who take the children on the ride of a lifetime.
- GenresFantasy
100 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 24, 2012
18 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Maureen Bartone
6 books4 followersNOW AVAILABLE!
PAYNE Avenue, A Dark Psychological Thriller by M.T. Bartone
This one is NOT for kids!
Maureen Bartone is a multi-genre author of fiction for children and adults.
Her latest release, PAYNE Avenue, is a dark psychological thriller for adults and written under the pseudonym M.T. Bartone.
Maureen is also the author of three children’s fantasy-and-magic chapter books under her name, Maureen Bartone.
“Tilly's Top-Secret Trapdoor,” is a NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS FINALIST in the Pre-Teen Fiction category. It tells the story of ten-year old Tilly, who has trouble making friends. Tilly loves to daydream, and in most of her dreams, she’s the most popular girl in school. It’s not a dream though, when one night, she finds a magic trapdoor hidden under her bed. She decides to check it out and soon finds herself in a secret world where she begins an adventure of magic and fun, unaware of the danger she is about to face.
Maureen’s book, “Life in the Gumball Machine” is a story about ten-year old Daisy, and her two friends, Michael, and Patrick. The three kids never imagined that a dusty old gumball machine could make them shrink small enough to be sucked inside. Once they are up inside the gumball machine, the tiny children meet two talking gumballs, and their adventure inside the magic gumball machine begins!
The sequel, "Life in the Gumball Machine-Vinnie and Gordy's Return," reunites Daisy, Michael, and Patrick in their quest to help their little gumball pals, Vinnie and Gordy, return safely to their home inside the gumball machine. The kids and Vinnie and Gordy quickly learn that the real world is a dangerous place for two tiny gumball people and keeping them safe would not be as easy as they'd thought.
Maureen Bartone is a St. Paul native and currently resides in the Twin Cities with her husband.
PAYNE Avenue, A Dark Psychological Thriller by M.T. Bartone
This one is NOT for kids!
Maureen Bartone is a multi-genre author of fiction for children and adults.
Her latest release, PAYNE Avenue, is a dark psychological thriller for adults and written under the pseudonym M.T. Bartone.
Maureen is also the author of three children’s fantasy-and-magic chapter books under her name, Maureen Bartone.
“Tilly's Top-Secret Trapdoor,” is a NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS FINALIST in the Pre-Teen Fiction category. It tells the story of ten-year old Tilly, who has trouble making friends. Tilly loves to daydream, and in most of her dreams, she’s the most popular girl in school. It’s not a dream though, when one night, she finds a magic trapdoor hidden under her bed. She decides to check it out and soon finds herself in a secret world where she begins an adventure of magic and fun, unaware of the danger she is about to face.
Maureen’s book, “Life in the Gumball Machine” is a story about ten-year old Daisy, and her two friends, Michael, and Patrick. The three kids never imagined that a dusty old gumball machine could make them shrink small enough to be sucked inside. Once they are up inside the gumball machine, the tiny children meet two talking gumballs, and their adventure inside the magic gumball machine begins!
The sequel, "Life in the Gumball Machine-Vinnie and Gordy's Return," reunites Daisy, Michael, and Patrick in their quest to help their little gumball pals, Vinnie and Gordy, return safely to their home inside the gumball machine. The kids and Vinnie and Gordy quickly learn that the real world is a dangerous place for two tiny gumball people and keeping them safe would not be as easy as they'd thought.
Maureen Bartone is a St. Paul native and currently resides in the Twin Cities with her husband.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 5, 2019
Daisy (daughter/sister) was called a tomboy because she hung out with Michael & Patrick.
Joe (13, Daisy’s older brother) liked to pick on her, where Sammie (8, Daisy’s younger brother) could be a tag-along.
Violet Hanson (10, daughter, 4th grader) & her family had just moved in the neighborhood.
It was Daisy’s birthday.
Daisy (4th grader), Michael (10, 4th grader) & Patrick (11, 4th grader) come across an abandoned cave.
1-day, the 3 of them found a life-sized dusty old gumball machine with 1,000’s of colorful gumballs inside it.
They began to put nickel’s in the slot.
There were houses on Pink St., Blue St., Red St., Green St., & Yellow St.
Gordy Gumble (son/brother) & Vinnie Gumba welcomed them to Gumball World.
Who else will they meet?
How will Daisy, Michael, & Patrick get back home.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great colored pictures & proper font & writing style. A very well written MS-age adventure story book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great MS-age adventure movie, an animated cartoon, or better yet a mini TV series. To be continued. It wasn’t as exciting as I hoped so I will only rate it at 3/5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; BookZio; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
Joe (13, Daisy’s older brother) liked to pick on her, where Sammie (8, Daisy’s younger brother) could be a tag-along.
Violet Hanson (10, daughter, 4th grader) & her family had just moved in the neighborhood.
It was Daisy’s birthday.
Daisy (4th grader), Michael (10, 4th grader) & Patrick (11, 4th grader) come across an abandoned cave.
1-day, the 3 of them found a life-sized dusty old gumball machine with 1,000’s of colorful gumballs inside it.
They began to put nickel’s in the slot.
There were houses on Pink St., Blue St., Red St., Green St., & Yellow St.
Gordy Gumble (son/brother) & Vinnie Gumba welcomed them to Gumball World.
Who else will they meet?
How will Daisy, Michael, & Patrick get back home.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great colored pictures & proper font & writing style. A very well written MS-age adventure story book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great MS-age adventure movie, an animated cartoon, or better yet a mini TV series. To be continued. It wasn’t as exciting as I hoped so I will only rate it at 3/5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; BookZio; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
June 4, 2019
Cute story with a sequel lead-in ending.
April 4, 2013
Cute kids book
August 15, 2016
It was pretty good.
I think it would have been better if it was longer and if it told how the children got the gum balls back to their home. It was a good story though.
I think it would have been better if it was longer and if it told how the children got the gum balls back to their home. It was a good story though.
April 9, 2017
An interesting chapter book targeted for readers in the seven to eleven year age range. On her tenth birthday, Daisy goes for a bike ride with her two best fourth grade friends, Patrick and Michael. Daisy is often considered a tomboy, but one thing her two friends have never persuaded her to do is to play football. When the three friends pause to investigate an old shed, they discover an abandoned gumball machine. Daisy decides that she must have one so she deposits a coin. Soon the machine rumbles and sucks all three of them inside. Little do they realize the adventure awaiting them inside.
Bartone uses lots of human and kid friendly dialogue to describe how the three humans shrink and meet the gumball people and their exciting world. Our three human friends will discover that outside appearance matters little, the real person is wrapped inside. Daisy will experience that football game and face her hidden fears. Lessons learned include how we behave and what we do are a lot more important than how we look.
Daisy is looking forward to her birthday party that afternoon, but things are looking grim that the three friends will free themselves from the gumball world and return to their normal size. The only way to escape is for another person to come along and discover that abandoned candy machine. That does not appear to be a likely possibility. Will the three friends keep their cool and figure out a way to return home? What will happen to their newly found gumball friends? How will Patrick, Michael and Daisy's lives be changed forever?
The plot of this middle grade chapter book is simple and the text straightforward with enough excitement, surprises and humor to keep the reader entertained and the advice from becoming preachy. A surprise near the end sets the scene for a new adventure. Recommended for children in grades two through six.
Bartone uses lots of human and kid friendly dialogue to describe how the three humans shrink and meet the gumball people and their exciting world. Our three human friends will discover that outside appearance matters little, the real person is wrapped inside. Daisy will experience that football game and face her hidden fears. Lessons learned include how we behave and what we do are a lot more important than how we look.
Daisy is looking forward to her birthday party that afternoon, but things are looking grim that the three friends will free themselves from the gumball world and return to their normal size. The only way to escape is for another person to come along and discover that abandoned candy machine. That does not appear to be a likely possibility. Will the three friends keep their cool and figure out a way to return home? What will happen to their newly found gumball friends? How will Patrick, Michael and Daisy's lives be changed forever?
The plot of this middle grade chapter book is simple and the text straightforward with enough excitement, surprises and humor to keep the reader entertained and the advice from becoming preachy. A surprise near the end sets the scene for a new adventure. Recommended for children in grades two through six.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews