The Secret Order of The Gumm Street Girls - Characters

Characters

• Franny Muggs: lives at #3 Gumm Street and is known for her creative ideas such as anti-zombie spray and cartwheel school. She thoroughly admires the well-known adventurers, Amelia Earhart and Sir Edmund Hillary and even has a calendar displaying Earhart’s famous quote, “Adventure is worthwhile in itself.” The curious wannabe-explorer often surveys the neighborhood with her binoculars at the top of her “wedding cake” house. In Sherbet Academy, she is in “Liverwurst” and expresses feelings of animosity towards those in “Tuna-on-Rye.” Franny is the only child of parents, Babe and Angus Muggs. Throughout the novel, Franny shows her quick-thinking and bravery numerous times in her quest to help her newfound friend, Ivy Diamond.

• Ivy Diamond: At the beginning of the story, Ivy Diamond and her mother Pearl Diamond move to the decrepit, decomposing house of #5 Gumm Street. This is only one of many moves the Diamond family had to undergo in a futile attempt to escape Ivy’s seven-year Jinx. The Jinx first appeared after a mirror shattering and the disappearance of Ivy’s father. With this event occurring, Ivy has been plagued with unfortunate incidences. Despite her grim past, she has high hopes for her new life in Sherbet: befriending Franny Muggs, expiration of the Jinx, and taking piano lessons at Mr. Staccato’s. However, with the strange letter of her Aunt V in mind and the appearance of Cha Cha, Ivy’s plans for a new beginning take a turn for the worse (or better). Tenacity and friends are what help Ivy in her strange quest of silver shoes and wicked witches.

• Prudence Gumm: lives at #1 Gumm Street and spends her time making up Safety Tips (her favorite being Safety Tip #9: Look before you leap) and lounging under the covers with her favorite fuzzy sweater and books. She’s the only daughter of Patience and Judge Gumm. Throughout the book, Pru appears to be the classic “scaredy cat” character. The only reason she even considers helping Ivy in time of need is because she doesn’t want to look cowardly in front of long-time rival, Cat Lemonjello. While both Franny and Pru seem to have disdain for Cat (as well as each other), it’s clear she and Cat have a more of a personal history mostly due to their previous friendship. Even though Pru’s wit shines through at times in the story, she feels she’s not appreciated by the other girls’. However, her character develops into someone who is brave and takes initiative. This is most prominent when she volunteers to pick up villainous Bling-Bling’s vitamins in a dark, underground cavern called Spudz.

• Cat Lemonjello: resides at #2 Gumm Street with parents Lenny and Lynette and her ten brothers, River, Chakra, Dylan, Lennon, OM, Skye, Storm, Ziggy, Bowie and Jagger. The Lemonjello family makes their home in a giant tree house with solitary structures on various branches that serve as the children’s rooms. Cat spends her time doing cartwheels and other outdoor activities. She also enjoys consulting the I Ching in time of need. Cat is the 11th child of the 11th child. This extraordinary fact is said to be the alleged cause of her ESP. While this is often questioned by others (even Cat herself) in the novel, Cat sees things that others don’t. For example, she spots Ivy’s Jinx on the first day of meeting her as well as conjuring a wizard. In the story, Cat is perceived as a know-it-all and self-proclaims her title as Mr. Staccato’s best student. Despite these supercilious characteristics, her cleverness and talent made an obvious contribution in helping solve Ivy’s predicament.