Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

 

Roller Girl

by Victoria Jamieson

Texas Bluebonnet List

Summary:

        Roller Girl is about twelve-year-old Astrid in the summer before she enters junior high. She and her longtime best friend, Nicole, attend a local roller derby game, which sparks a desire in Astrid to be a roller girl, and she signs up for the roller derby kid's camp taking place that summer. The only issue is, Nicole doesn't want to participate. The novel centers around Astrid finding her lack of roller derby skills devastating and the unraveling of her friendship. 

Justification:

        Girls love reading about other girls in sports. While the girl in sports genre is growing, there still isn't nearly enough representation. This is a great one for girl athletes in general, but obviously those in roller derby especially. Sports aside, there is a lot of discovery in this novel. Astrid learns what it is like to be new, how to struggle, and when you need to put in the work to get where you want to go (and when to take a break). 

Illustrations:

        The art style is adorable and adds to the childlike nature of Astrid. She is a young 12, still disgusted by boys and girly things in the way that some young girls are. I loved the amount of detail in the panels, especially regarding the hair of each character. Everyone's hair was perfectly designed to match their personality in a very endearing way.

Setting:

        The main setting of this novel is the roller rink. Though the rink itself doesn't have a lot of memorable detail, it allows the brightness of the characters to shine. It functions in the way it should without much else to say about it, which is perfect for this sort of novel. Another setting I particularly liked was the gas station store that Astrid stops at on her way home from practice. The store starts out as a strange place but as she gets more and more familiar with it, the design shifts to one that feels more homey. 

Characters:

        The characters in this novel are adorable and realistic. My favorite relationship in the novel was that of Astrid and her best friend, Nicole. Throughout the novel they argue, they make up, but they don't necessarily go right back to where they were. The reader gets the idea that though there isn't bad blood between them, they likely won't be attached at the hip anymore, or maybe not even casual friends, and that is okay. Especially as a kid, sometimes friendships just fall apart due to maturing and losing interest in the same things. 

Jamieson, V. (2020). Roller girl. Dial Books for Young Readers.