Book Review - Roller Girl

Roller Girl

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson is about a girl named Astrid.  Astrid and her best friend, Nicole, have always been in sync, but this summer they have chosen different activities.  Astrid decides to sign up for roller derby and Nicole signs up for dance camp.  Astrid finds herself in the middle of a very difficult summer.  She begins the summer by lying to her mother about Nicole joining the same camp.  She also has to find a way to deal with another girl coming between her and Nicole and the anger that she feels.  Jamieson does a great job of showing of the learning curve that comes with trying something new, finding new friends and figuring out a way to preserve old relationships.  Astrid shows how tough she really is by working each week to make the team.  Roller derby is no joke and it takes more than just physical toughness.  Astrid makes a new friend and learns about the differences in relationships.  Astrid learns to forgive Nicole for their problems this past summer.  Also, you get the feeling Nicole develops a new level of respect for Astrid, but the books ends with both girls still going their separate ways with a newfound respect. This story shows how sometimes in difficult situations, we learn to persevere, but also change for the better. 

Victorian Jamieson creates a great graphic novel that engages readers of all ages.  I think this would be a great book for students beginning at middle grades.  This story mirrors contemporary issues that adolescents have to work through.  The youthful protagonist, Astrid, faces a significant change in her life, as she learns to navigate new experiences.  Being a young girl and dealing with the drama of friendships is difficult.  This realistic fiction book allows readers to read about similar experiences or ones that could be coming up in the future.  I know that as I read Roller Girl, I completely enjoyed the story, but found myself choosing sides between the girls.  The other enjoyable quality of this book was the fact that it did not end happily ever after.  I think the book teaches readers that sometimes things do not always end up perfectly.  While reading this story, it made me think of Drama by Raina Telgemeier.  There are a variety of similarities in learning to deal with relationships.

Jamieson, V. (2015). Roller girl. NY, NY: Scholastic, Inc.