Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

Summary: Astrid's classmate saves her from being humiliated by a bully and instantly becomes her best friend for life, or so she thinks.  12 year old Astrid faces many changes as she loses her best friend to the very bully that used to torment her and she embarks on a new summer adventure alone......roller derby.  Her initial excitement about roller derby is crushed when she soon discovers her roller skating skills are not up to par.  Will she be able to improve her skills and make new friends at roller derby?  Read, Roller Girl!

My Impression:  This graphic novel teachers young girls a great lesson about finding themselves and appreciating other despite their differences.  I would recommend this for 5th grade and up.  Astrid refers to childhood nickname, "Ass-turd."  Fellow students ask her if she is on drugs because she colors her hair to take on the roller derby role, and the girls are boy crazy (awaiting a kiss on a ferris wheel).  That being said, I enjoyed this book and think it is great for students who are mature enough to handle the content.

Recommendations: Any  Raina Telgemeier graphic novel, Dork Diaries by Rachel Russell

Reviews:

Booklist (March 1, 2015 (Vol. 111, No. 13))

Grades 4-8. Almost-middle-schooler Astrid (“Ass-Turd” to the mean girls) just isn’t interested in the kinds of things everyone else is. Her BFF Nicole likes boys and ballet and the color pink, but Astrid’s new obsession is tough, fast-paced Roller Derby. She thinks she and Nicole can spend their summer together at junior Roller Derby camp, but Nicole opts instead for ballet camp with Astrid’s archnemesis. And when it turns out that Astrid isn’t quite the Roller Derby prodigy she had hoped to be (she can barely master falling!), it seems both her summer and the impending start of junior high will be disasters. The bright, detailed, and colorful illustrations convey Astrid’s scrappy personality while also focusing on the high-contact aspect of Roller Derby: the girls hip check and elbow one another right out of the panels. While learning the game, Astrid learns how to be a friend and, maybe, that not all friendships are forever. A touching look at the ups and downs of following one’s dreams, in addition to introducing readers to a relatively unknown sport.

 

"Roller Girl." Rev. of Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson. Booklist. 1 March 2015. Web. 16 May 2016.

Horn Book Magazine (March/April, 2015)

When Astrid's best friend Nicole starts harping on ballet, fashion, and dating, Astrid is left behind (read: not interested). She's behind on the roller derby track, too, where she's signed up for summer boot camp even though she can't do a crossover to save her life or skate five seconds without disaster. Practice makes better, and Astrid's skills and cred build with every bruise and scrape. Coaches, teammates, and celebrity roller Rainbow Bite cheer Astrid on as she faces the challenges of derby as well as tweendom -- including mean-girl moments, changing friendships, and the worst of the worst: clothes shopping with Mom. When the time comes for her big end-of-summer bout, "Asteroid" is blue-haired, brimming with confidence, and ready to roll. This graphic novel also serves as a surprisingly informative derby primer. Jamieson's dialogue captures coming-of-age within a subculture so authentically that readers will forgive the art's occasional inconsistencies in draftsmanship. The comics format is used resourcefully, with the artist occasionally placing Astrid before exaggerated, out-of-this-world backdrops (a desert on a long, hot walk home, for instance) and pausing action to address readers directly. Tweens and young teens will identify with Astrid's journey to find her unique voice in the world and derby name on the track. Have it at the ready for Telgemeier fans racing to find something new. elisa gall

 

Gall, Elisa. Rev. of Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson. March/April 2015. Web. 16 May 2016.

 

Kirkus Reviews starred (December 15, 2014)

One summer changes everything for two 12-year-old girls whose friendship is tested when their interests--and attitudes--diverge.Astrid and Nicole have been BFFs truly forever. When the girls go to the roller derby one night, Astrid is immediately hooked and jumps at the chance to attend a roller-derby camp, skating alongside the tough, dyed girls. Nicole, however, who's passionate about ballet, decides not to follow along with Astrid, creating the first real rift the girls have known. The two quickly make new friends in their new circles: Astrid with her roller-derby cohorts and Nicole with the popular ballet crowd. As Astrid navigates the rough-and-tumble sport she's fallen in love with (and the bumps and bruises that come with it), she must also deal with what happens when friends just stop being friends and grow apart. Jamieson captures this snapshot of preteen angst with a keenly decisive eye, brilliantly juxtaposing the nuances of roller derby with the twists and turns of adolescent girls' friendships. Clean, bright illustrations evince the familiar emotions and bring the pathos to life in a way that text alone could not. Fans of Raina Telgemeier or Jimmy Gownley's Amelia series should certainly skate on over to this gem. Full of charm and moxie--don't let this one roll past. (Graphic fiction. 9-13)

 

"Roller Girl." Rev. of Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson. 15 December 2014. Web. 16 May 2015.