(Resuming my Cybils reviews!)
Of all the books I’ve had to read for round 2 judging of the Cybils, “Roller Girl” by Victoria Jamieson is the closest to my heart, and I am so happy it came out on top after deliberations and ended up winning the Cybils for graphic novel, in the middle grade category.
In “Roller Girl, it’s the summer before sixth grade, and Astrid is a twelve year-old girl with too much on her plate: a falling out with her best friend, who suddenly doesn’t want to hang out with her anymore; the discovery of a new sport: roller derby, which fascinated her enough to sign up for derby camp (except it turns out she totally sucks at roller derby); and keeping it all from her mom (because how do you tell your mom these things?).
I started the book in a coffee shop in between meetings, and I was unable to put it down — it was that good — and I was bawling my eyes out by the time I finished.
I love, love, love Astrid’s character because she comes across as a real person, and you really feel what she’s going through. This book really zeroes in on all those growing pains, like losing friends and having to make new ones; fighting with your mom; or wanting something so bad and working your tail off, and still not getting it. Reading this brought back all those emotional roller coasters of adolescence, and it’s heartwarming without being cutesy, and I thought that was one of the successes of this book.
The plot and pacing of the book trace Astrid’s growth in a realistic but compelling manner — she starts out being overwhelmed by everything that’s going on in her life: her fierce emotions, run-ins with her ex-best friend, constant subterfuge from her mom, and dealing with the consequences of her actions. Astrid finds that growing up isn’t easy, and learns a few more things along the way, like sucking it up and carrying on to finish what you’ve started, that friendships don’t define your identity, and that self-doubt won’t get you anywhere (Tougher. Stronger. Fearless!).
It’s a great story, and the visual narrative just hits it out of the park for me. The varying panel sizes and the changing angles sustain make it visually interesting, and I’m not normally fond of sports-themed stories but “Roller Girl” successfully sells roller derby to me, while retaining its comic appeal and whimsy. I love how it explains the mechanics of the sport (from hip checking to jamming, down to protective gear, the war face and derby names!) and conveys so much action, even in 2D.
I’d definitely recommend this for tween readers — I just hope our local bookstores stock copies of this wonderful book. Considering this was a Newbery honor book and a NYT Bestseller, I couldn’t find a copy of it anywhere and had to get it on Kindle (where it was cheapest) instead. I’d still love to get this in print, though, so hopefully I can track down a copy soon.
***
Roller Girl, 5/5 stars
***
P.S. I’ve decided my roller derby name is Ka-blooey!
P.P.S. If you loved this, you’ll also love the film ‘Whip It’ starring Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Wiig and Juliette Lewis (originally recommended to me by my friend Shani). It’s for a slightly older audience, based on a YA novel by Shauna Cross — I’m trying to find a copy so I can read it, too!
