Roller Girl

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jamieson, Victoria. 2015. Roller Girl. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 978-0803740167

PLOT SUMMARY

Astrid and Nicole, her best friend, have been best friends since kindergarten. Then one summer, Astrid decides to sign up for roller derby, after watching it for the first time and falling in love with it. Nicole isn’t interested and decides to go to dance camp. This will be the first time they do everything together. Adding to the problem, Nicole becomes friends with Rachel, whom Astrid does not like. On top of everything else, roller derby does not come naturally to Astrid. Will Astrid overcome her struggle with roller derby and gain her best friend back?

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Jamieson did an excellent job developing Astrid and Nicole’s friendship, which plays a big role in the plot of this story. She gives us a glimpse into the beginning of their friendship and the many things they enjoyed doing together. It helped create a picture of the closeness of their relationship. We see that Astrid is adventurous, as she is intrigued by the derby and decides to sign up for camp. On the other hand, we notice that Nicole does not seem enthusiastic about roller derby and she’s distracted by boys in the audience. Their friendship begins to change when Astrid assumes that Nicole will join her at derby camp. The reader can’t help but hurt for Astrid when she recounts the time that Nicole “saved her life” after she encounters a dead squirrel.

The author cleverly used different styles of text boxes to discern between the dialogue in the story and Astrid’s personal thoughts. This will help the readers follow the action in the story, but the amount of text might be too much for younger readers. With Astrid being in middle school, I think this book is better suited to older readers.

While at the roller derby camp, Astrid finds that she is not a natural at skating. She struggles to fit in with the girls, meanwhile her friendship with Nicole is on the rocks. She spends weeks at camp and still struggles. This is a great lesson about perseverance, as Astrid keeps trying and doesn’t give up. It was evident when Astrid compared herself to Lawrence of Arabia, struggling to survive the desert. The full color pages are eye catching and detailed. Jamieson was spot on when she created this unique story, incorporating roller derby. I am sure this book has inspired many readers to look into joining a team!

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
 Newbery Honor Award

2016-2017 Texas Bluebonnet Award winner
*Starred review in School Library Journal: “While at times some panels are a bit text-dense, the story will engage readers who will identify with Astrid as she deals with frustrations and disappointments. It will especially appeal to those whose aspirations fly in the face of convention.” -Barbara M. Moon

CONNECTIONS
*Invite students to create a new book jacket for Roller Girl.

*Invite students to read other books by Victoria Jamieson:

2016. Olympig!. ISBN 978-1101997796