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Roller Girl


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jamieson, V. 2015. Roller Girl. Dial Books.  ISBN-10: 9780803740167.

PLOT SUMMARY
Author, Victoria Jamieson, brings a modern, coming of age graphic novel, Roller Girl, that is vibrant, relatable, and heart-felt. The story takes place during the summer’s transition from elementary to junior high school. Main character, Astrid, experiences troubling changes that help her grow and develop into the young woman she is meant to be. Astrid and Nicole have been best friends for years, but this summer presents them with unique challenges that break their relationship apart. Astrid is joining the derby team and Nicole is into ballet; the clash starts. Astrid lies to her mom, rages against Nicole, and almost ruins her new friendship with Zoey. Throughout the story, Astrid receives advice from her idol, Rainbow, through their secret pen pal letters that help her get through her “blue” moments. She might not be as close to Nicole as she was in the past, but she is ready to experience new relationships and grow as a young teenager. Astrid is faced with making decisions that could either break her, or make her into the person she wants to be. Through obstacles, challenges, and new experiences, Astrid recognizes her faults and makes things all better in the end. Her new derby name “Asteroid” gives her a sense of pride and maintains her summer motto, “tougher, stronger, fearless”.

 Award:
John Newbery Medal 2016

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Graphic novel, Roller Girl, is a quirky, enjoyable, and well-constructed story that targets the young pre-teens and teenage group. Jamieson presents typical pre-teen issues dealing with friendships, changes, family, and new experiences. The author creates characters that are lovable and relatable. Main character, Astrid, is going through changes and loses her way throughout the summer, but is victorious at the end when she realizes the truly important things in life, putting others before yourself, and letting life just happen. The colorful and easy to follow graphics, help the reader navigate through the story in a more comprehensive way, and helps keep the readers excited about the text. The graphics are easy to follow for any age level and give life to the story. Jamieson is thoughtful in giving the readers a taste of all the five senses, and helping us go inside the mind of the main character. Readers will experience the hardships along with Astrid, and will be rooting for her until the end.  

REVIEW EXCERPTS
KIRKUS REVIEWS: “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.” 2015

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “Jamieson’s full-color cartooning has a Sunday comics vibe, and her pacing is faultless.” 2015

THE GUARDIAN: “In many ways this is a classic coming-of-teens tale, exploring timeworn themes such as the ebb and flow of friendships, the recasting of mother-daughter bonds and the unfamiliar codes of a more grown-up world. But the graphic format makes it fizz, bringing life to the energy of the games…” 2017


CONNECTIONS
Beginning of the year classroom activity: ELA- Have students write a one-page paper about their summer activities, friendships, and challenges. Have students exchange papers and high-light the challenges they faced.

Library Activity: Provide students with more graphic novels about coming of age topics.

·         Hale, S. 2017. Real Friends. First Second. ISBN-10: 1626727856.

·         Chmakova, S. 2015. Awkward. Yen Press. ISBN-10: 0316381306.

·         Larson, H. 2018. All Summer Long. Farrar. ISBN-10: 0374310718.

·         Chmakova. S. 2017. Brave. Yen Press. ISBN-10: 0316363189.

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