Roller Girl
2014
- roller skating
- juvenile fiction
- graphic novels
- fiction
- roller derby
- best friends
- comic books, strips
- friendship
- newbery honor
- comic books, strips, etc.
The story
For most of her twelve years, Astrid has done everything with her best friend Nicole. But after Astrid falls in love with roller derby and signs up for derby camp, Nicole decides to go to dance camp instead. And so begins the most difficult summer of Astrid's life as she struggles to keep up with the older girls at camp, hang on to the friend she feels slipping away, and cautiously embark on a new friendship. As the end of summer nears and her first roller derby bout (and junior high!) draws closer, Astrid realizes that maybe she *is* strong enough to handle the bout, a lost friendship, and middle school… in short, strong enough to be a roller girl.
What it’s like
Bright, loose cartoon panels in candy colours, with the grit of roller derby showing up as scuffed wheels, sweaty faces and rink lights, all drawn in a clean, friendly line. The prose-free storytelling moves at a brisk, comfortable clip, with quiet pages of a girl sitting alone on a bench or a lunch table giving the emotional beats room to breathe. Sound is implied through onomatopoeia: the rumble of wheels on wood, the snap of a sports bra strap, the flat slap of a summer afternoon. The mood is warm and wistful, a summer-camp ache softened by humour, the feeling of a sunny, somewhat awkward August with the first hint of change in the air. It suits a lazy afternoon read, a long-haul flight, or a gentle comfort reread at the end of a school break. Intensity is low: there are scuffles, falls and bruised shins during skating practice, but no real violence, and the stakes are social rather than dangerous. Its emotional arc follows a shy twelve-year-old learning to stand on her own while a childhood friendship changes shape. It is for readers who love graphic novels about friendship, sport and growing up, especially those who want something hopeful and kind.
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