Wednesday, December 24, 2014

A Big 2015: Roller Girl

Roller Gril
Victoria Jamieson
Dial
March 10, 2015

I have to rave hard here but first, some context. When a kid finishes Harry Potter and they ask, “What else will I like?” I usually have to preface my suggestions with, “Sorry. Nothing’s ever going to be same.” Before Jonathan Auxier connected The Schwa Was Here to Holes, it was another seminal book that I had no answer for. One of the worst offenders, Smile. A total “dead end” books. It’s surprising that Telgemier’s success hasn’t inspired more middle grade, graphic novel memoirs. Finally, in Victoria Jamieson’s Roller Girl we have an answer to what come next after Smile

In the summer before middle school, Astrid is navigating the impossible territory of drifting away from a childhood friend. After a cultural outing to a roller derby event, Astrid begs her mother to sign her and Nicole up for roller camp only to find out that her partner in crime would rather spend her summer at dance camp.

While Roller Girl has a lot going for it, the amount of heart that drips from every aspect of this graphic novel is stunning. I wondered how the quirky wold of roller derby would play out in terms of accessibility. We pick up the story, narrated by Astrid, on the way to the night’s mystery cultural outing, the girls giggling in the backseat while mom’s lecture floats in and out of the panel. Astrid then flashes us back to some of her mom’s prior fails. A few question marks over the girls juxtaposed with a exclamation point over the mother speaks volumes about a trip to the modern art museum. The girls stifled laughter and mom’s annoyed expression are a pitch perfect summary of how I would expect the kids to behave at a poetry reading. When the girls find out tonight’s event is roller derby, they initially mock the crowd. Nicole wants to talk about boys, something Astrid has no interest in but when the lights go down, Astrid is sold. Nicole, less so. 

Astrid is so enamored by the event, she volunteers herself and Nicole for derby camp, assuming that, of course, her best friend wants to do it with her. When Nicole makes it clear she’d be spending her summer differently, Astrid can’t even process what is happening let alone talk to her mother about it. So she lies, assuring her mother that Nicole’s mom can pick the girls up from camp. To make matters worse, Astrid is dud on skates, perfectly captured by putting on her wrist guards backwards.  After barely surviving the first day, she now has to walk home halfway across the city. 

While things get better for Astrid, Jamieson’s depiction of what it’s like to be beholden to something you self-identify with, jump into head first, only to discover you’ve bitten off more than you can chew is a universal experience that speaks directly to its audience. And Jamieson immerses her readers in her own experience with unwavering honesty and without a heavy hand. In many stories that take on the complex emotions of childhood, It’s easy for adults to marginalize common experiences by presenting readers with what it’s like from the other side. At worst, these stories are preachy and didactic. At best, they commonly leave out the murkiness of irrational thoughts and behavior in favor of tidy resolutions. Yes, Astrid makes a new friend who shares her interest but Jamieson’s doesn’t settle for tidy. After all, like so many kids, Astrid doesn’t have the context to process this drift from Nicole as a natural. So what do you do when your anger at the situation manifests itself in your best friend and you know they haven’t done anything wrong but you can’t quite verbalize it? Yep. You ride your bike back and forth in front of their house. 


Roller Girl utilizes the graphic format in clever service of its complex emotional narrative. It’s every bit as fun and humorous as it is serious and honest. The art and coloring is accessible without sacrificing depth and beauty. But at its core, Jamieson uses a fresh and unique context to tackle a universal experience with an authenticity that will undoubtedly resonate with its audience. 

1 comment:

  1. I loved this book too. Lucky for me, I got to read Victoria's blog posts while this book was in the process of becoming. She shared early drafts and all I could think was, "When will this be a book?" I'm so glad it is! Despite the fact that middle school was a very long time ago for me, I still remember how it felt, to have your best friend be ready to move on in a different direction.
    And the art is great! Thanks for this book. I know I will re-read it many times.

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