Roller Girl

I love how this book shows relationships that are imperfect and that working hard is always important if you want something! I thought it was a neat way to show roller derby too, not a typical activity when I was growing up. The art is cute and fun to look at and the story has heart.

Disclaimer: I did not read the entire book, but skimmed & read in detail random parts. It was heart wrenthing! I would never trust a Newberry Honor Book. Quick Info: RED FLAG #1: Book Preface has images of 7 unhappy girls (Beware of lots of images of unhappy, angry kids in this book). On Pages a-b, our main character is putting on rollerskates in a park. Two girls walk by and say "only babies go to the park." RED FLAG #2: In Chapters 1 and 2, the best friends interact with one of the girl's mother when she picks them up from junior high. A girl says "oh mom, your ideas are so stupid. I hate these cultural events. I hope at least today is better than all the other ones. Like the museum..." (I am a female biologist and artist. I sent/spend hundreds of hours at museums as a child. It was my beginning and shaped my entire life, career, and activites to this day. And, all because my parents and other adults took me to them.) READ PARTS IN THE MIDDLE... More really weird stuff....but, the friends have a falling out and make up. FINALLY: After making up, one friend brings flowers to the roller girl at the roller derby as a congratulations. The roller girl takes them and then promptly walks away, leaving the flowers on the bleacher seat and goes off with her "new" roller derby friends to a restaurant. The final scene is the roller girl sitting with her new friends at the restaurant and her original friend no where in sight (roller girl could have invited her old friend to be with her new friends) and we assume the friendship flowers wilting back at the roller arena. THE END! (I almost cried that this book is in the world.)