Roller Girl (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2015) by Victoria Jamieson is such a delightful story of hard work, heart, old and new friends, and roller derby! The drawings are fun and really bring the story to life. If you’ve never read a graphic novel, this is the perfect one to start with. Really!
Twelve-year-old Astrid is at that age where friends are having diverging interests. Girls interested in fashion and the mall think those who are not are babies. Which makes Astrid very unhappy. And then she goes to her first roller derby. Her new hero is now Rainbow Bite. But unfortunately Astrid gets herself in trouble with assumptions and by hiding the truth. Will she make her new dream come true?
Roller Girl was a Newbery honor book in 2016! And it became a bestseller. If you go here, you can learn about the making of the book.
And go here to learn about author/illustrator Victoria Jamieson’s other books.
Category: Award Winners
Hello, Universe
Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly is the 2018 Newbery Medal winner and such a fun read. I loved the multiple viewpoints and how the characters are brought together despite their aloneness.
First, we meet shy Virgil Salinas, whose own family doesn’t seem to understand his quietness. He feels “like unbuttered toast standing next to them.” And they call him Turtle. Only his grandmother, newly from the Philippines, seems to get him.
Next up is Valencia Somerset who is struggling with a repetitive nightmare where she is all alone. She’s adopted a dog who lives in the woods and sneaks off to feed him.
Then we meet Kaori Tanaka, with her powers of second sight and her younger sister, Gen, who helps her out preparing for clients.
And, of course, there’s the bully–Chet Bullens–aka the Bull–who plays an important role in this story of young middle schoolers on summer break.
Each character was unique and interesting, and yet so identifiable. Except for the bully, of course.
This is Erin’s third book. Go here to read about the rest of them.
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus (Sterling Children’s Books, 2017) by Dusti Bowling was so good.
Thirteen-year-old Aven was born without arms, but loves making up stories about what happened to her arms. It’s a fun joke with her friends, but when she and her family have to move because her dad lost his job and Aven has to go to a new school, she doesn’t feel like joking. Or eating lunch in front of anyone. And the “looks” and stares are hard.
Her new home is a rundown Western theme park in Arizona which has some mysteries. Eventually she meets Connor who has his own struggles and they start investigating those mysteries plus create some excitement of their own. The two also ending up helping each other.
Aven is funny, interesting, and a good friend. I like her parents and how they’ve encouraged her.
This really is a sweet book, but not too sweet. 😉 Go here and read about all the awards and lists this book has been chosen for.
Dusti’s second book, 24 Hours in Nowhere, comes out in September. Read about it here.
A Death-Struck Year
A Death-Struck Year (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014) by Makiia Lucier is a wonderful historical set 100 years ago.
Seventeen-year-old Cleo Berry is temporarily staying at her school in Portland, Oregon while her guardians are on a trip to San Francisco. But then the Spanish influenza, which has been devastating the East Coast, hits Portland. Cleo is supposed to stay at her school but she sneaks out and goes home where she is alone. She ends up volunteering for the Red Cross and risks her life helping those who are stricken with flu.
Cleo is a strong character who grows during the story to understand much more about life, and death, than she ever has before. I love how this wealthy girl who knows so little about practical things in the real world learns what’s really important.
This was author Makiia Lucier’s debut novel. The book was named an ABC Best Books for Children Selection by the American Booksellers Association. Oh, and a bonus on the author’s site is pictures of what Portland was like in 1918. See them here.
Makiia’s next book is a fantasy that came out in April. Read about it here.
The Wolf, The Duck & The Mouse
Perfect Picture Book Friday
The Wolf, The Duck & The Mouse (Candlewick Press, 2017) by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen is a humorous picture book (no surprise if you are familiar with the author or illustrator).
Mouse meets a wolf and gets swallowed. In the wolf’s stomach he meets a duck who actually enjoys his life there. With advice from the duck, they live happily, but the wolf . . . not so much.
I like the classical feel of this story. The illustrations add to the humor.
Read about Mac and his other books on his website. While there you can see all the awards the book has won. Also check out Jon’s illustrations on tumbler.