When I was in kindergarten, my teacher had a poster that was supposed to teach you about feelings. The feelings were all simple ones, like ‘happy,’ and ‘sad.’ They didn’t tell you about feelings that got mixed together like a smoothie.”
-Victoria Jamieson, Roller Girl
Synopsis: Best friends Astrid and Nicole have always done everything together, until one summer when Astrid decides she wants to try out roller derby and Nicole chooses dance camp (with Astrid’s sworn enemy, Rachel) instead. Astrid has to learn to be independent, make new friends, and work hard at something she’s never done before.
The Good: The lessons in this graphic novel are perfect for kids, especially young girls. It discusses friendship, parent-child relationships, bravery to try new things for yourself instead of for others, and courage to keep going even when something is hard. And it does so naturally, rather than in a preachy way.
The Bad: Nothing. I loved this book and can’t think of anything I’d change.
Rating: 5/5 stars.
Challenge(s) satisfied: #17, read a non-superhero comic that debuted in the last three years. (Roller Girl was published in 2015.)
Additional notes: Roller Girl was extra fun for me to read because it’s set in Portland, and the illustrations of the cityscapes are excellent. Also, as a person who knows nothing about roller derby, I loved that unique element.
Roller Girl is book 2 of my Read Harder Challenge. You can also check out my review of All The Light We Cannot See.
An affiliate link is used in this post. All opinions in this review are my own and are not influenced by the affiliate.
Victim to Charm 
I absolutely loved this book and used it for the same task. But then I felt guilty that I actually read it in December and picked up another book that would also meet the requirement. That was such a let down after this fantastic story. I keep telling my coworkers who are also doing the challenge to read Roller Girl.
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It was an excellent read for sure!
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