BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jamieson, V. (2015). Roller Girl. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781489886620
PLOT SUMMARY
Astrid and her best friend Nicole are excited for the summer break. The only problem is, their plans are not the same. One wants to go to ballet camp and the other to roller derby camp. In this coming of age story, will Astrid be able to be who she wants and maintain her friendship with Nicole along the way?
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Astrid and Nicole resemble every kid in the entire world. I don’t think anyone went into junior high feeling super confident. Even if you were the most popular kid in school, there was always a fear of something. This book portrayed the fears in a very realistic way. It also shined a light on friendship. You can be friends with someone for years, but, as you grow older and develop interests, those can create a rift in a relationship you have relied on for most of your life. It was refreshing to see how events and new friends can affect the existing bonds you already have.
I loved the style of this book. It was interesting to see the way Astrid would tell her story and then pan out, so to speak, and break the fourth wall to speak directly to the reader. You are able to see her actions, dialog, thoughts and inner monolog all in one. It paints a complete picture of how she deals with lying to her mom, “breaking up with” her best friend and her jealousy of not being good enough on the team.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
“The engaging characters are well realized in pictures and with words, and the illustrations effectively enhance the text by adding nuance and telling detail to the story.” - Common Sense Media, Andrea Beach
“Jamieson captures this snapshot of preteen angst with a keenly decisive eye, brilliantly juxtaposing the nuances of roller derby with the twists and turns of adolescent girls' friendships.” – Kirkus Review, March 10th, 2015
CONNECTIONS
*Think of your best friend. What is something you love to do? Is it the same as them? If not, how does that affect your friendship with them? Compare your situation to that of Astrid and Nicole.
*Think of something you wanted to do but really didn’t excel at. How did you deal with it? Did you persevere like Astrid and keep going until you got better?
*Think of an argument or disagreement you had with your best friend. How did you resolve it? How did it compare with Astrid and Nicole?
No comments:
Post a Comment