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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Astrid Vasquez and her best friend Nicole can barely tolerate Astrid’s mother’s regular Evenings of Cultural Enrichment until she surprises them with a Rose City Rollers roller derby match. Astrid is hooked and is eager to sign up for roller derby summer camp. She assumes Nicole will, too. But Nicole has other plans for the summer, attending dance camp with Astrid’s long-time nemesis, and Astrid feels betrayed. As Astrid goes through hard weeks of training, leading up to a junior bout during the half-time of a pro roller derby match, she makes a new friend but still feels the sting of losing Nicole. Roller derby gives her an outlet for her anger as she discovers she has a fierce competitive streak. When Astrid unintentionally hurts her new friend, it’s an opportunity for self-reflection, but there’s plenty of roller derby action here, too, as novice skater Astrid gains skills and confidence but, realistically, never gets to be really good. Along the way, she gets some tips about finding her own inner strength through an ongoing secret correspondence with her hero, Rose City Roller Rainbow Brite. This witty, original, and action-packed graphic novel was written and illustrated by a skater for the Rose City Rollers. (Ages 8–13)

CCBC Choices 2016 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2016. Used with permission.

From Booklist

March 1, 2015
Grades 4-8 Almost-middle-schooler Astrid ( Ass-Turd to the mean girls) just isn't interested in the kinds of things everyone else is. Her BFF Nicole likes boys and ballet and the color pink, but Astrid's new obsession is tough, fast-paced Roller Derby. She thinks she and Nicole can spend their summer together at junior Roller Derby camp, but Nicole opts instead for ballet camp with Astrid's archnemesis. And when it turns out that Astrid isn't quite the Roller Derby prodigy she had hoped to be (she can barely master falling!), it seems both her summer and the impending start of junior high will be disasters. The bright, detailed, and colorful illustrations convey Astrid's scrappy personality while also focusing on the high-contact aspect of Roller Derby: the girls hip check and elbow one another right out of the panels. While learning the game, Astrid learns how to be a friend and, maybe, that not all friendships are forever. A touching look at the ups and downs of following one's dreams, in addition to introducing readers to a relatively unknown sport.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

From Horn Book

Starred review from March 1, 2015
When Astrid's best friend Nicole starts harping on ballet, fashion, and dating, Astrid is left behind (read: not interested). She's behind on the roller derby track, too, where she's signed up for summer boot camp even though she can't do a crossover to save her life or skate five seconds without disaster. Practice makes better, and Astrid's skills and cred build with every bruise and scrape. Coaches, teammates, and celebrity roller Rainbow Bite cheer Astrid on as she faces the challenges of derby as well as tweendom -- including mean-girl moments, changing friendships, and the worst of the worst: clothes shopping with Mom. When the time comes for her big end-of-summer bout, "Asteroid" is blue-haired, brimming with confidence, and ready to roll. This graphic novel also serves as a surprisingly informative derby primer. Jamieson's dialogue captures coming-of-age within a subculture so authentically that readers will forgive the art's occasional inconsistencies in draftsmanship. The comics format is used resourcefully, with the artist occasionally placing Astrid before exaggerated, out-of-this-world backdrops (a desert on a long, hot walk home, for instance) and pausing action to address readers directly. Tweens and young teens will identify with Astrid's journey to find her unique voice in the world and derby name on the track. Have it at the ready for Telgemeier fans racing to find something new. elisa gall

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Publisher's Weekly

Starred review from January 26, 2015
When Astrid's mother takes her and her best friend Nicole to a roller derby event, Astrid is intrigued, but Nicole is left cold. The rift between them grows as Astrid signs up for derby camp, while Nicole opts for ballet. Astrid works her tail off, makes friends, finds a mentor in a star skater named Rainbow Bite, and, at last, appears in her first bout. She also undergoes some uncomfortable preadolescent ordeals before reconciling with Nicole, in scenes that Jamieson (Pest in Show), in her first graphic novel, keeps blessedly free of smarminess. Jamieson's full-color cartooning has a Sunday comics vibe, and her pacing is faultless. Astrid struggles to do right as she tries to understand her soured friendship with Nicole, and she narrates her own failures with heartwarming candor ("I don't know why I did it. I didn't mean to hit them"). When she comes up with an elaborate scheme to bolster a teammate's failing confidence and carries it off despite the pressure of their upcoming bout, readers will want to stand up and cheer. Ages 9—12. Agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management.

From Kirkus

Starred review from December 15, 2014
One summer changes everything for two 12-year-old girls whose friendship is tested when their interests-and attitudes-diverge.Astrid and Nicole have been BFFs truly forever. When the girls go to the roller derby one night, Astrid is immediately hooked and jumps at the chance to attend a roller-derby camp, skating alongside the tough, dyed girls. Nicole, however, who's passionate about ballet, decides not to follow along with Astrid, creating the first real rift the girls have known. The two quickly make new friends in their new circles: Astrid with her roller-derby cohorts and Nicole with the popular ballet crowd. As Astrid navigates the rough-and-tumble sport she's fallen in love with (and the bumps and bruises that come with it), she must also deal with what happens when friends just stop being friends and grow apart. 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. Clean, bright illustrations evince the familiar emotions and bring the pathos to life in a way that text alone could not. Fans of Raina Telgemeier or Jimmy Gownley's Amelia series should certainly skate on over to this gem. Full of charm and moxie-don't let this one roll past. (Graphic fiction. 9-13)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From School Library Journal

Starred review from December 1, 2014

Gr 4-8-Twelve-year-old Astrid realizes that her interests are distinctly different from those of her best friend. Mesmerized while viewing a roller derby, she dreams of becoming a "Roller Girl" but discovers that the sport is considerably more daunting than she imagined and is not without physical, social, and emotional pain. Nevertheless, Astrid is determined to succeed. While this graphic novel provides interesting information about the sport, at its heart it is a story of friendship, exploring the tensions which test the girls' relationship as they move from childhood to adolescence. Astrid learns to be honest with herself, her mother, and her friends through a series of stressful events. The graphic novelist employs several excellent visual devices: angles to denote action and effective placement and space within panels. Jamieson's clever use of imagery is noteworthy. For example, desert and prehistoric depictions are used to suggest exaggerated perceptions of elapsed time. Her clothes shopping "hell" sequence is spot-on. Panels with stick figures are employed for comments, notes, and explanations. A prologue effectively frames the story and the realistic style with full-color art is reminiscent of the work of Raina Telgemeier. While at times some panels are a bit text-dense, the story will engage readers who will identify with Astrid as she deals with frustrations and disappointments. It will especially appeal to those whose aspirations fly in the face of convention. Offer this comic to fans of Telgemeier's Smile (Scholastic, 2010) and Laura Lee Gulledge's Page by Paige (Abrams, 2011).-Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From AudioFile Magazine

Full of the best kind of punk-rock energy, narrator Almarie Guerra and a full cast take listeners on a rollicking ride around the roller derby track. This much loved graphic novel comes to life with bright voices and sound effects, including tumbles, bottles of hair dye, and lots of roller skates. Guerra's slightly nasal voice suits tough yet insecure Astrid, the almost-middle-schooler who falls in love with derby and loses her best friend to a mean girl in one summer. Astrid grows as a skater and a friend while an enthusiastic cast helps listeners imagine the hard work and laughter needed to learn a new sport. Middle school listeners will love this story of learning to be "tougher, stronger, fearless," and a good friend. E.E.C. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine