Roller Girl - by Victoria Jamieson

My rating:

For fans of Raina Telgemeier’s Smile, a heartwarming graphic novel about friendship and surviving junior high through the power of roller derby. 
Twelve-year-old Astrid has always done everything with her best friend Nicole. So when Astrid signs up for roller derby camp, she assumes Nicole will too. But Nicole signs up for dance camp with a new friend instead, and so begins the toughest summer of Astrid's life. There are bumps and bruises as Astrid learns who she is without Nicole...and what it takes to be a strong, tough roller girl. (Goodreads)

I had no idea this book existed until someone handed it to me to check in at the library. I took it home just because of the cover. I mean, the girl has blue hair and tall, rainbow socks just like I used to have. I really didn't have a choice.

Usually, I'm not that interested in heartwarming books about friendship and whatever other things heartwarming books talk about. Roller Girl, though, is a genuinely cute book. Astrid and her best friend Nicole are starting to drift apart, but Astrid is able to work through it with the help of her roller derby camp. She learns to work hard for a sport she enjoys and makes new friends along the way. With a few bumps along the way she even learns how to work out her differences with Nicole and can accept that they don't have to spend every minute together to be friends.

Touching story aside, I love how realistic Astrid is as a character. Astrid takes up roller derby with dreams of being the best skater has ever seen. When she shows up at camp... she sucks. I've never had any natural talent for athletic activities, so I could really relate. Instead of giving up, though, Astrid works harder than anyone else and spends all her free time practicing. By the end of the book, she still kind of sucks, but has definitely improved. And really, after a few weeks of a junior roller derby camp, it would be ridiculous if Astrid became the best skater. Instead, by the end of the book, Astrid has learned that if she keeps working hard, her skating will keep improving.

This is an amazingly cute graphic novel that I would not hesitate to recommend. The story is sweet and the illustrations are just as fun and colorful as the cover that grabbed my attention. Also, everyone needs more girls with blue hair in their lives, trust me.

Jane, le renard et moi - by Isabelle Arsenault & Fanny Britt

My rating:             

I originally found the English translation of this book (Jane, the fox and me) when I was requesting more teen graphic novels for the bookmobile at the library where I work. I was trying to get in some more recent works and the illustrations caught my eye when I first saw the cover in our library catalog.

After reading this graphic novel, I can definitely say that the illustrations are still my favorite part. The book tells the story of Hélène, a young girl who is made fun of at school for her weight. The girls laugh at her and write nasty messages in the bathroom stalls, while the boys mostly ignore her. Then the school announces that everyone has to go to camp and Hélène is ready for the bullying to get even worse.

At first it seems like her fears might come true. Hélène seeks refuge in Jane Eyre, and she reads the book all the way to camp. When she can't curl up with her book, though, she still has to deal with the taunts of the other girls. The illustrations are stunning, but also complement the story very well. Hélène's reality is portrayed in varying shades of black, white, and grey to reflect the shame and loneliness she feels.

The scenes from Jane Eyre, on the other hand, are illustrated in color. This scheme stays consistent until Hélène meets a fox outside her cabin at camp, bringing color into her own life. Unfortunately one of the other girls comes outside and the fox runs off.

Hélène's life goes back to black and white as she becomes even more disenchanted with her life. The girls make fun of her, the boys run away from her, and she even scared away a fox. Eventually, though, Hélène finds a friend and realizes that some things are more important than the mean comments of her classmates. As she begins to spend more time with Geraldine and less time listening to the girls at school, the illustrations slowly incorporate more and more color, ending with this beautiful picture.

The story is nice, but felt overly simple. On the one hand, this book made for a beautiful, short read, but I still feel like it could have been even better if it were a bit longer. From the length and simplicity of the plot, I would almost be tempted to move this book to the children's area. In any case I think it's definitely right on the edge between children's and YA and I would probably recommend it to primarily middle grade readers if I were only judging the text. I would definitely give the illustrations 5 stars, though, and I think older readers and even adults (myself included) can enjoy this beautiful graphic novel.