Ratings1
Average rating5
Eleven-year-old Dorothy Moore and her younger sister, Sam, must move into their eccentric grandmother's funeral home, and it is tough dealing with G-Ma Sally and a new middle school but things get easier when Dorothy discovers G-Ma's old roller skates and leads a roller derby team to the championships.
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This has been, hands down, the best book for girls nearing the middle school grades. As for my bias: I have a daughter who is starting middle school next year and my wife skates derby - so we are familiar with the sport.
That being said, this book was basically a love letter to the lessons kids this age need to learn and with which they will struggle:
Cliques
Bullying
Not judging someone by their looks
Standing up for yourself
Families with absent parents
Friends with different backgrounds (cultural or SES)
Being raised by a grandparent
Taking responsibility for mistakes
Perseverance
Being ok with being an outsider
Older siblings taking care of younger ones
Having an interest in a boy
Non-traditional families
Now whether a child of the target age would pick up on all the themes is something else entirely. But as far as I am concerned this is the best JF I have read in years. Highly recommended.