Roll with It

Roll with It
Jamie Sumner
Simon & Schuster, 2019 246 pages
Grades 4-7
Realistic Fiction

After Ellie's grandfather's Alzheimer's starts to become too much for Grandma to handle, Ellie and her mom travel to Oklahoma for Christmas, intending to stay indefinitely. Ellie loves her grandparents, but life in their cramped trailer, especially when trapped in a wheelchair, wears thin quickly. The good news is that Ellie makes two new friends in the trailer park and begins to socialize outside of her new school and gain some independence.  The bad news is that the new quirky friend group is treated like “trailer trash” and do not fit in with the social scene of the school as a whole. Ellie loves to bake and feels that this is a hobby in which she excels and can be a “regular” kid. When she enters a baking competition, she hopes for the best. Can she finally be the best at something? As the year progresses Ellie's new relationships deepen and she even makes a little room for her estranged father. She begins to spread her wings and even Mom seems a bit happier. Will they be able to stay? And what will happen to Grandpa? He seems to be getting worse by the day. There are no easy answers in this slice of life of a young girl who refuses to let life with Cerebral Palsy get her down.

Much as seen in Auggie from Wonder and Aven from Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, Ellie is a character that refuses to let her disability define her. Readers are given an inside view of what living with Cerebral Palsy is like from the terrible effects of seizure medication to the limitations of a wheelchair. Through it all, Ellie is a regular girl with interests and dreams. The first person narration places readers right into the story and they will identify with Ellie right away. Although the plot is simple and straight forward, the book never lags or gets boring. More of a character piece, there is enough action to move it along. Ellie is truly the star of the show and we experience her growth as she matures and begins to feel empathy and what it means to be a compassionate daughter, granddaughter, and friend. The chapters often begin with Ellie's letters to famous chefs and cooking magazines, giving the book and added layer and reminding the reader that this girl has passion. Problems are sewn up a bit too neatly by the book's end, but that will please young readers, who will be satisfied with the hopeful resolution with no dangling plot threads. Long chapter lengths, lack of illustrations, and middle school aged protagonists make this book best suited for older elementary, yet the plot reads so quickly that reluctant and younger readers will be sure to finish. Give to fans of realistic fiction featuring kids overcoming challenges.