Falling Hard

August 5, 2013
The first book in the Roller Girls series introduces 14-year-old Annie, who decides to leave her workaholic mother in London and move with her father to her grandparents' old house in Liberty Heights, Ill. Her "American culture crash course" begins immediately when she has a nasty run-in with popular cheerleading captain Kelsey and strikes up a friendship with her alternative, artistic neighbor Lexie. In addition to forming new friendships and navigating small-town American life, Annie is on the lookout for an athletic outlet: she has outgrown gymnastics, literally. A desire to prove herself to Kelsey, as well as attention from a cute soccer player, leads Annie to cheerleading. But when Lexie and her skater friends bring Annie to roller derby, she is drawn to the edgy, high-octane sport. Sparks's straightforward writing can be prim, and the significance of Annie's athletic conflict feels somewhat overinflated ("She'd have to choose. But which one? The one she was better at, or the one she liked better?"), but subtle wisdom about establishing one's identity within a new context finds its way into the novel's pivotal moments. Ages 12â14.

Roller derby and cheerleading are even farther apart than London and Liberty Heights, Ill. After the end of her parents' marriage, Annie decides to join her father in the United States. If all she had to do in the States was banter with her goofy dad while he sets up an English-style bakery/cafe, she'd be golden. The popular girls instantly hate her, and learning American high school slang is rough (although, oddly, the narration from Annie's point of view mostly uses American rather than U.K. English). Her fabulous neighbor Lexie is an artist, an easy friend with an individual sense of style who represents a bright spot. But Annie also wants to join the cheerleading squad, and the social rules around high school popularity are more complicated than she expects. Can she stay friends with Lexie and be a cheerleader at the same time? More importantly, can she cheerlead while being a roller girl? For Annie's discovered roller derby, and its joyful aesthetic fits in well with her own athleticism and love of punk music. The characters are lightly sketched, from the stereotypical mean cheerleaders to the friendly but undifferentiated skaters; this slim volume replaces character development with action-packed training montages. This fun romp of a girls' sports story would make a highly watchable flick (and arguably already has, given its resemblance to the 2009 film Whip It). (Fiction. 11-13) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2013
Roller derby and cheerleading are even farther apart than London and Liberty Heights, Ill. After the end of her parents' marriage, Annie decides to join her father in the United States. If all she had to do in the States was banter with her goofy dad while he sets up an English-style bakery/cafe, she'd be golden. The popular girls instantly hate her, and learning American high school slang is rough (although, oddly, the narration from Annie's point of view mostly uses American rather than U.K. English). Her fabulous neighbor Lexie is an artist, an easy friend with an individual sense of style who represents a bright spot. But Annie also wants to join the cheerleading squad, and the social rules around high school popularity are more complicated than she expects. Can she stay friends with Lexie and be a cheerleader at the same time? More importantly, can she cheerlead while being a roller girl? For Annie's discovered roller derby, and its joyful aesthetic fits in well with her own athleticism and love of punk music. The characters are lightly sketched, from the stereotypical mean cheerleaders to the friendly but undifferentiated skaters; this slim volume replaces character development with action-packed training montages. This fun romp of a girls' sports story would make a highly watchable flick (and arguably already has, given its resemblance to the 2009 film Whip It). (Fiction. 11-13)

COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2014
UK expat Annie is having a rough time fitting in at her new Midwestern high school, until she discovers roller derby and reinvents herself as Anne R. Key (Falling). The second volume, Hell's, finds Annie's team taking on their archrivals in a special Halloween bout. Somewhat stilted writing and simplistic themes mar the otherwise entertaining blend of sports action and romance.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)