Roll with it book characters12/17/2023 ![]() Similarly, Ellie’s Grandpa’s Alzheimer’s is treated deftly and not sugarcoated. Sumner strikes a perfect balance of making that aspect of Ellie’s life an integral part of the story without it be her only story. The fact that she has CP and is a wheelchair user is neither the main focus of the story nor downplayed. She’s a regular kid with dreams of being a celebrity chef, who experiences the same feelings and challenges as lots of kids her age. Her growth as a character had much less to do with the traditional “overcoming her limitations due to her disability” trope and much more to do with making friends, asserting herself, navigating the complex relationship between a tween kid and her mother, and handling her emotions related to her grandfather’s illness. She must then convince her mom that they should stay put.Įllie is relatable and plucky, with a touch of snarky sarcasm, all of which endeared her to me immediately. Life in her grandparents’ trailer park is not exactly ideal for Ellie physically and she dreads starting at a new school as not only “the new kid” but “the new kid in a wheelchair.” Before long though, she connects with two other classmates from the trailer park, the hilarious Coralee and ultra blunt Bert, and Ellie begins to love her new home. What I wasn’t necessarily expecting is a story that packed such an emotional punch on so many different levels.Įllie and her mom move in with Ellie’s grandparents to help out since her grandfather’s memory issues are getting worse. Author Jamie Sumner has a son with cerebral palsy-the same disability as her main character, Ellie-so I was confident that aspect of the book would be handled with authority and authenticity. As a disabled author myself, I feel disability representation in books for children is so important and I’m thrilled to see the number of books featuring this element of diversity growing. ![]() Roll With It was an easy choice for my to-read list because it deals with disability. ★Starred Reviews – Booklist, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly It all feels like one challenge too many, until Ellie starts to make her first-ever friends.ROLL WITH IT Written by Jamie Sumner (Atheneum BYR $17.99, Ages 10 and up) Except she’s not just the new kid - she’s the new kid in the wheelchair who lives in the trailer park on the wrong side of town. If she’s not writing fan letters to her favorite celebrity chefs, she’s practicing recipes on her well-meaning, if overworked, mother.īut when Ellie and her mom move so they can help take care of her ailing grandpa, Ellie has to start all over again in a new town at a new school. The thing is, Ellie has big dreams: She might be eating Stouffer’s for dinner, but one day she’s going to be a professional baker. ![]() That surprises some people, who see a kid in a wheelchair and think she’s going to be all sunshine and cuddles. In the tradition of Wonder and Out of My Mind, this big-hearted middle-grade debut tells the story of an irrepressible girl with cerebral palsy whose life takes an unexpected turn when she moves to a new town.Įllie’s a girl who tells it like it is. “An honest, emotionally rich take on disability, family, and growing up.” ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review) "A big-hearted story that’s as sweet as it is awesome." (R.J.
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