The book ended quickly, and I felt like I wanted to know more. The structure somehow seems a little unfinished. The characters are perhaps the book’s greatest strength. Meanwhile, her friends are middle school social outcasts just like her, but ones that, if imperfect, always have her back.
Part of Ellie’s story is trying to be there for her grandfather as he declines, and trying to accept that he is losing memories that she cherishes. And her grandfather is a sweetheart, a man who clearly “gets” Ellie and her need to take risks and to be herself. Her mom, for instance, does not get everything right, but she tries very hard to take care of Ellie and, when necessary, to fight for her. Fortunately, however, she is surrounded by a loving family and some new friends who are ready to support her as she follows her dreams.Įllie’s relationships with her family and friends are truly heartwarming, and one of the great strengths of the novel. Ellie, of course, has very specific, individualized fears: she worries that other people only see her wheelchair, and that they do not appreciate her talents, her strength, her smarts. She is twelve years old and transitioning into that period where adolescents typically like to explore their identities and figure out who they are and how they fit into the world. Roll with It will have readers rooting for Ellie to win the first place ribbon and make her mark on her new town.Įllie is an independent spirit who, I think, is very relatable in her desire to do things by herself, in her own way, without her mom “babying” her. However, as she starts to make friends, Ellie sees the pie competition as more than a way to jump start career it is also a way to prove to her mom that they belong in their new town. She does not want the kids staring at her and she is worried because the teachers have never had to make an individualized education plan before.
At first, Ellie is unsure she likes their new home. Ellie and her mom have recently moved towns to help her grandmother take care of her grandfather, who has Alzheimer’s.
#Roll with it jamie sumner professional
Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.Roll with It is a fun middle-grade novel about one girl’s dream of becoming a professional baker, step one being her entry in a local pie competition. How do you power through circumstances that you cannot change?īook info: Roll With It / Jamie Sumner. What if Ellie, Mom, and Mema can’t keep Grandpa safe at home?Įllie writes letters to famous bakers after she tries their recipes in search of the perfect one to enter in the town Pie Contest…maybe a little victory could be a big win. What if her distant dad convinces Mom they’re too far from a specialist?
Small town, small school, no one cares how far Ellie has progressed medically or that the 12 year old is a great baker, seeing only a kid in a wheelchair, someone from that old-people trailer park.Ĭarpooling with Coralee who loves outrageously bright clothes and Bert who quotes facts instead of making conversation… middle school isn’t kind to any of them.Įllie will stand up for Coralee and Bert, even if her legs won’t due to cerebral palsy, and her new friends will stand up for her. Oklahoma is a lot farther from Nashville than it looks on the map, but Ellie and Mom have to get there and convince Mema to let them help take care of Grandpa whose dementia is getting worse.
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