Roll

by Darcy Miller

Overview

Winner of the 2018 Burr/Worzalla Award * A CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center) Choices 2018 Pick * A Bank Street Best Children's Book of 2017

A hilariously funny and poignant debut novel, perfect for fans of Jerry Spinelli, Kat Yeh, Gary D. Schmidt, and Rebecca Stead.

When Lauren (but call him “Ren,” pretty please) Hall sees birds falling from the sky, he knows something is wrong. But just as he’s starting to worry, he realizes that the birds are plummeting toward the ground on purpose.

Turns out they’re Birmingham Roller Pigeons, and his new neighbor Sutton is training them for a competition.

Sure, it’s strange, but Ren’s best and only friend Aiden has picked this summer to start hanging with the popular kids. So Ren starts training pigeons with Sutton—what’s the worst that could happen? A bird falls on his head?

You’ll have to read Roll to find out.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062461223
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/23/2017
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	590L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Darcy Miller is the author of Margot and Mateo Save the World and Roll. She lives in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, with her two children and librarian husband. Their cat, Jeffreys, deserves his own sentence. Their kitten, Stompy, does not. You can visit Darcy online at www.darcyamiller.com.

Editorial Reviews

05/22/2017
In a quiet first novel about friendship and change, set in Minnesota, 11-year-old Lauren “Ren” Hall adjusts to life on the outskirts of town in his grandmother’s former house, reluctantly tries to follow in his father’s footsteps as a runner, and meets a girl named Sutton who recently moved to the area from Washington, D.C. Ren is initially skeptical about Sutton’s plans to train her father’s Birmingham Roller pigeons, famed for their ability to execute aerial somersaults, but as they work together Miller explores familiar themes of shifting friendships and alliances, particularly as Ren’s longtime best friend Aiden begins to hang out with the popular athletic crowd. Ren’s acerbic sense of humor and conversational way of recounting the story to readers makes for a distinctive and memorable narrative, humorously illustrating the social dynamics he’s trying to get a handle on, including understanding Sutton’s feelings as she takes on her father’s passion after an accident left him in a wheelchair. Readers will cheer on awkward, quirky Ren as he, like the pigeons, learns to roll with it. Ages 8–12. Agent: Carrie Hannigan, Hannigan Salky Getzler. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Miller’s debut soars and dives among the complex emotions that accompany growing up and genuine friendship.” — Booklist

“It’s a refreshing change to see middle-school angst about friendship changes from a boy...[an] understanding story about growing pains and owning your own identity.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“It’s refreshing...A fresh take on a familiar challenge.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A distinctive and memorable narrative. Readers will cheer on awkward, quirky Ren as he, like the pigeons, learns to roll with it.” — Publishers Weekly

“Roll is a great summer book for pigeon fanciers—or any young reader who fancies a good story.” — BookPage.com

“Readers will delight in Sutton’s fierce honesty and Ren’s geeky selfdiscoveries [and will] have very little trouble rolling with the human characters—and the pigeons. Plus, we learn about Birmingham Roller pigeons. How cool is that?” — Horn Book Magazine

From the Publisher

Readers will delight in Sutton’s fierce honesty and Ren’s geeky selfdiscoveries [and will] have very little trouble rolling with the human characters—and the pigeons. Plus, we learn about Birmingham Roller pigeons. How cool is that?

Horn Book Magazine

Roll is a great summer book for pigeon fanciers—or any young reader who fancies a good story.

BookPage.com

It’s a refreshing change to see middle-school angst about friendship changes from a boy...[an] understanding story about growing pains and owning your own identity.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Miller’s debut soars and dives among the complex emotions that accompany growing up and genuine friendship.

Booklist

It’s a refreshing change to see middle-school angst about friendship changes from a boy...[an] understanding story about growing pains and owning your own identity.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Miller’s debut soars and dives among the complex emotions that accompany growing up and genuine friendship.

Booklist

06/01/2017
Gr 4–6—Soon-to-be sixth grader Lauren Hall has a lot going on. His dad, a former cross-country coach, is very excited that Ren (as he likes to be called) plans on joining the school's cross-country team in the fall, but as Ren begins training, he's not so sure running is his thing. Ever since Ren and his family moved into his grandparents' old house, he's finding it harder and harder to keep in touch with his old neighbor and best friend, Aiden. And this summer, Aiden is starting to hang out with the cool kids. One morning while he's out running, Ren sees a flock of birds acting in the strangest manner and meets a girl who just moved nearby. Her name is Sutton, and she is training a kit of Birmingham Roller Pigeons. As the summer progresses, Ren sorts through his familial and friendship issues, coming out a bit wiser in the end. VERDICT This character-driven, light coming-of-age story will appeal to fans of realistic fiction. Kids with an interest in animals will find the pigeons fascinating.—Matthew Forster, Big Words, Clarkston, MI

School Library Journal

2017-03-06
Rising sixth-graders Ren and Sutton bond through training Birmingham Roller pigeons.When Ren's family moves outside of town, Ren decides he will train for cross country—but he hates the running so much that he's quickly distracted by the discovery of a new neighbor, a girl with a surprising passion: training her father's pigeons. Sutton's father has been hospitalized after a serious automobile accident. Ren's best (and only) friend is developing other interests. Over the course of this story of friendship and self-discovery, geeky Ren comes to realize that he's not likely to become an athlete like his father or his friend Aiden but that Sutton likes him for himself. They share interests, not only in Sutton's birds, but also in ancient comic books and silly YouTube videos. There's some suspense as they work toward a regional competition, and there are bumps in the road, both in the developing friendship and the training of Sutton's kit of pigeons. All these Minnesota preteens are probably white, though Sutton's dyed hair is an improbable red. It's refreshing to have a sensitive male protagonist in a story about relationships. Information about raising and flying roller pigeons sprinkled throughout will likely introduce readers to a hobby they haven't encountered before. A fresh take on a familiar challenge: a friend who develops a teen body and interests more quickly.

Kirkus Reviews