Jammer Star

Jammer Star follows Robin Ellis, aka Robin CookieJars, a player on the Creek City Juniors roller-derby team. Robin is a jammer (for those unfamiliar with roller-derby, that’s the player who scores the points) who feels like she is constantly second-best to April Powers, the star jammer of the team. Hargreaves includes a glossary of derby terms in the book, including the previous “jammer’ definition, which will make the content accessible to readers having no familiarity with the sport. Readers join the team mid-season during a game where April is definitely not playing at her best, and Robin quickly determines that there is more than just an off day at play.

As part of the “Orca Sports” series designed for readers at a lower reading level but containing plots aimed at those 10 and up, Jammer Star does an excellent job of drawing readers into an engaging plot, one having accessible language. The plot focuses narrowly on Robin as she works to become a better jammer, and, in the process, she uncovers evidence that April, if not suffering from an eating disorder, has developed an unhealthy relationship with food and her body and is putting herself at risk. The book deals with this issue in a fairly simple way – the team coach is already concerned, and Robin notices April losing tons of weight and accidentally stumbles across her “thinspirational” blog online. After April collapses at practice one day, Robin goes to the coach, and April ends up with a short hospital stay. Upon April’s return to the team, she is mad at Robin, but after a top-ranked all-star derby player, Annie Mossity, comes to practice to talk about nutrition, April begins willingly accepting help and forgives Robin at the final game of the season.

Jammer Star contains enough information to get girls excited about roller derby, addresses body image and disordered eating in a matter-of-fact way, and wraps up with a satisfying ending without everything concluding too perfectly – Creek City Juniors lose the last game, and April does not get league MVP, but April and Robin make up and are both scouted by the adult derby team, the Creek City All-Stars. While the book may appeal to some male readers, it will definitely appeal to girls who are interested in action over romance. It also includes some delightful derby names – Zippy Longstockings and Kat N. Crunch are my favourites – and is clearly written by someone with deep love for and lots of knowledge of roller derby and its culture. This all comes together to create a believable narrative with relatable characters, qualities which are especially important when writing for tweens. The way Robin browses the internet, for example, is spot-on, and while that may seem like a small detail, it can impact how readers experience a book.

Additionally, Hargreaves (aka Pain Eyre when she is playing roller-derby) includes a very diverse set of supporting characters without drawing explicit attention to this diversity. Robin is being raised by a single mother who works shift work as a paramedic. Queenie, the junior team coach, and her wife have a daughter (who calls them Mom and Mum, respectively). April’s dad picked her up from the practice when she collapsed, and it’s the dad Queenie calls to talk to about April’s health. None of these things are introduced in a way that brings attention to them, and because of that approach, their inclusion helps in normalizing the wide range of family structures that exist today. It’s refreshing when a single parent, queer family, or father as an involved parent exist in fiction without being the main focus, and Jammer Star manages to do exactly that.

Overall, Jammer Star is an engaging read, and it will be especially attractive to girls who are tired of romance, reluctant readers, or those interested in roller derby (or any combination of those). It will be an excellent addition to any collection that serves tweens.