Roll with It (Roll With It #1)

Headstrong 12-year-old Lily "Ellie" Cowan loves to bake. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth, Ellie heads to the kitchen when she gets frustrated with her overprotective mom, her hovering full-time aide, and her absent father. After Ellie's grandfather, who has dementia, drives his car into the local supermarket, Ellie and her mom pack up their Nashville home and move into her grandparents' tiny trailer in Eufaula, Okla. Soon, Ellie meets free-spirited neighbor Coralee and eccentric schoolmate Bert; their acceptance helps her to cope with her new school, which is far from wheelchair-friendly. Drawing on her own experiences with her son, who has cerebral palsy, debut author Sumner doesn't sugarcoat Ellie's daily challenges--social, emotional, and physical--including navigating showers and crowded classrooms. Sumner also makes it clear that Ellie is a regular kid who dreams of becoming a chef, which is conveyed partly through letters that Ellie writes to various culinary experts throughout the book. In addition, Sumner deftly explores universal difficulties of fitting in and following one's passions. Ellie is easy to champion, and her story reminds readers that life's burdens are always lighter with friends and family--and a good piece of pie--at the ready. Ages 10-up. Agent: Keely Boeving, WordServe Literary. (Oct.)

Gr 5-7--In Sumner's middle grade debut, 12-year-old Ellie dreams of being a famous baker/chef, instead of being known as the "kid with cerebral palsy in a wheelchair." Ellie is obsessed with learning baking techniques with her overworked mother and writes letters to her favorite celebrity chefs about the recipes she has tried. Ellie's world is turned upside down when she and her mother move to her grandmother's trailer park residence in Oklahoma to assist with the care of her ailing grandfather, who suffers from the early stages of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Ellie rises to the challenge of being the new girl in school and makes new friends through her kindness, as well as her baking prowess. Ellie finds a way to conquer her doubts and prove to her mother that the move to Oklahoma was a good thing for both of them. Young readers will delve into Ellie's relationships with her distant father and her mother, grandparents, friends, neighbors, teachers, and classmates. Sumner offers a heartfelt and humorous glimpse into the life of a girl with cerebral palsy who is determined to make her mark on a world that often perceives her as limited because of her disability. However, adults may want to discuss the ableist terms and sentiments Ellie expresses when describing herself, including the word "crippled" and feeling "stuck" in a wheelchair. VERDICT Recommended for fans of tender realistic fiction including Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's The War That Saved My Life and Elana K. Arnold's A Boy Called Bat. The challenges faced by youth like Ellie are underrepresented in children's literature; highly recommended for middle grade collections.--Angelina Bair, Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library, OH