I’m all for more queer rep in middle grade books 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 and this sounds adorable

Middle grade roller derby series! The main character has a crush on another girl! Also, her dad is trans. This is adorable, and I can't wait for the next in the series to come out.Full review at the Lesbrary.

Loved, loved, loved this fun middle-grade read from debut author Kit Rosewater. This book features tough, caring girls and a diverse cast and is a perfect read for adventure-loving kids. These roller derby girls are some of the coolest (and yet super relatable) kids I've seen in kidlit.

Kit Rosewater's debut, "Kenzie Kickstarts a Team," is an absolute delight! I loved Kenzie, Shelly and the gang, and going on the journey with them to become Derby Daredevils was just what I wanted and needed as a reader right now. A super kickstart to what is sure to be an amazing and enduring girl-power series. Just heard that Book 3 is already in the works. Yay!

Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Mimi KoehlerWhat do you get if you pick up a copy?- Girls supporting girls and standing up for themselves!- Stereotypes like “girls can’t play basketball” or “girls are too weak to play derby” are kicked in the butt in this book!- The most diverse and awesome group of friends you could ask for- There is a quiz on Kit’s website where you can find out which of the Daredevils you are most like!Review:If I had to summarise this book in one word, it

4.5 Stars

Rosewater’s fun, sporty, and eminently relatable debut kicks off the wonderfully illustrated Derby Daredevils series with a bang, or should I say a Bomb Shell? That’s the derby name for Shelly, who together with Kenzie (that’s Kenzilla to you) dreams of becoming a roller derby superstar. But the only way the girls can guarantee getting to run together is if they try out as a team, and two girls does not a team make; getting another three on board is going to be key if they’re ever gonna have a s...

This was so cute!! It’s out of my age demographic but I’d definitely give it to a middle schooler, especially fans of Roller Girl. The discussions around friendship and friends growing apart were great, as was the casual queer rep, both with Kenzie and with her dad, who’s a trans man!

E ARC provided by NetgalleyKenzie and her best friend Shelley love roller derby, a sport in which they are interested because Kenzie's mother is involved. They both hope to join a team when they are in high school, so are super excited to see that there are try outs for ages 10-14 teams at the warehouse in Austin, Texas where they have been skating. The only problem is that they really want to try out together, and find that the only way they can do this is to put together a team of five. They d...

FRIENDS! i just finished this WONDERFUL MG debut by Kit Rosewater and i ADORE IT! THE DERBY DAREDEVILS has:- a diverse cast of characters!- f/f first crush!- girls kicking ass!- casual queerness (FEAT. A TRANS DAD!)seriously this book is SO SWEET and SO MUCH FUN!the Casual Queerness was definitely my favorite part, but this is also a great book about empowering girls, and learning how to share your best friend (WHICH IS SO HARD). this is a fantastic book for MG and HIGHLY recommend it for sporty...

This was super cute and I’m excited to read the rest of the series!!

A really sweet and super inclusive story about an up-and-coming roller derby team. I love roller derby, but I think I would be a huge wuss playing! I also don't know what my derby name would be. Sam Smash? Smashy Sam? Something with Smash? :P

All the shiny gold stars for an MG debut I LOVED because it hits the middle grade sweet spot in so many ways. I’m seriously excited about this book and getting it into the hands of young readers in March 2020.This book is PERFECT for the younger middle grade crowd, and I was thrilled to hear that it’s the first book in a series. It’s highly illustrated (by the talented #sophieescabasse), it’s a reasonable length, and it’s mature enough that readers won’t feel like it’s a “little kid” book. Kenzi...

I LOVED this book. I don't high cap LOVE a lot of stories, but this one I really did. I read it out loud to my 8 yo and 5 yo sons and they loved it, too. They asked if we could order the next one (which we did.) Rosewater does an excellent job of introducing Derby in an easy-to-conceptualize way. The main character has both internal and external desires that are totally relatable for young kids. I also love that the MC has a trans dad and that this fact is dropped casually into the text and expl...

Great story of making friends

Loooooooved this 2020 MG from @kitrosewater and @abramskids ; pre-order it for sure! 5⭐️ ; comes out 3-24-20.〰️〰️With frequent B&W illustrations and coming in at exactly 150 pages I know this will be a hit with my reluctant readers. It’s also super fun (roller derby!!) and addresses friendship issues in a realistic way. LGBT characters are present, but not in an overt way. So so much to like here. Grades 2-6. 😊.〰️〰️#middleschoollibrary #library #librarian #futurereadylibs #iteachlibrary #booksta...

Middle Grade Book featuring LGBTQ+ Themes: #3 I'm half tempted to see how the rest of the series plays out. I would highly encourage middle grade readers to check this out especially the girls. I loved the team spirit and expanding your inner circle theme. Plus, roller derby is interesting as heck! The author does a fine job with LGBTQ+ representation as Kenzie's Dad is trans. Kenzie also deals with a female crush of her own. Such a great and positive story. I think this will be one of the books...

4.5 stars!What an awesome middle grade debut! This was a super fun illustrated story about two 10-year-old BFFs, Shelly and Kenzie, who are trying to put together a roller derby team. They need three more girls, but that's easier said than done. Complications ensue when jealousy comes up in their friendship, disagreements about who are the best candidates, and Kenzie's just discovered crush on Bree, who Shelly wants for the team. (I highly identify with her crush strategy, which is avoid talking...

I just finished reading an ARC of this utterly charming book and I can't recommend it more. Kit Rosewater's middle-grade voice is spot on, and will appeal to all sorts of readers, but most especially to reluctant readers, who will be encouraged by Sophie Escabasse's fun illustrations. Derby Daredevils is first and foremost, about friendship and teamwork. I loved seeing Kenzie struggle with her jealousy of her best friend Shelly's burgeoning friendship with brand new pal and team member Tomoko, a...

This middle grade book definitely skews toward the younger part of the range. There were a lot of things I appreciated about this book, including the friendships, the f/f crushing, and the casual trans representation. However, as someone who has played derby for nearly a decade, I was constantly irked by all the things about derby that weren't quite right, including safety guidelines (no test of safety before BRAND NEW skaters scrimmage!), game mechanics (yelling instead of whistles? jammers rel...