HUZZAH! A book about Ren Faire for middle grade readers! Jamieson’s illustrations are top notch, as always, with beautifully illuminated chapter headers. A lot of middle school girls will be able to put themselves right into Imogene’s boots as she faces the challenges of middle school. Plus I loved that Imogene was homeschooled which is not often featured in middle grade literature! A great read about friendship, navigating middle school and of course, becoming a knight in training.

I was introduced to our annual Renaissance Fair when I was about 11 through my sister's friend, whose parents were (and continue to be) cast members. The appeal of events like these--fairs, conventions, etc-- is the opportunity to escape from your troubles for a short while and enjoy a temporary fantasy. But when you grow up under that influence, well, that makes for an interesting story.

Now, I can connect with Imogene's struggle to impress her peers, and I know what it's like to be the target of teasing because of one's interests. It pained me to see Imogene reach the low point of this story because she wasn't coming from an intentionally bad place--kids will make mistakes on the road to growing up. But what makes this feel real is the consequences that followed and the effort Imogene made to try and mend the situation.

Victoria Jamieson did a fantastic job with "Roller Girl" and it's theme of moving on from fading friendships. What this book did was talk about how the friends who matter are the ones who can forgive your mess ups and not use you for self-gain. And how fun Renaissance Fairs can be. If you have one near your area, take a gander! If you have this book in your collection, take a peek! You might just be shouting "Huzzah!" at the end page for a story well told.

Very good book. Worthy follow up to Roller Girl.