|
Derby Girl
|
| List Price: | $17.99 |
| Price: | $12.23 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details |
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com
36 new or used available from $5.78
Average customer review:
Product Description
Her pageant-addicted mother expects her to compete for the coveted Miss Blue Bonnet crown, but Bliss would rather feast on roaches than be subjected to such rhinestone tyranny.
Bliss? escape? Take up Roller Derby.
When she discovers a league in nearby Austin, Bliss embarks on an epic journey full of hilarious tattooed girls, delicious boys in bands, and a few not-so-awesome realities even the most bad-assed derby chick has to learn.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #90299 in Books
- Published on: 2007-09-04
- Released on: 2007-09-04
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 240 pages
Features
- ISBN13: 9780805080230
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
Editorial Reviews
Review
“This first-time author combines roller-skating and coming-of-age with a sardonic heroine to create an enjoyable, quick read. Whether Bliss is battling menacing derby mavens or discovering the perils of lying to parents, she is quirky and likeable despite her prickly exterior. . . . Fans of Louise Rennison’s Georgia Nicolson books will be pleased with this American counterpart.”—Voice of Youth Advocates
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
I line up, the whistle blows, and I immediately stumble as I take off. I keep skating, fighting my wobbles, and get around the track one time with relative ease (yes!). But then something clicks on the second lap. I lean low into the track, push as hard as I can and?bingo!?I go flying out of the turn at speeds the other girls haven?t even touched. For a second, it feels like I might not be able to control the speed, but I bend my knees lower, and manage to go even faster. From there on, the track is mine, I attack it with all I have . . .
At practice, the humiliation factor decreases as my skating improves. Even though I?m covered in bruises aka ?derby kisses? I feel surprisingly proud of what I?m learning to do (it?s so weird; I?m kind of like a jock). I even sneak out late at night to covertly practice my T-stops and power slides in the driveway, determined to catch up to the other girls.
I love the way the wind whips through my hair as I fly through the turns, sitting low, leaning into the track for maximum speed. My life feels like it has been so slow for so long, it?s fun to finally be going fast.
Customer Reviews
Courtesy of Teens Read Too
While wandering through the young adult section of my local library, I came across DERBY GIRL. I had seen the book in the bookstore on other occasions but never bought it. I picked it up at the library and took it home with me. Not knowing what to expect, I started reading, and was instantly enthralled by the life of Bliss Cavender.
Fans of A&E's Rollergirls will especially enjoy this book.
Bliss is too big for Bodeen, Texas. Bliss is a sixteen-year-old high school student that can't wait to get out of her small town. Her mom is obsessed with beauty pageants, and expects Bliss to follow in her footsteps. However, Bliss is better known for receiving the "certificate of participation" rather than the tiara. She is more comfortable in her 80's thrift store T-shirts rather than teased hair and evening gowns.
On a shopping trip to the big city of Austin, Bliss snags a flyer advertising Roller Derby. In her younger days, Bliss was pretty good on four wheels, and she hatches a plot with her friend, Pash, to sneak back to Austin (an hour from Bodeen) for try-outs. After a shaky start on skates, Bliss soon remembers the feel of the wheels under her feet and is totally addicted.
Sneaking out twice a week under the guise of an SAT-prep course, Bliss soon becomes Babe Ruthless and a fan favorite for the Austin Roller Derby scene.
Covering the topics of fitting in, parental disagreements, first love, and finding out who you are meant to be, DERBY GIRL does not disappoint. The story moves quickly without any needless sidelines to interrupt the plot. Ms. Cross's style is hip and spunky. She uses many slang phrases as well as abbreviations to keep in touch with the teen audience.
Bliss is a lot of fun and independent. It's refreshing to read a story where the lead character is comfortable with who she is meant to be and stays true to herself the entire way through the story.
Reviewed by: Jaglvr
Wonderful Read!
I read Derby Girl one evening after work. It had been a rough day and this was a perfect read to lift my spirits. I fell in love with the characters and the relationships each of them has with one another. It is a quick, easy read and I finished it feeling satisfied and excited by the story! I look forward to more books by Shauna Cross. She is a talented writer and storyteller.
Not just for teens
I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Bliss and the other characters in this book. It is a great character study of teenage life in the new millennium. If you love music, roller derby, or Austin Texas, you will enjoy this book. And it's not just for teens. It would make a great movie!
