Time to Roll

Roll With It #2

by Jamie Sumner

In the eagerly anticipated sequel to Jamie Sumner’s acclaimed and beloved middle grade novel Roll with It , Ellie finds her own way to shine.

Ellie is so not the pageant type. They’re Coralee’s thing, and Ellie is happy to let her talented friend shine in the spotlight. But what’s she supposed to do when Coralee asks her to enter a beauty pageant, and their other best friend, Bert, volunteers to be their manager? Then again, how else is she going to get through this summer with her dad, who barely knows her, while her mom is off on her honeymoon with Ellie’s amazing gym teacher? Ellie decides she has nothing to lose.

There’s only one the director of the pageant seems determined to put Ellie and her wheelchair front and center. So it’s up to Ellie to figure out a way to do it on her own terms and make sure her friendships don’t fall apart along the way. Through it all, from thrift store deep dives to disastrous dance routines, she begins to form her own definition of beauty and what it means to really be seen.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Disability, Audiobook, Contemporary, Fiction, Childrens

208 pages, Hardcover

First published April 4, 2023

About the author

Jamie Sumner is the author of the critically-acclaimed middle-grade novels, Roll with It, Tune It Out, and One Kid's Trash. Her forth middle-grade novel The Summer of June hits shelves on May 31st, 2022 with Atheneum Books for Young Readers. She is also the author of the nonfiction parenting books, Eat, Sleep, Save the World and Unbound.

She has also written for the New York Times and the Washington Post as well as other publications. She loves stories that celebrate the grit and beauty in all kids. She and her family live in Nashville, Tennessee. Connect with her at Jamie-Sumner.com

Reviews

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very rarely do I enjoy a sequel as much as the first book in a series. This one was an exception!
Ellie’s story continues, as she tries to navigate some complicated relationships in her life. This girl never loses her spunk and determination, to prove to everyone that she is NOT a pitiful crippled girl in a wheelchair!

[Shane Burcaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading for research for an upcoming project

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved spending time with these people and I don't want to leave them again:).

I was so proud of Ellie and happy for her when one thing happened with her dad.

Also, I want a book of Ellie's recipes 😋 they sound delicious !

[Sacha · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

In the sequel to _Roll with It_, Sumner takes readers back to Ellie's world and to the hilarious and memorable characters who inhabit it with her.

The novel begins at a major family event that provides an opportunity for Ellie to experience some added independence and some new and challenging situations. With her mom out of the home temporarily, Ellie must learn to navigate a challenging relationship with her dad and his second family and a number of circumstances that she would typically engage her mother in for background support. For those who know and love Ellie's mom, don't worry; she's still present in a creative way, but her physical absence is the tool Sumner uses to facilitate Ellie's new opportunities.

Along with expanding family dynamics, Ellie experiences micro and macroaggressions based on her disability, and as usual, she demonstrates that she is wise beyond her years (and also forgiving without being a pushover). Readers of all ages can learn a lot from Ellie's positive attitude, rage baking (love this and want to adopt immediately!), and general application of humor to even the most awkward situations.

Fans of the first book will be pleased with this sequel. Sumner does these characters justice and provides an entertaining read with many valuable lessons as added bonuses. I continue to truly enjoy this author and look forward to reading much more about Ellie and any other characters Sumner creates!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Atheneum Books for Young Readers for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Annie Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle grade readers love a sequel, especially when it’s with Ellie, Coralee, and Bert! Cute book with a great theme of friendship.

[Brittney Lyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Jamie Sumner’s Roll With It series feels like a warm hug. I loved being back with these characters. In this one you get all the main characters you fell in love with in the first book plus a few more. Ellie delivers humor and also true feelings. With a new venue, Ellie goes out of her comfort zone and tries something new while still being true to herself!

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

July is "Disability Awareness Month" and so my daughter and I listened to this very cute and funny novel about a girl who decides to enter a beauty pageant with her friend.

[cauldronofevil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t remember if donated “Roll With It”. I think I did. But I did remember that it was very pleasant read and when I saw the sequel to, it had to read it.

It’s in a very odd hardcover binding by Gale A Cengate Company. Or maybe Thorndike Press. The font is HUGE. It almost looks self-published which would be too bad. The last one was certainly well done enough to earn a sequel and I would think the same people would publish it.

Certainly the cover illustration looks like it was done by the same artist.

Man, if he didn’t get on with it soon, I’d have to propose to him myself.

The thing about cerebral palsy is that I’ve lived with it every day of my life, so I’m used to it. But to the rest of the world, it’s a surprise. And not usually a good one.

Even my mema agrees, and she’s the one who says cats basically exist to prove that some things in nature have no purpose.

The Lotto is the result of Mom’s childhood spent reading one too many Baby-Sitters Club books.

I actually understand that reference now!

So Ellie’s mom decides to mary Ellie’s P.E. Coach and Ellie is fine with it. They go off on their honeymoon and leave Ellie with her dad and his new wife and two sons. In the house trailer that is Ellie’s home.

Coralee, Ellie’s best friend is going to compete in a beauty pageant and Ellie and Burt (another friend) agree to help.

Errands — the adult answer for everything because it is both vague and also important-sounded.

If I punch her, would that be enough to disqualify me?

Because her dad thinks the idea of Ellie being in a beauty pageant is absurd, Ellie decides to do it out of spite. Ellie spunky that way.

She still visits her grandmother and grandfather who’s dementia is only getting worse. They are both staying in a care facility now.

She would drive all the way back from wherever the heck she is right now just to lecture me on society’s toxic beauty standards. Then she she would ground me for all of eternity.

I just found my registration fee and my grandpa remembered my name. It is magic hour.

My goal was to get people to stop looking at me, not the other way around.

”Here’s a thing I learned over the course of all these years: you only get one or two really good friends in a lifetime. I mean the kind that stick around through thick and thin and fightin’s and fun. One or two. Three, if you’re lucky. That’s it”

I’m so sick of having to manage everybody else’s feelings about me.

Because that’s how best friends work, even when they say the worst things and stop talking and one of them tries to run the other one over with her wheelchair.

As I expected I had a great time with Time to Roll. It was nice to catch up with Ellie and her friends and extended family.

I hate to use the word ‘heartwarming’ but it was both that and surprising.

And I had no idea how the pageant would end!

Well, this is a definite 4 star book and I look forward to the next book.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Ellie's mother and her gym teacher have gotten married, and since they are going on a honeymoon, Ellie's father and her two young step brothers are staying at the trailer with her. Her grandmother and grandfather, who is suffering from Alzheimer's, have moved in the senior condo facility, Autumn Leaves. Ellie and Coralee are looking for some adventures for the summer, along with their friend, Bert, and Coralee decides that she will enter the Little Miss Boots and Bows pageant. Her grandmother drives the trio so that Coralee can sign up (and pay using the money she earned from selling stolen Girl Scout Cookies), and the pageant organizer encourages Ellie to enter as well. She doesn't think it's a good idea, but Coralee really wants her to. Ellie would rather be baking. Still, she borrows $75 from her grandmother and is soon involved with Coralee on preparations for the pageant. She is also trying to reconnect with her father, and they do some activities like fishing together. She also gets the occasional postcard from her mother. Of course, with Ellie and Coralee both in the pageant, there are bound to be some moments of contention. Will Bert be able to smoothe things over and get the friends through the summer?
Strengths: Ellie is a fun character, and it was interesting to see her navigate her new school in the first book, and to see her spend more time with her grandparents. In this book, the emphasis is more on Coralee and Bert, as well as the difficult relationship Ellie has with her father. It's also summer, so Ellie's school relationships aren't really discussed. There's still plenty of baking, and details about the challenges that Ellie has being in a wheel chair because of her cerebal palsy, but it was good to see that those challenges are just part of her daily life and not the focus of the book. The friend drama is always a good addition, and I imagine it's hard to be friends with the exuberant Coralee!
Weaknesses: Pageants are a hard sell at my school. I can't think I have ever had a student involved in one, and can't even think of any local pageants that exist. Is this more of a Southern or Oklahoma thing? Even Bert comments that pageants as a social construct are rather outdated.
What I really think: This is a good choice for collections where Roll with It has been popular, and joins a short list of middle grade books that center around beauty pageants, like Pucket's The Glass Witch, Charles' Like Vanessa, Alpine's You Throw Like a Girl, Scott's School of Charm, and Frazier's The Other Half of My Heart.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not exactly the summer Ellie had planned. First, her mom marries her gym teacher, which Ellie is thrilled about, and they are off on a honeymoon, which Ellie fully supports...but it means Ellie has to stay at home with the father who abandoned her as a baby, and his new family. Her stepmother is really nice, and her little half-brothers are annoying but not too bad, but Ellie just doesn't know how to act around her father, or how to feel. So Ellie spends more time with her besties, Coralee and Bert, but somehow that goes south as well. It starts with Coralee dragging Ellie along when Coralee signs up for a beauty pageant, which she wants to win with all her heart. But when the pageant coordinator sees Ellie--and more importantly, her wheelchair--she almost forces Ellie to sign up, too. It's only Coralee's begging that gets Ellie to do it, and then Bert decides to be their manager and takes it way too seriously, and Ellie has to borrow the entry fee from her not-well-off grandmother. It's all getting to be a bit much, especially when Coralee, seeing how laser-focused the pageant coordinator is on Ellie, decides Ellie is trying to undermine her (Coralee). Ugh, will this summer ever end?

I really liked the first book in this series, and this one was just as good. Ellie's emotions are completely believable, and she makes mistakes and says the wrong thing, though honestly, she was often provoked by someone else saying/doing something first. I liked that she was not always at fault. I wish we'd had more of her baking, as was in the first book; there is some, and it plays a crucial role, but she's so busy with other things it doesn't get much air time. I think this series can let kids see what it's like to be in Ellie's position, and if they are already in Ellie's position, it's great that they have a strong character to mirror their experiences. Friend drama is real--I can see a lot of kids liking this one.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a delight to revisit Ellie's world in this follow up to Roll With It. Ellie's father (along with his wife and two children) come to stay with Ellie for four weeks while her newly remarried mother embarks on a honeymoon. Ellie's friends, Coralee and Bert, are along for the adventure as Coralee pulls Ellie into a pageant. While this story does stand on its own; the characters are more completely fleshed out in the original novel and I think readers will appreciate Time to Roll to a greater extent if they are familiar with Ellie and her friends already. The portions of the story set around the pageant give Ellie a new venue and a new cast of characters for finding her place and her voice. The feeling Ellie has, that she's being used by the pageant folks to prove how inclusive they are, provides an opening for conversations about how we treat people who have disabilities. I'm repeatedly impressed with how compassionately and realistically Sumner portrays flawed adults, Ellie's dad in particular. He is uncomfortable with Ellie's disability and she is understandably frustrated that he has to help him learn how to support her. Without making the resolution too easy, Sumner allows for some healing between Ellie and her dad, and for hope that they will grow closer in the future. This is ultimately a humorous and heartfelt story that middle grade readers will enjoy.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jamie Sumner’s follow-up to Roll With It picks up with Ellie’s mom marrying Coach Hutch and her best friend Coralee convincing her that competing in a Little Miss pageant with her would be a great way to spend her time while her mom is honeymooning and her mostly absent dad and his new family move in with her for 5 weeks. Middle grade readers who enjoy realistic friend & family drama will love this one. Ellie is strong and determined to do what she wants and on her terms and defies anyone to pity her for being in a wheelchair and facing all that cerebral palsy means. Her other best friend Bert is back as well and he just may have found a girlfriend as he “manages” both Coralee and Ellie during pageant practice and dress shopping. Like the first installment, SUMMER OF JUNE and ONE KID’S TRASH, Sumner’s characters are richly developed and represent many who sit in classrooms everywhere and help young people experience diversity in physical and emotional battles that may be unfamiliar to them. Libraries serving students from age 9-13 should seek out all Sumner’s books with no concerns in areas of profanity, violence or sexual content.

Thanks for providing my arc-sharing group with a copy of your upcoming novel, Jamie Sumner.

[The Keepers of the Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

A year after the events of Roll With It, Ellie’s mom gets remarried and goes on a honeymoon. Spending a month of her summer with her father, he feels like a stranger to her. Things are only more awkward with her stepmother and stepbrothers feel like strangers to her. To help distract herself, she lets her best friends, Coralee and Bert convince her to enter a beauty pageant. Things at the pageant are just as awkward, however, when the organizer patronizingly fawns over her and her father vocalized his disapproval of her doing it. As her friend, Coralee, grows increasingly jealous, can Ellie preserve their friendship? Can Ellie find a way to survive her time with her dad?

The plot is well-developed and realistic? The main characters are likable and easy to relate to. Secondary characters, however, are somewhat underdeveloped. Fans of realistic fiction, self-discovery, and friendship will want to pick this one up. Although not required, it is recommended readers read Just Roll With it first. Recommended for most library collections.

Please Note: A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are our own. No other compensation was received.

[Sharon the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The thing about cerebral palsy is that I’ve lived with it every day of my life, so I’m used to it. But to the rest of the world, it’s a surprise, and not usually a good one. It’s like if you were really hoping for a bike for your birthday but you got a 1000 piece puzzle instead. Your parents really want you to be open-minded about the puzzle, so you fake a smile. All you can think about though, is how fast you could be going on that bike right now.”

I like how Ellie finds her own way to shine, be seen, and what beauty really is. She is navigating middle school, friends, difficult family relationships, and self discovery the same as every teenager, and doesn’t use her disability as an excuse.

“Mama always says it’s better to air your dirty laundry before it has the chance to stink up the place.”

“I roll back a bit, into the shadow of the pines, and look out over the quiet, blue depths of the lake. THIS is beauty. The natural world is always beautiful. People never criticize a rock for its roundness, or a squirrel for its tail, or a mountain for the shape of its peak. I wish I could say the same for humans.”

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

12yo Ellie has never been one for pageants, but when her best friend Coralee enters the "Little Miss Boots and Bows" pageant and wants Ellie to participate as well, she goes against her dad's wishes (he thinks something is up because why would they want someone in a wheelchair), forges her mom's signature (mom is on her honeymoon), and borrows the $75 entrance fee from Mema (who doesn't ask questions). Ellie isn't worried about what the adults think, however, the competition puts a strain on her relationship with Coralee.

I love Ellie so much, she is resilient, funny, and independent. I love how Ellie often points out that she's fine, and her chair isn't the problem people think it might be. I loved the pageant, and wondered about the organizer's intentions myself - I wonder if a middle-grade reader would, too, or if that's a mom/adult thing? Although Time to Roll is second in the series, it is not necessary to have read Roll with It first. A darling read.

Cross posted to http://kissthebook.blogspot.com

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Little Miss Boots and Bows Pageant is coming to Henryetta, OK. Ellie's best friend Coralee is determined to win the darn thing. Her other friend Bert offers to be their manager, and the next thing she knows Ellie is practicing the Little Miss Boots and Bows anthem and planning her talent entry. If you read the first book Roll with It, you know Ellie has some baking skills. How can she showcase them on stage? Why is the pageant director Rae Ann giving Ellie so much attention? This is a stressful summer for Ellie for lots of reasons, but the folks around her trailer park are still like family. If you haven't read the first book, be sure to check it out and get to know this sassy ray of sunshine.

Thank you to Antheneum Books and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Emily Bush · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time to Roll is about Ellie, who has cerebral palsy, and her friends Coralee and Bert. When Ellie’s mom gets married, her dad and his family come stay with Ellie. She and her dad have never had much of a relationship and she is nervous about him coming. When Ellie’s friend Coralee wants her to join the Miss Boots and Bows Pageant, she starts on a journey to find her real beauty. As before, I love the characters: Bert, Coralee, Ellie’s grandparents, her dad, and of course, Ellie herself. They all go on a journey to figure out what is important to them in their relationships with one another. Having a child with cerebral palsy gives Jamie Sumner real knowledge and a heart to write about Ellie, making her feelings and life feel more real. I’m really hoping there will be one more book to this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 in series
Ellie's mom is going away on her honeymoon so Ellie will be left with her dad (the one who abandoned her when she was a baby) for the duration. She spends lots of time with her best friends Bert and Coralee to avoid spending time with him, since he doesn't seem to know how to deal with her and her wheelchair. She ends up trying out for a beauty pageant with Coralee despite her heavy misgivings. Things go terribly wrong both with her friends and with her family. Ellie is going to have to do some soul searching and some communication work in order to figure things out.

Even though there's not as much baking as the first book, it is still a solid and engaging work. There is lots to appreciate in terms of family, friendship, self-awareness/self-esteem, and communication. While it can stand alone, it is helpful to have read the first book, as the characters continue to grow and develop in this one.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific sequel to Roll with It. Readers see how life unfolds after mom marries Ellie's teacher and they head off on their honeymoon. Her dad and his new family arrive to be with Ellie while they're gone. This dynamic is filled with tension. To be gone part of the time, Ellie agrees to help her friend Coralee and enter a beauty pageant along with her. Some of the unfolding drama is predictable but that simply makes the story more real. Sumner weaves humor through the reality of life with friends and family when illnesses and disabilities are involved.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another quick read with more of Ellie's voice in it and her wonderful baking. Interesting to see her more "on her own" without her mom around, as well as the dynamics with her father and his new family. The pageant element was a bit strange - I know it was what Coralee had always hoped for, and the friendship interactions it led to felt realistic for the age, but the pageant itself felt a bit forced...it was a big deal but also not given that it was taking place in a run down theater. Still, it served its place for the plot, and I enjoyed the continuance of the characters from the first one.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved when we get to revisit favorite characters. Ellie has been one of my favorites of the past few years and I was so excited when I found out her story was to be continued. This one did not disappoint. Ellie is trying to new things as well as spending time with here dad and his family. Lots of emotion keep this book moving fast. I can’t wait for the third installment when her story continues again. 💕

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the sequel! Could be a stand alone novel, but why miss out on the first book?!
It was great being able to read more about Ellie and her friends. I hope there continues to be more stories of Ellie!

A great read aloud for upper elementary and middle school classes.
A must-have for all libraries!

@JamieSumner #TimeToRoll #Ellie #SummerReading #BeachRead #MGLit #MGReads #ElemLit #ChildLit #SchoolLibrarians #SchoolLibraries

[Melanie H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellie, Coralee and Bert are back and this time it's Coralee's time to shine! She's finally entering the Oklahoma Ms. Boots & Bows pageant and couldn't be more excited. Ellie is not excited as Coralee has coerced her into participating. She's not at all happy about it. And, to top it off, her dad and his new family are staying with her for a month as her mom and new husband are on their honeymoon. This summer couldn't get any worse. Wait...Could it?

[Sticky Note Book Recs Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

$&@*¥#\ Jamie Sumner!!!! How do you make me blubber and cry over a freaking middle grade chapter book?!? 😭
Sequels to really good books are usually at least a little bit disappointing. This one was NOT. I love that we got to go back and visit clever and witty Ellie, and her world, and the story and themes were 🧑���🍳 💋.
I underlined things. And cried over others. Just. So good.
Y’all, read middle grade even if you’re a grown up. Your inner child will thank you, and find some healing!! ❤️‍🩹

[c · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review copy courtesy of Atheneum Books for Young Readers

This was a good companion to the first title. A lot of good reflection on Ellie’s diffences, and how the runners of the beauty pageant she was involved in wanted to use her as a prop. I think there was a little less of the humor and vividness of the first, but still a great recommendation for realistic fiction lovers.

[Barbra · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this sequel to Roll With It, Ellie gets coerced into entering a beauty pageant with her best friend Coralee. When the director is set on highlighting Ellie and her wheelchair, her friendship is challenged. However the real challenge for Ellie is to convince everyone what real beauty is. This simple story of perserverance, reminds young readers to stay true to themselves.

[Calleen Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Jamie Sumner’s books don’t disappoint and this one does not. You can feel and taste! those summer afternoons she writes about. You know exactly how Ellie is feeling as her friendship with her best friend gets rocky, and her missing her mom, and dealing with the complicated relationship with her father. Great sequel to Roll With It.

[Erin Buhr]

Ellie is not the pageant type, but somehow with her mom on her honeymoon and her dad and his new family staying with her to keep an eye on her, she gets talked into it by her friend, Coralee. This sequel to Roll with It is set over Ellie's summer break and is full of fun, friendship and figuring out what beautiful means to you. Endearing, inspiring and fun; this is a great summer read. 

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sumner does an amazing job of weaving together multiple plot lines, including disability representation as a main theme, along with tough family dynamics, and still writing an engaging, comic middle grade novel. I never thought I'd enjoy a novel with a beauty competition as a main focus, but I did.

[Almira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sequel to Roll With It.
Ellie's friend loves her dearly, but Coralee can be pushy at times, like when she pushes Lou to enter a beauty pageant --- after all, Lou is confined to a wheel chair due to her cerebral palsy.
What talent can she possibly perform for that part of the pageant?

Well, once again Lou shows her love of baking, but on stage?
Look past the physical and into the soul.