Just Roll with It by Lee Durfey-Lavoie

Abstract

Reviewed by: Just Roll with It by Lee Durfey-Lavoie Kate Quealy-Gainer, Editor Durfey-Lavoie, Lee Just Roll with It; illus. by Veronica Agarwal. Random House Graphic, 2021 [336p] Library ed. ISBN 9781984897008 $23.99 Trade ed. ISBN 9780593125410 $20.99 Paper ed. ISBN 9781984896995 $12.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781984897015 $8.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 4-6 The first few days of sixth grade are bumpy for Maggie, so she takes comfort in her usual ritual of rolling her twenty-sided die to help her make sense of tricky situations. Making a new friend turns out to be easy, but an encounter with a bully and, more troubling, rumors about a monster lurking on the school grounds leave her anxious and uneasy. Choosing an extracurricular activity is also proving to be difficult, given the success of her overachieving older sisters, but she eventually finds her place in the school’s RPG club. Unfortunately, the support from her new pals and her family can only soothe her worries so much, and soon she finds herself relying on the die more often than not. This graphic novel excels at portraying the constant presence of OCD and how it can rear its head even in seemingly happy times (her interactions with her new friends are often dictated by what number she rolls), giving a more nuanced look at the challenges posed by this specific type of anxiety disorder. The art has echoes of Noelle Stevenson and moves fluidly from a bubbly cheerfulness to a more oppressive claustrophobia as Maggie falls further into her various rituals. Unfortunately, the rest of the plot is chaotic, often fumbling over too many secondary storylines, and the subplot about the school monster never coheres with the rest of the narrative. Characters serve mostly as proxies for a good therapist, speaking stiffly in supportive phrases but lacking authenticity. Still, the advice they give is helpful and compassionate, making this a serviceable companion to Telgemeier’s Guts (BCCB 9/19) or Fung’s Living with Viola, reviewed below. [End Page 54] Copyright © 2021 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois