Roll with It

This book is about a girl named Ellie who has cerebral palsy. She and her mom live in Nashville. When her grandpa, who suffers from dementia, drives his truck into the front of a grocery store, Ellie’s mom realizes she needs to move in and help care for him. This means a new school and new friends for Ellie. That is traumatic for any kid, but it is especially true for Ellie, who is in a wheelchair. Who will want to be friends with her?

It’s a frustrating school transition because there is no wheelchair ramp on the school bus and the aide assigned to Ellie is less than stellar. In good news, Ellie makes two new friends, Coralee and Bert! But right as she is settling into her new life, Ellie’s mom starts looking into assisted living facilities for her grandpa. That would mean a move back to Nashville!

I liked this book because it depicts some of the frustrations of a child who uses a wheelchair. It is a dose of reality that differently-abled kids have struggles that most able-bodied kids do not even realize.