Twelve-year-old Astrid is looking forward to spending the summer with her best friend, Nicole. But when Astrid wants to go to roller derby camp and Nicole decides to continue pursuing her love of ballet, a divide develops between them. As if her friendship woes weren’t enough to worry about, Astrid has to compete with fellow campers who are much more experienced (and some much rougher) than she is— all while keeping things a secret from her unsuspecting mother. The action comes to a dramatic head as Astrid prepares to make a stellar debut in her first roller derby bout.

This delightful middle-grade graphic novel deserves all of the comparisons it’s been getting to works like Raina Telgemeier’s Smile and Cece Bell’s El Deafo. The charming illustrations and pitch-perfect text tell a heartwarming story about the drama, pain (both physical and emotional), and joy that comes with growing up—and it’s set against the awesome backdrop of the pun-laden sport of roller derby.  And although author/illustrator Victoria Jamieson didn’t base the book on direct events from her life, it’s definitely influenced by her experiences, including the time she spends tearing it up on the derby track as Winnie the Pow! (An athlete after our own heart!) Readers interested in knowing more about how the book came to be can visit the author’s website for a free “making-of” e-book.

Perfect for a rainy day in New York City, One Monday Morning (an adaptation of a French folk song) is a classic story of a young boy with a wild imagination. On one Monday morning, he is visited by a king, a queen, and a little prince, but isn’t home to see them. They return the next day, and the next, and so on and so forth, each day adding a new member to their entourage: a guard, a jester, a barber. The text builds on itself in a fun and delightful way, and is accompanied by charming, cross-hatched illustrations—vibrant, cartoon-like images of the royal family, and more down-to-earth scenes of the New York City locations the boy visits on his outings . Though the story was originally published in 1967, it’s a timeless one that any picture-book lover should read!

In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, I picked up I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai. In this book, Malala tells her inspiring story about standing up to the Taliban and demanding freedom of education for young girls. This moving account takes readers through the beginning of Malala’s education. Malala describes the wonder of going to school, “For us girls, that doorway was like a magical entrance to our own special world,” which made me appreciate my own opportunities. I was sincerely touched by the book Publishers Weekly calls in a starred review, “A searing and personal portrait of a young woman who dared to make a difference.” I’d recommend this title any time of year, but it was particularly special to read near International Women’s Day.