The Jammer (Nova Weetman, UQP)
Fred has roller derby in her blood. As soon as she could walk, her mum had her skating. It was their thing—and a place where Fred always knew she belonged—until an investigation into an injury her mother received on the track leads to a bone cancer diagnosis. Six weeks later, her mother is gone and suddenly Fred’s no longer sure where she belongs. It feels like no one understands how to help with the hurt she’s feeling. Her dad is trying his best, but things are not the same. While everyone else wants to talk to her about her mum, Fred wishes she could just bury her face in her pillows. Scared to skate and play derby again in case it means leaving her mother behind, Fred tries to do as her mother instructed and find her special place. Everything feels confusing as Fred struggles with the changes in her life. The Jammer is a story about heartbreak and grief. Masterfully told by Nova Weetman, it captures the differences in how people grieve and the struggle of working out what comes next when your world has been turned on its head. Along with the pain of loss comes a story of making new connections while unravelling the past. Friendship and family are explored; new and old alike. An evocative experience, this book will keep readers turning the pages as they follow along on Fred’s journey.
Anneliese Gates is a writer and works in a primary school library.
