‘Kenzie Kickstarts a Team’ Explores All the Fun, Jealousy, and Camaraderie of School Sports

By Rashauna Tunson

Recommended reading age: 10 and up

“But as Kenzie sat between Jules and Bree, her skate laces tangled with Tomoko’s, she realized that roller derby wasn’t about the Dynamic Duo. It was about the team. Things were different now. Things were… better.”

Best friends Kenzie and Shelly have always dreamed of being roller derby superstars. Every day after school, they watch Kenzie’s mother hip check her teammates at roller derby practice, and they devise their own special moves on skates — while also falling a lot. They proudly call themselves the Dynamic Duo. When they discover a brand new junior roller derby league has started in Austin, they are ecstatic about the opportunity to show off their prowess. In order to try out together, the two girls must find three other girls to create a team.

Slowly and surely, they find Tomoko and Jules to recruit for the team, but complications and hurt feelings ensue when Shelly starts acting like she is everyone’s best friend, including sharing their secret Dynamic Duo handshake! Isn’t she supposed to be Kenzie’s best friend? To make matters worse, Shelly insists on inviting Kenzie’s confident and cool neighbor Bree to join the team. Bree is a master of skateboarding, so Shelly thinks that she would be a perfect fit for the team. But Bree makes Kenzie’s stomach fill up with butterflies, and she is not ready to be awkward in front of her secret crush! Having to teach the new girls the basics of both skating and roller derby in just one week proves to take a toll on Kenzie and Shelly’s friendship — will the Dynamic Duo survive?

‘The Derby Daredevils: Kenzie Kickstarts a Team” is a promising middle-grade book that explores the concept of jealousy, celebrates diverse friend groups, all while dispelling the myth that girls are incapable of playing full contact sports — or sports in general.

There are so many small details about this book that I enjoyed. I loved being in Kenzie’s head as she daydreams, and I think that younger readers will revel in Kenzie’s thoughts as well as appreciate how she works out problems in her mind. I love how gung–ho the sporty Jules is, and how she is ready to throw her body around at a moment’s notice. Tomoko’s skills on the basketball court are attention grabbing, but off the court, she remains quiet and reserved — to me, she is the group’s quiet strength.

Kenzie’s dad is Trans, and I love how accepting and mature Kenzie is about it. His being Trans is worked into the story in a very understated way that will normalize the everyday existence of Trans folks. Same thing with Kenzie and her sexuality; she has feelings for Bree, but it’s not the main focus of the story. I love the superb illustrations in this book. Escabasse’s drawings are so inclusive and adorable. Readers will absolutely enjoy how distinct each character is, and I am positive that a wide variety of people will find someone in this book that they’ll fall in love with.

My heart was so full while I read this book. I appreciate a story about girls playing full contact sports. As a young girl myself, I always wanted to play sports — football especially — but was never taken seriously simply because I was a girl. I cherished how none of the adult characters in the book told Kenzie or any of the other girls that they should be doing something more lady-like. They let the girls take their own calculated risks and encouraged them from the sidelines. As in life, like roller derby, you have to learn how to fall and then get right back up, which isn’t always easy. Also, as someone who started skating as an adult two years ago, I think it’s fun that this book will be around to inspire kids of all shapes, sizes and ethnicities to strap on a pair of roller skates!

If I only had to use one word to summarize this book, it would be ‘encouraging’. ‘The Derby Daredevils’ proves what we have known all along: girls who lift each other up can rule the world. ‘Kenzie Kickstarts a Team’ is the first book in a series of three and I for one, am thrilled to continue reading about these girls kicking butt on eight wheels! Do yourself a favor and roll into your local bookstore to get a copy!

Rashauna Herm (she/her) is a lifelong resident of Denver, Colorado. She is proud to be Black and Queer. Rashauna is passionate about human rights, disco music, and breakfast burritos. You can follow Rashauna on Twitter at @rogue1ne__ or — if you’re lucky — you can catch her whipping around town on her roller skates!