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Summary
Summary
Lauren (but call him "Ren," pretty please) Hall is pretty sure that birds are definitely NOT supposed to be falling from the sky.
But just as he's starting to worry about avian flu and/or pesticide poisoning, he realizes that the birds are plummeting toward the ground on purpose.
Turns out they're Birmingham Roller Pigeons, and his new neighbor Sutton is training them for a competition.
Sure, it's strange, but it's also perfect timing, since Ren's best and only friend Aiden has picked this summer to start playing basketball with the popular kids. Sutton is dealing with her own loneliness, as well. When Ren starts training pigeons with her instead of training for the cross-country team, he discovers how to be a real-life superhero.
Roll, Darcy Miller's debut novel, is a heartwarming and funny novel that fans of Gary Schmidt, Rebecca Stead, and Jack Gantos will just love.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In a quiet first novel about friendship and change, set in Minnesota, 11-year-old Lauren "Ren" Hall adjusts to life on the outskirts of town in his grandmother's former house, reluctantly tries to follow in his father's footsteps as a runner, and meets a girl named Sutton who recently moved to the area from Washington, D.C. Ren is initially skeptical about Sutton's plans to train her father's Birmingham Roller pigeons, famed for their ability to execute aerial somersaults, but as they work together Miller explores familiar themes of shifting friendships and alliances, particularly as Ren's longtime best friend Aiden begins to hang out with the popular athletic crowd. Ren's acerbic sense of humor and conversational way of recounting the story to readers makes for a distinctive and memorable narrative, humorously illustrating the social dynamics he's trying to get a handle on, including understanding Sutton's feelings as she takes on her father's passion after an accident left him in a wheelchair. Readers will cheer on awkward, quirky Ren as he, like the pigeons, learns to roll with it. Ages 8-12. Agent: Carrie Hannigan, Hannigan Salky Getzler. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Seeing birds fall out of the sky may lead a person to doubt himself. When you are a very short eleven-year-old boy named Lauren, you doubt yourself often. Ren, as he prefers to be called, senses that he is growing apart from his best friend, Aiden--Aiden is now hanging around with the popular kids and is no longer interested either in the comics he and Ren previously enjoyed or in Rens company. Ren attempts to adapt to his changing circumstances by joining the cross-country team, emulating his trophy-winning runner father. When he meets new neighbor Sutton, with her bright-red dyed hair, he becomes curious about her. He learns that she is training Birmingham Roller pigeons to drop from the sky and do backward somersaults. Somehow, helping Sutton produce champion somersaulting pigeons feels as normal as anything else. Readers will easily predict the storys destination but will still delight in Suttons fierce honesty and Rens geeky self-discoveries (guess what? He really hates running). Readers will also have very little trouble rolling with the human characters--and the pigeons--and will willingly accept the growth Ren makes as a natural byproduct of the events of the novel. Plus, we learn about Birmingham Roller pigeons. How cool is that? ed spicer (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Rising sixth-graders Ren and Sutton bond through training Birmingham Roller pigeons.When Ren's family moves outside of town, Ren decides he will train for cross countrybut he hates the running so much that he's quickly distracted by the discovery of a new neighbor, a girl with a surprising passion: training her father's pigeons. Sutton's father has been hospitalized after a serious automobile accident. Ren's best (and only) friend is developing other interests. Over the course of this story of friendship and self-discovery, geeky Ren comes to realize that he's not likely to become an athlete like his father or his friend Aiden but that Sutton likes him for himself. They share interests, not only in Sutton's birds, but also in ancient comic books and silly YouTube videos. There's some suspense as they work toward a regional competition, and there are bumps in the road, both in the developing friendship and the training of Sutton's kit of pigeons. All these Minnesota preteens are probably white, though Sutton's dyed hair is an improbable red. It's refreshing to have a sensitive male protagonist in a story about relationships. Information about raising and flying roller pigeons sprinkled throughout will likely introduce readers to a hobby they haven't encountered before. A fresh take on a familiar challenge: a friend who develops a teen body and interests more quickly. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Ren Hall is doing his best to make his star-athlete dad proud by going out for the middle-school cross-country team, never mind that he hates running. Old-school comic books and academics are more his thing. Even so, as sixth grade approaches, Ren spends the summer mornings jogging through his neighborhood. One day, he's distracted by what looks like a flock of birds falling out of the sky. Making his way toward them, he arrives at his new neighbors' house, where a girl with flame-red hair meticulously monitors the tumbling birds. Meet Sutton Davies, competitive Birmingham Roller Pigeon flier. Ren finds both the girl and the birds fascinating, and before long he's helping Sutton train her pigeons for an upcoming competition, instead of running. As this new friendship blossoms, Ren also grapples with the growing pains of watching his best friend join the popular crowd. Miller's debut soars and dives among the complex emotions that accompany growing up and genuine friendship. Despite a few missteps, Ren matures and hits his stride by summer's end.--Smith, Julia Copyright 2017 Booklist
