Roll

Winner of the 2018 Burr/Worzalla Award * A CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center) Choices 2018 Pick * A Bank Street Best Children's Book of 2017 A hilariously funny and poignant debut novel, perfect for fans of Jerry Spinelli, Kat Yeh, Gary D. Schmidt, and Rebecca Stead. When Lauren (but call him “Ren,” pretty please) Hall sees birds falling from the sky, he knows something is wrong. But just as he’s starting to worry, 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 Ren’s best and only friend Aiden has picked this summer to start hanging with the popular kids. So Ren starts training pigeons with Sutton—what’s the worst that could happen? A bird falls on his head? You’ll have to read Roll to find out. When Ren discovers his new neighbor Sutton is training Birmingham Roller Pigeons for a competition, they strike up friendship, just as Ren's best friend Aiden begins playing basketball with the popular kids. When Ren discovers his new neighbor Sutton is training Birmingham Roller Pigeons for a competition, they strike up a friendship just as Ren's best friend Aiden begins playing basketball with the popular kids During the summer between fifth and sixth grade, comic book-loving Ren grows apart from his best friend and meets a new girl who is looking for a training partner for the upcoming pigeon rolling competition