Under the Neon Lights

Gr 8 Up–Jaelyn Coleman, 16, lives and breathes roller skating. WestSide Roll, her local rink, brings together the local Black Indianapolis community and allows her to skate her troubles and worries away, especially when her best friend Noelle is getting more and more distant. She even meets a cute boy, Trey, who asks her to teach him how to skate and while she tries not to fall for his charm, Jae ultimately agrees. Everything is rolling along, until they get the news that just like the rest of the neighborhood that has fallen to gentrification, WestSide Roll is closing. With only so many days left, Jae tackles her emotions about this place of so much community and culture disappearing as well as her feelings towards Trey, her changing friendship with Noelle, and her previously absent father now wanting to be in her life. This debut novel in verse by Vinson is a coming-of-age story with a budding romance that also highlights the consequences of gentrification, the importance of community, and issues surrounding trust, change, and new friendships. Readers see through the eyes and emotions of Jaelyn, but each character is vivid and full of life. The characters leap off the page and make readers feel immersed in the story.