It’s no secret that we’re big fans of audiobooks here at Roarbots HQ. Both of my kids listen to audiobooks every night as they fall asleep. Our road trips are filled with the soothing sounds of narrated books (rather than music or iPad sound effects). And our library of audiobooks is almost as vast as our collection of “real” books.

I won’t deny it; I’m an audiobook evangelist.

Despite what you may have heard, listening to stories read aloud carries with it all of the same benefits as reading. It allows kids to engage with content both critically and intellectually.

And by its nature, an audiobook encourages concentration, imagination, and stamina. Kids who listen to audiobooks become engrossed and naturally focus all of their attention on listening to the narrator, following the story, and understanding the words. That merits repeating: kids calm down and focus. If that’s the only benefit to come from audiobooks (and it’s not by a long shot), then I’d call that a win.

It goes without saying that we listen to a lot of books in our house. And those that are performed with a full cast (like old-time radio) and sound effects? Those are our favorite.

So it was a bit of a thrill when Victoria Jamieson’s Roller Girl (which was a 2016 Newbery Honor book) got the audiobook treatment? Why? Because it’s a graphic novel. And it’s about roller derby!

Roller Girl follows middle-schooler Astrid on her journey to being part of a roller derby team, through all the bumps and bruises of the game and of growing up. The audiobook adaptation features a cast of more than 25 narrators and a full suite of sound effects recorded at a real roller derby bout!

If you’re interested in hearing what an audio adaptation of a graphic novel sounds like, then you’re in luck! Check out the excerpt below, and then go add Roller Girl to your audiobook collection.