• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7
• Reading age: 9 to 12

Key Selling Points

• In this book, a girl is dismayed when a bully who torments her shows up at a leadership retreat.
• Jelly Roll deals with bullying and finding the strength to be who you are.
• The main character has been bullied about her weight, but she is comfortable with her body. She is a budding chef and has a love for cooking.
• The protagonist models empathy toward the bully, who doesn't have a great family life.
• Jelly Roll is full of characters and themes a middle-grade audience will relate to.
• New, enhanced features (dyslexia-friendly font, cream paper, larger trim size) to increase reading accessibility for dyslexic and other striving readers.

Mere Joyce's profile page

• Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens

Mere Joyce is the author of several novels for young people, including Shadow from the Orca Currents line. She lives in Kitchener, Ontario, with her family

“This novel is about more than simply bullies and being bullied. It is also about friendship and family…A good read with a happy ending.”

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

“Joyce deftly endows each character with a rich inner life...Struggling readers can easily access the mindful, satisfying tale. A sweet success.”

Kirkus Reviews

“These quality, relatable novels are ideal for students at the middle school level who benefit from ultra-readable formats.”

School Library Journal (SLJ)