This is a great look at how anxiety affects children, even when there are no obvious factors causing it. The main character is highly likeable, and her family is very supportive. This book also deals with OCD, which is uncommon in middle grade books.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Just Roll With It is a middle grade graphic novel that centers on Maggie and her struggles with anxiety and OCD. I liked this title because it shows a child in the beginning of anxiety and OCD but still shows her able to make friends, stand up to bullies and join in group activities. The drawings are very strong and age appropriate..

The dice roll is a decent image for dealing with anxiety and indecision. It's not the only compulsion that the character shows, of course, but it's an important one since we see it transition from coping tool to impediment. We see how her compulsions hurt her and other people. We get too cultural expectations and the normal social pressures that come with our middle school years. Nothing mind-blowing but still a solid read.

Just Roll With It dives into the mental health of a middle school girl, Maggie who uses twenty-sided dice to help her make it through the day. Dealing with OCD and anxiety, Maggie draws on friends and family to help her learn to trust herself and those around her. A wonderful introduction into the world of mental health and learning to be who you are and accepting who you are.

This is an enjoyable book with charming illustrations and good pacing of the plot. The portrayal of anxiety and compulsions is realistic and age appropriate, and the main character's reluctance to go to therapy is overcome gradually with a good depiction of her work with a therapist. A diverse cast adds to the appeal of this book. I bought several copies for our library system and hope it helps with understanding and acknowledging anxiety as well as being simply a good story!

This graphic novel "Just Roll with It"by Veronica Agarwal and Lee Durfey-Lavoie takes us on the journey with Maggie as to goes though her first year of middle school. You will notice that Maggie is different from other middle schoolers She has anxiety and OCD. We watch how Maggie handles her everyday decisions and what she uses to make those decisions.

Middle school kids will enjoy this graphic novel, because it depicts how one person with anxiety and OCD function though her day. At also show how friendship and family can play a part in a person's life that has anxiety and OCD.

This was an absolutely charming read from start to finish. I love that it tackled some serious issues that are hard to talk about. These subjects are really important to be covered in middle grade fiction. Both so those reading it know that they are not alone but also so that they hopefully can catch these illnesses early and start getting the help and treatment they need. I also love that they set this in the backdrop of something super popular right now.

Maggie's starting 6th grade, with her trusty, decision-making D20 in hand. But she's nervous. Will she make friends? What kind of club should she join? And what about the monster outside the school? I enjoyed this graphic novel; the characters felt realistic and there's lots of sweet moments. It deals with OCD and anxiety while still focusing on Maggie's whole life, not just what's going on in her brain. Lots of great supporting characters and diversity too.

An interesting, fun read that talks openly and realistically about mental health in a way that kids could understand. The RPG/fantasy element was so much fun, and the D20 was a great symbol for how her compulsions were affecting her life. There was a lot packed in there, and at points felt a little long, but overall a great graphic novel I'd be happy to recommend to my patrons.

This is an absolutely adorable, super diverse graphic novel for middle grades that not only touches on the highs and lows of being a middle school kid, but also does a good job of exploring childhood mental health and what OCD looks like from the perspective of a kid.

This book is so cute! I know RPGs are really hot right now, but this one uses RPGs to talk about something else. It shows the dangers of OCD and models how parents and friends can properly interact with someone they think is struggling.

Just Roll with It is a super sweet graphic novel about a girl with OCD and how the RPGs she plays connect to that. I really enjoyed it, and think it's a great way to teach kids about OCD, and to make kids that have it feel less alone. I really loved the main character's family and friend group. Her sisters' and their partners were so delightful and I'd read full books about them. It reminded me a lot of Living With Viola, another middle grade graphic novel about mental health that came out this year, which I also really liked. What sets this apart is the RPG element and the fantasy elements that come with that. I wish this leaned into that a little more and we got to learn more about the main character's games and characters. Still, I'll recommend this to student and am happy I got to read it!

I liked this read! Very cute and helpful for young readers first experiencing/understanding OCD. Also had great representation of diverse characters (LGBTQ and disability inclusion).

E ARC provided by Netgalley.com

Maggie is anxious about starting middle school, especially since her older sister Jamie did so well. Maggie has some manifestations of OCD-- she must greet the house when she gets home, gets stuck in downward thought spirals, and uses a gaming die to help her make decisions (ala Multiple Choice by Janet Tashjian, 1999). She actually makes a decent start to the year, telling classmate Clara that she likes the pin on her backpack and finding out that the two love the same book series. This gives her someone to help navigate her day, sit with at lunch, and investigate the different after school activity groups to join. The school is surrounded by a lawn, and there seems to be a snake or other low slung, rapidly moving creature hanging out in the grass. Other students joke that it's a snake, but Maggie's worries turn this into a deadly creature that she much develop rituals to fight against, and manifests itself in the pictures as a dragon. Her parents are concerned about her moods and her rituals, and suggest seeing a therapist, but Maggie throws a fit and they don't follow up. Her school year continues to go well; she enjoys her classes, makes friends with others in the role playing game activity group she and Clara join, and her family is solid, although one member might move away for a job. Still, her anxiety increases despite the solid advice from those around her about how her fears, and her ways of dealing with them, are not constructive. Maggie gathers her courage to finally discover what is hiding in the grass around school, and agrees to counseling.
Strengths: This is very similar to Raina Telgemeier's graphic novels (Smile, Guts) about anxiety, and somewhat similar to Wang's Stargazing or Myracle's Big Sister, so I thnk it will be popular. The colors are generally somewhat bright, but darker to showcase Maggie's thought spirals. I really enjoyed the fact that there were a variety of after school clubs, even though my school doesn't have those. The people in Maggie's life are all supportive of her, and she eventually seeks help.
Weaknesses: It would have helped to have an explanation early on about what the numbers on the die rolls meant to Maggie. We always saw the roll, but I could never figure out what the numbers told her to do.
What I really think: This is a well done graphic novel on an all too timely topic. This will be on the top of my list if I am able to purchase more graphic novels. Will definitely wait for a prebind, however, since I just had to replace four Follett Bound titles, all graphic novels.

This was a good fun read. I kind of wish it went a bit more in depth into one thing or another. The RPG storyline, the monster storyline, and the OCD storyline were all a bit much, especially when told from the perspective of someone who's averse to talking about issues. It was still really good though!

This is was really great realistic middle grade graphic novel. I thought the way Maggie and her OCD/anxiety were portrayed was effective, realistic, and accurate. I liked the idea of using the dragon as a manifestation of her OCD because it fit into her love of role-playing games (RPGs). The story was well-written and the art was really great. I loved seeing Maggie interact with both her friends and family. I liked the way the OCD was handled, as well as the open-ended way the book ended. It's great to see a middle grade graphic novel deal with mental health.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's Publishing through NetGalley.
Readers meet Maggie as she begins sixth grade. Early on, they see her love for gaming as she uses her 20-sided die to make some decisions. This becomes important as the story progresses and readers see that she can't make a decision without rolling this dice. She finds friends and acceptance and even stands up to a bully all while battling with her own inner issues. Durfey-Lavoie blends mental health concerns with her story of typical middle school life. She offers some possible reasons why Maggie feels so anxious. Readers will connect with Maggie and relate to what she faces. Near the end, Maggie makes a decision to do something brave at school even though the dice roll came up a 1. She then shows even more bravery as she asks for therapy and shares with her therapist. I appreciate how reaching out for help is woven in as normal and something everyone needs to do.

This is a really good look at a middle schooler who deals with anxiety and OCD. I really enjoyed this graphic novel, I liked the illustrations of the characters. Middle school is a rough time and having anxiety and OCD can make it harder. I liked the development of the characters and dealing with these changes.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Very sweet, very charming graphic novel about a young girl who struggles with anxiety, undiagnosed OCD, and starting middle school. Strong messages about friendship, bravery, and caring for ones self. Should appeal to both adult and younger readers.