Cover art by Beatriz Ramo
From Reese’s Book Club LitUp Fellow Margot Fisher, a moving debut about healing, self-acceptance, and queer first love, set on a roller derby team
Morgan “Moose” Shaker barely survived the fire that killed her fathers in their beloved roller rink in small-town Utah. Now she has to move to Portland, Oregon to live with her much older half sister, Eden. Eden’s doing her best, but she’s hardly ready to be a parent to a sixteen-year-old she hasn’t seen in years. Plus, barely-out-of-the-closet Moose worries that she’s not ready for super-affirming, rainbow-flags-everywhere Portland. Her anxiety and frustration are at peak levels.
Fortunately, Moose finds an outlet for her emotions and a surprising group of friends in roller derby. Her teammates help her grieve her dads and confront her queer imposter syndrome. And even though it’s against league rules, she might be falling for a teammate.
Heartfelt, funny, and romantic, this debut will make you want to lace up your skates, pull on your pads, and hit the track.
LEAVE IT ON THE TRACK was selected for Reese’s Book Club’s LitUp Fellowship in 2023, and is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.
content warnings: death of a parent, fire, panic attacks (on page), mention of suicide, anxiety, PTSD, condemned mention of transphobia in sports
available now wherever books are sold
If you are a teen who can’t access this book because of book bans, finances, or any other reason, please contact me and I will send you one.
advance praise for LEAVE IT ON THE TRACK
“★ Fisher’s debut romance whips its way out of the pack with smart first-person narration that smoothly balances heartfelt grief with droll humor, plentiful sports action, and meaningful discussions about queer identity.”
“A beautiful exploration of grief, healing, and self-acceptance, LEAVE IT ON THE TRACK will break your heart and put it back together. An incredible read that made me want to lace up my own skates!”
“Never has a book punched me in the gut so hard, so fast, but Fisher skillfully builds both readers and Moose back up with both tender self-empowerment and a cruisin’ for a literal bruisin’. A truly great debut about coming into your own under the toughest of circumstances, and so queer it could be its own roller derby team.”
“Electric, visceral, and affecting, LEAVE IT ON THE TRACK is a grand slam of a debut. I cried and cheered alongside Moose and her roller derby family—all as tough and tender as their hard-earned bruises. Margot Fisher is a YA author to watch.”
“Fisher’s debut is raw and real, combining deep exploration of grief with edge-of-your-seat derby action...Skaters and non-skaters alike will want to lace up after this fast-paced, moving story of recovery.”
“A hopeful, tender debut about grief, healing, and finding community.”
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learn about roller derby
Roller derby is a fast-paced, full contact sport played on roller skates.
Roller derby is played in increments called jams. Each jam lasts up to two minutes.
Both teams field up to five skaters at the start of the jam. Four of these skaters are called blockers and one is called the jammer. The jammer wears a helmet cover with a star on it and scores points for the team. The blockers are playing both offense and defense at the same time and together, they make up the pack.
The two jammers start each jam behind the pack and must get through all of these skaters for an initial pass before they can begin to score points. When the initial pass is complete, a jammer scores one point for every opponent they pass with their hips.
The first jammer out of the pack legally is declared lead jammer, which means they can end the jam anytime they want before two minutes are up.
Sounds easy, right?
—WFTDA: Roller Derby 101
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Definitely not! Roller derby is open to people of all genders, and there are different divisions and governing bodies to choose from.
WFTDA (Women’s Flat Track Derby Association) is the biggest derby governing body. While it was traditionally founded by cis women, it has since expanded to include trans women, intersex folks, and gender expansive individuals. WFTDA leagues are open to all people who feel like it best represents their identity. There are many trans women and nonbinary people that skate with WFTDA leagues.
MRDA (Men’s Roller Derby Association) is made up primarily of cis and trans men, but is considered open gender, and people of all gender identities are welcome.
JRDA (Junior Roller Derby Association) is for athletes under age 18 and has divisions for women (which includes trans and nonbinary people) and open gender teams.
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Yes, but almost all leagues have some kind of boot camp or training class that will teach you how to skate before you dive into scrimmaging. The basic skating skills you’ll need to start learning derby are crossovers, plow stops, turn around toe stops, backwards skating, and changing direction quickly.
If you already have a skating background, inquire with your local league about their requirements for new skater training.
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Yes! Many skaters (myself included) had never played a team sport (or any sport) before finding derby. People with a sports background might grasp certain skills faster than those without, but everyone learns at their own pace anyway. Don’t let that deter you.
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Honestly, yes. It’s an intense full contact sport. Everybody gets bruises, velcro burns, and an occasional wheel in the ass. Some people will experience a more serious injury at some point in their derby career—broken ankles, dislocated shoulders, concussions, etc.
When you start playing derby, you’ll learn how to fall safely to minimize potential for injury. You can do neck and ankle strengthening exercises at home to protect against concussions and breaks/sprains. The rules of roller derby are also very strict to protect skaters against serious injury.
If you’re concerned about injury but still want to get involved, see if your local league has a training program for officials. You can officiate roller derby on skates as a referee, or off skates as a scorekeeper, penalty box timer, and more. Officials are always in high demand, and your local league will probably be thrilled to have you!